According to data from KOBIS, a tracking service run by the Korean Film Council, the local romance “Once Were Us” has topped South Korea’s box office for three consecutive weeks. While movies remained steady at the top, the weekend saw a notable rise for local musical dramas.
“Once We Were Us” attracted 254,298 viewers and earned $1.7 million over the weekend. The film, directed by Kim Do-young and starring Gu Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young, is a local remake of the 2018 Chinese hit “Us and Them.” The story is about two people who first meet as students and fall in love, but are separated by the harsh realities of city life. Ten years later, they unexpectedly meet again and face their shared past and dreams they once had. Since its release on New Year’s Eve, the film has grossed $13.6 million with 2,001,032 admissions.
Local musical drama “Choir of God” had a big jump, moving into second place with 155,271 attendees and $1.05 million. The film, starring Park Si Hoo and Jeon Jin Woong, follows North Korean security officials who form a deceptive chorus to interact with international NGOs in order to secure foreign funding. The film has now earned a total of $4.5 million, narrowly beating out Avatar: Fire and Ash for second place.
Avatar: Fire and Ash fell to third place, earning $1.03 million over the weekend. The threequel has been making huge profits in South Korea, with 6,564,851 viewers and a total of $53.2 million in box office revenue since its release in mid-December.
The top-ranked new release of the weekend was local crime noir “Project Y,” which debuted in fourth place with 60,896 people and $433,281 in admissions. The film, directed by Lee Hwan, stars Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo as friends who lead a high-stakes heist to steal gold bullion in Seoul’s Gangnam district. “Project Y” completed a successful festival circuit tour, including its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and screening at the Busan International Film Festival, before being released in local theaters. Since its release on January 21st, it has earned a total of $699,196.
Local animation “Sinbi’s Haunted House: Summoned Again” dropped to fifth place, adding $373,548 for a total box office of $1.5 million. Based on the popular TV series “Simbi Apartment,” the film follows brothers Hari and Dori and their goblin friend Simbi as they investigate a new paranormal threat involving mysterious hypnotic water.
In sixth place was Zootopia 2, which added $341,227 for a total of $56.9 million. It was followed by local romantic comedy “The Hartman: Rock and Love,” which earned $230,297 for a total of $1.4 million. In Choi Won-seop’s Heart Man: Rock and Love, Kwon Sang-woo plays a former musician who lives a quiet life, but his world changes completely when he reunites with his first love, played by Moon Chae-won.
In eighth place was the classic Japanese anime “Castle in the Sky,” which earned $177,958 with 24,171 viewers. This re-release of Hayao Miyazaki’s 1986 masterpiece tells the story of a boy and a girl with magical crystals who search for a legendary floating castle while being chased by sky pirates and government officials.
Rounding out the top ten were two international releases. “Sirat,” directed by Oscar nominee Oliver Lacks, opened in ninth place with $94,459 and grossed $158,265. 10th place goes to the Chinese historical drama “731” (commonly known as “Bad Bondage”) directed by Qiao Lingxiang and starring Jiang Wu. The film investigates the atrocities of the Imperial Japanese Army’s germ warfare units during World War II. Weekend earnings were $83,283, bringing the total to $147,287.
The overall market total for the weekend was $6.3 million, down from $7.2 million the previous week.
