According to data from KOBIS, a tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the local romance film “Once Were Us” maintained the top spot at the Korean box office for the second consecutive week. While local hits continued to draw the biggest audiences, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash reached a key financial milestone in the region.
“Once We Were Us” drew 316,411 viewers and earned $2.1 million over the weekend. The film, directed by Kim Do-young and starring Gu Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young, is a Korean remake of the 2018 Chinese soap opera “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. The movie has now surpassed 1.5 million viewers and has grossed $10.4 million at the box office.
In second place, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” added $1.5 million to the total, pushing the trilogy past the $50 million mark in South Korea. Since its release in mid-December, the film has grossed a total of $50.4 million from 6.3 million admissions. Despite the rise of local titles, this major player continues to maintain a high revenue share of 20.9%.
“Choir of God” rose to third place in its third weekend of release, earning $779,915 from 114,841 admissions. This music drama, directed by Kim Hyun Hyub, marks actor Park Si Hoo’s return to the big screen. The film follows an effort to circumvent international sanctions by seeking help from a Hungarian NGO to build a church in Pyongyang. That total now stands at $2.8 million.
Two new local entries made it into the top five. The animated film “Sinbi’s Haunted House: Summoned Once Again” debuted at #4 with a weekend box office gross of $696,114. 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. Since opening on January 14th, it has earned a total of $973,020.
A close second was the romantic comedy “Hartman: Rock and Love,” which earned $684,213. The film is directed by Choi Won-seop, who directed the action comedy “Hitman: Agent Jun,” and stars Kwon Sang-woo and Moon Chae-won. The plot is about a former musician who lived a quiet and orderly life, but his world changes completely when he reunites with his first love. Comedic chaos ensues as he tries to win her back while hiding a big secret. The film has grossed $1 million since its release on January 14th.
Disney’s “Zootopia 2” rose to sixth place, adding $486,780 to its total of $55.1 million.
“Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight”, a local romance starring Ju Yong Woo and Shin Shi Ah, dropped to seventh place with $187,767 for a total of $5.4 million. Based on the novel by Misaki Ichijo, the film stars Ju Young Woo and Shin Shi Ah. The film, directed by Kim Hye-young, is a bittersweet high school romance about a girl with anterograde amnesia whose memory is reset every morning.
Rounding out the top 10 was local animated feature “Go Go Dino Movie: Insect World Adventure,” which debuted at $98,447. Directed by Lee Sun-myung, this Mogoji-produced adventure follows the titular robot dinosaurs as they navigate a giant insect kingdom. “Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! Spicy Kasukabe Dancers” followed with $61,638, followed by a one-week limited revival of the Japanese anime hit “Original Slam Dunk” with $71,287.
The overall market total for the weekend was $7.2 million, down from $7.9 million the previous week.
