Korea Box Office: ‘The Assassin(s)’ Holds Admissions Lead as ‘Chiikawa’ Generates Top Weekend Gross

Director Hur Jin-ho’s political crime thriller “The Assassin(s)” held the top position at the South Korean box office in admissions over the weekend of Oct. 2–4, though Japanese animated feature “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” captured the frame’s largest gross revenue.

According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, “The Assassin(s),” currently in the eye of a political storm, led all titles with 412,012 admissions across 1,129 screens, taking $3 million and representing 23.89% of the market. By contrast, “Chiikawa” generated a weekend-high $3.2 million from 405,978 admissions across 1,055 screens to take 25.31% of theatrical receipts, finishing second on the admissions chart.

“The Assassin(s)” dramatizes the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee and the resulting death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo. Starring Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho as investigators unpicking irregularities in the official inquiry, the production has amassed $16.3 million from 2,233,963 admissions since its launch on Sep. 23.

“Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” launched wide on Sep. 30 following limited festival previews. Directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from the manga by Nagano, the animated fantasy adventure follows the titular character and friends traveling to an island haven before confronting a mysterious aquatic legend. Counting nationwide previews, the anime has grossed $4.7 million from 604,764 total admissions.

Gambling crime drama “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” placed third in its sophomore frame, taking in $2.2 million from 299,915 admissions across 1,093 screens for an 18% market share. Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won, and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth installment in the comic-adapted franchise has grossed $10.2 million from 1,365,648 viewers since its Sep. 23 rollout.

“The Odyssey” took fourth place in its ninth frame, drawing $1.2 million from 123,059 admissions across 678 screens. Its local gross reached $101.2 million from 11,998,236 ticket buyers, leaving the film just under 2,000 admissions shy of the 12-million-ticket threshold.

Action fantasy “Reawakened Man” opened in fifth place, earning $885,217 from 115,894 admissions across 830 screens. Directed by Baek Seung-ryong and adapted from the popular webtoon, the feature stars Koo Kyo-hwan as a job-seeker who discovers he resurrects three days after dying, using his ability to battle criminal syndicates. Since its mid-week premiere on Sep. 30, the film has taken $1.4 million from 189,802 viewers.

Auteur Lee Chang-dong’s Venice award winner “Possible Love” took sixth place, grossing $482,385 from 60,534 admissions across 202 screens. Starring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong, and Zo In-sung, South Korea’s official international feature film submission has earned $1.7 million from 230,483 admissions since Sep. 23.

“Obsession” moved to seventh place with $283,437 from 33,886 admissions across 314 screens for a cumulative haul of $7.3 million from 916,738 viewers.

Warner Bros. Korea comedy remake “The Intern” placed eighth, generating $265,015 from 33,491 admissions across 502 screens. Directed by Kim Do-young and starring Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee, the comedy has accumulated $6.1 million from 834,866 admissions since Sep. 16.

“Digger” opened in ninth place with $222,627 from 27,580 admissions across 517 screens, lifting its cume to $234,385 from 28,551 viewers following its Oct. 3 bow.

Rounding out the top 10, “Avengers: Endgame Encore” took 10th place with $242,747 from 25,777 admissions across 116 screens, bringing its cumulative run to $1.3 million from 148,743 admissions.

The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $12.6 million, down from last week’s holiday high of $19.6 million.