Report
THE VANISHED Erases TOMB RAIDER in Debut
LITTLE FOREST Still Fresh in Week 2
Another quiet weekend kept admissions flat at the Korean box office, with 1.59 million tickets sold. Through a selection of mid-range local titles, the Korean film industry maintained a market advantage with a 60% share of sales.
Coming in at number one during its debut was the mystery-thriller The Vanished, which bowed with a respectable 524,000 admissions (USD 4.15 million), with 654,000 sales (USD 5.06 million) over its first four days. A remake of the Spanish film The Body (2014), the film features KIM Gang-woo (Taste of Money, 2012) and KIM Sang-kyung (Memories of Murder, 2003), who also appeared in last week’s new release The Princess and the Matchmaker.
The Tomb Raider reboot with Alicia Vikander scored a middling 315,000 entry (USD 2.55 million) bow, with 375,000 seats (USD 2.99 million) filled since Thursday. With audience reactions on the soft side, the film may not last much longer on the charts.
Last week’s number two film benefitted from strong word of mouth as it slowed just 29% in its sophomore frame, giving it another 263,000 admissions (USD 2.07 million) to bring its total to 1.12 million spectators (USD 8.37 million). With its comparatively low budget, the YIM Soon-rye directed youth film with KIM Tae-ri and RYU Jun-yeol is well on its way to profitability.
The other new film last week, the period romcom The Princess and the Matchmaker, was less fortunate in week two as it tumbled 68%. With another 157,000 entries (USD 1.23 million) the pricier film has now banked 1.27 million viewers (USD 9.36 million) to date and should soon exit theaters.
Closing out this week’s top five was Marvel’s hit Black Panther, which welcomed another 71,000 viewers (USD 561,000) and saw its total climb to 5.34 million admissions (USD 42.67 million)
The Korean market share appears set to improve this coming week as a pair of local romantic titles crowd into theaters while local holdovers should remain visible. Featuring SON Ye-jin and SO Ji-sub, Be With You is currently leading the pack on the reservations chart with the film version of the webtoon and TV drama Cheese in the Trap also racking up solid presales. Among foreign releases, awards circuit favorite Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri will also be released.
