Cinema box office in South Korea amounted to a dismal $5.45 million over the weekend, propelling “Alien: Romulus” back to top spot, despite the film’s steep week-on-week decline. Among new releases there was joy for a Korean-produced panda documentary and disappointment for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
“Alien: Romulus” earned $905,000 between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. That represented a 45% week-on-week decline and market share of less than 17%, but it pushed the horror franchise title to a $14.0 million cumulative since releasing on Aug. 14.
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Early September has historically been a weak spot on the calendar for Korean cinema business as the summer season fades out and the biggest local titles delay their releases until the Chuseok (or Korean thanksgiving) holiday season towards the end of the month. The latest Friday-Sunday aggregate followed that seasonal pattern and represented the third weakest weekend haul of the year.
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Chuseok arrives early this year and will give three days of public holiday (Mon-Wed, Sept. 16-18) in addition to a weekend. “I, The Executioner,” known locally as “Veteran 2,” and a sequel to 2015 crime blockbuster “Veteran,” will arrive in Korean cinemas on Friday and is poised to dominate the holiday period. It premiered in Cannes in an out-of-competition slot and has another international showcase this week at the Toronto festival.
But two other titles with claims to being among the most appealing Korean films of the year will not compete for Chuseok audiences. Star-laden thriller “Harbin,” which premieres in Toronto, will instead aim for the Christmas market with a December release. And “Uprising,” with Gang Dong-won and Park Jeong-min, will open the Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 2, but shortly after will head straight-to-streaming and upload to Netflix on Oct. 11.
Local box office charts in Korea are ranked according to ticket sales numbers (not gross receipts) and concert film, “Lim Young Woong IM HERO The Stadium” appears ninth according to that presentation. However, in terms of revenues, it was the second-highest grossing film of the latest weekend. Due to its premium pricing, it earned $662,000 from 30,200 spectators and has a $5.05 million cumulative since Aug 28.
Giant screen company, Imax reported that “Lim Young Woong IM HERO The Stadium” this weekend earned some $600,000 at its venues. That brings the film’s Imax total to $2.5 million and makes it the highest-grossing a local-language film in Korea at Imax theaters.
“My Dearest Fu Bao,” a documentary directed by Shim Jun and Thomas Ko, about the preparations for a giant panda’s departure from Korea, was the weekend’s highest-opening film. It earned $630,000 over the weekend and $1.06 million since arriving in Korean theaters on Wednesday.
“Pilot,” a Korean comedy-drama has turned into a long-haul flyer. It earned $437,000 over the weekend for fourth place, lifting its aggregate to a high-altitude $31.7 million.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” may have been the top film worldwide this weekend, but in Korea it debuted meekly. It opened in fifth place (local charts show it in sixth) with $376,000 over the weekend. Over the course of its full five-day opening, the film collected $613,000.
Japanese animation film, “Look Back” directed by Oshiyama Kiyotaka, followed close behind. It earned $361,000 over the weekend and $528,000 including its Thursday debut.
Korean animation, “Heartsping: Teenieping of Love” continued its run with a $344,000 fifth weekend haul. That lifted its cumulative to $6.39 million.
“Twisters” continues to blow. It earned $255,000 in its fourth weekend in Korea, for a cumulative of $4.72 million.
The rereleased Chinese film “Better Days” earned $241,000 for a cumulative of $1.45 million. Korean cheerleading film, “Victory” brought up tenth place. It earned $187,000 over the weekend for a cumulative of $2.94 million.
