Report
KIM JI-YOUNG, BORN 1982 Silences Anti-Feminist Backlash in Powerful Debut
RAMBO: LAST WAR Experiences Soft Opening in 5th Place
As a hot-button new title entered the marketplace, admissions swelled 15% while the local market share almost doubled to 59%. All told, a healthy 1.7 million sales were recorded over the frame.
Arriving on a wave of anticipation and controversy, the adaption of the feminist novel KIM JI-YOUNG, BORN 1982 had a commanding debut as it filled 829,000 seats (USD 6.29 million) over the weekend, with 1.12 million spectators (USD 8.28 million) recorded since its Wednesday bow. Reviews for the film, which stars JUNG Yu-mi in the title role, have been strong while the largely female audience (roughly 68%, according to Naver portal viewer ratings) have also been extremely positive.
However the film has provoked an unfortunate backlash among anti-feminists, some of whom even tried to petition to government to block the film’s release. A number of presumably male viewers also tried to negatively affect the film’s Netizen’s score on portal sites (which, unlike viewer ratings, do not require a user to have seen the film in question). Nevertheless, the winds appear to be firmly in the film’s favor, as it continues to top the reservations chart going into its second week.
Following its soft start, the Disney princess sequel Maleficent 2 dipped just 40% as it brought in 325,000 viewers (USD 2.37 million) during its second weekend. This gives the film a fair 1.13 million admissions (USD 8.25 million) to date, and it should find its way past the first Maleficient at some point over the coming week.
Joker remained a force on the charts as it slowed 38%, recording 240,000 entries (USD 1.82 million) during its fourth weekend. To date, the DC Comics villain origin story has amassed an impressive 4.96 million admissions (USD 36.72 million).
Likely owing to some direct competition from KIM JI-YOUNG, BORN 1982, local romcom Crazy Romance was dinged a little heavier this week as it went down 51%. That gave the film another 130,000 sales (USD 998,000) and a strong four-week total of 2.79 million entries (USD 20.39 million).
Closing out the top five was the debut of Rambo: Last War, the last instalment in the Sylvester STALLONE action franchise. The picture debuted with just 47,000 sales (USD 348,000) over the weekend, with 72,000 tickets (USD 517,000) banked over its first five days. This was on par with the previous instalment, released in 2008.
Terminator: Dark Fate is currently second on the reservations chart ahead of its debut this week and may clinch the top spot before it opens but whether or not it can top the weekend will depend on how word of mouth builds around KIM JI-YOUNG, BORN 1982.
Related People
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JUNG Yu-mi
