EXIT Scales the Charts, Blocks THE DIVINE FURY

After a slow start to the local high season at the box office, the winds finally shifted back to local content as two new tentpoles claimed the first two spots. Domestic films accounted for 75% of sale, which totaled 3.73 million over the last weekend, with pl...

An Unexpected Jackpot

Box Office Report of 2017 The Korean film market reached new all-time benchmarks for income and admissions in 2017 after a strong December rally. Yet the real story behind the numbers was which unexpected films got audiences the most excited while several seem...

THE SWINDLERS Swipes Another Weekend Win

A slew of new releases couldn’t topple last week’s champion but business remained much the same overall during the first weekend of December, with 1.87 million entries recorded, approximately two thirds of which were snapped up by the wealth of local thrillers...

Stranger Than Fiction: Politics & History Inspire Cinema

The Korean box office has had a rocky ride through the first two trimesters of 2017, but this period was not without its success stories. Though controversies and an uneven slate of films presented some obstacles, Korean history remained a strong driver for pr...

MEMOIR OF A MURDERER Kills IT in Solid Debut

Local thrillers tend to dominate outside of holiday periods in the fall and this year is proving to be no exception as a serial killer chiller reclaimed the top spot for the domestic industry, which clocked a 57% market share, while a Hollywood sensation under...

THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD Shoots Up Summer Holdovers

Cinema attendance cooled with the weather over the weekend as the exhibition industry settles into a brief calm before the lengthy holiday season in early October. Admissions clocked in at 1.86 million viewers while Korean product maintained a market share lea...

VIP Squeezes Narrow Victory in Late Summer Opening

With summer coming to an end and the humid heat making way for cooler breezes, cinemas saw a 30% dip in business as one new local release led a string of strong Korean holdovers, giving the domestic industry a commanding 80% advantage in the market. Unseating ...

A TAXI DRIVER Rides Into 10 Million Viewer Club

Buckets of rain came down on Korea over the weekend but the stream of crowds heading to theaters remained unabated as admissions stood at a healthy 3.57 million. Korean films remained strong as a pair of dominant holdovers and some new releases contributed to ...

MIDNIGHT RUNNERS Chase A TAXI DRIVER

With the most powerful holdover of the year facing off against several strong newcomers, the Korean box office remained very strong in mid-August, selling 4.44 million tickets, with the local industry maintaining its traditional dominance in the late summer se...