Historical Epic Grosses USD 2.5 Million
Not content with breaking every conceivable box office record in its home country, period epic
Roaring Currents has now become the most successful Korean film at the US box office (not including co-productions), after accruing USD 2.49 million and counting after six weeks on the charts.
Named
The Admiral: Roaring Currents for its North American release, the
KIM Han-min naval war film, starring
CHOI Min-shik as the famed Admiral YI Sun-shin, bested previous record holder
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, the
KIM Ki-duk art house favorite that powered to USD 2.38 million in 2004. During its most recent weekend,
Roaring Currents added USD 68,753 from 31 theatres and should add further to its haul before it exits theaters.
Domestically, the film surpassed James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) to become the most successful Korean film of all time at the Korean box office with 17.54 million admissions and KRW 135.16 billion (USD 130.53 million) in ticket sales revenue.
Though Korean films have thus far failed to leave a major mark on the US box office charts, 2014 has proven its strongest year, following the performance of the co-produced
Bong Joon Ho sci-fi blockbuster
Snowpiercer, which made USD 4.53 million earlier during the summer before going on a successful Video on Demand run, and now the success of Korean box office champ
Roaring Currents.