Japanese animated phenomenon “Chiikawa Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island” ranked No. 1 at the South Korean box office during the weekend of October 30-November 1. It took the top spot for the third weekend in a row, ranking #1.
The Toho-distributed fantasy film earned $1.7 million from 221,651 submissions on 1,167 screens, accounting for 32.1% of the weekend market, according to data from KOBIS, a streaming service operated by the Korean Film Council. The blockbuster animation, directed by Kei Oikawa and based on Nagano’s popular manga, has grossed a total of $20.1 million from 2,583,851 total viewers since its release on September 30.
Sony Pictures and TriStar’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast” opened in second place, earning $1.2 million from 162,790 attendance on 1,106 screens, accounting for 23% of theatrical revenue. Since opening midweek on October 28, the title has raised $1.5 million from 215,237 submissions.
By4M Studio and Barunson E&A’s workplace comedy “Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng” came in third place with 6.09% of the market, grossing $326,609 from 44,799 engagements on 677 screens. Screenwriter Lee Yong-jae’s directorial debut stars Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min and Jeon Seok-ho; It tells the story of a high school language teacher who is unexpectedly assigned to a top-secret 40-day test-writing committee for the national college entrance exam. Following its premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and commercial screening on October 28, the comedy grossed $505,208 from 71,767 viewers.
Director Hur Jin-ho’s political crime thriller “The Assassin(s)” finished fourth in its sixth frame, grossing $307,719 from 41,265 submissions on 620 screens, taking in 5.7% of revenues. The series, distributed by Hive Media Corp and starring Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, recreates the assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee on August 15, 1974. Despite ongoing legal complaints and protests from conservative civic groups alleging historical distortion over its depiction of contradictions in the government investigation, the title has increased its cumulative total since its September 23 launch to $25.5 million from 3,448,036 entries.
The re-released anime “Attack on Titan: Crimson Arrows” placed fifth, grossing $266,616 from 30,263 views on 233 screens. The theatrical rerelease of the 2014 feature brought its updated cumulative gross to $547,187 from 72,324 admissions.
CJ ENM’s gambling drama “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” ranked sixth, earning $208,310 from 26,650 viewers on 498 screens. The fourth film in the series, based on the comic book directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won and Ayaka Miyoshi, officially surpassed the two million ticket threshold, reaching $15.7 million from a total of 2,055,522 viewers.
CJ Entertainment’s psychological thriller “Paradise Lost,” directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyun-sung, ranked seventh on the admissions chart with $124,104 from 17,053 entries on 593 screens, bringing its revenue to $1 million from 151,429 entries.
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ “Clayface” ranked eighth in submissions with 16,641 viewers on 444 screens, but had a higher gross of $140,321. The film collected $899,915 from 115,464 submissions.
Universal’s tentpole “Odyssey” finished ninth in its 13th weekend, earning $108,833 from 13,332 admissions on 254 screens. The film took 2.02% of the frame, bringing its cumulative total to $106.4 million, watched by 12,335,377 people since its opening on August 5.
Among the top ten, Japanese romantic drama “You, Like a Star” debuted with $77,264 from 10,091 viewers on 154 screens. Directed by Michihito Fujii and starring Ryusei Yokohama and Suzu Hirose as young lovers struggling with shared challenges on an island in the Seto Inland Sea, the film has grossed $146,509 from 20,478 viewers since its release on October 28.
The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $5.3 million, down from last week’s $5.6 million.