Korean Box Office Awaits Launch of Chuseok Titles 

With no major new releases, business slowed, and holdovers led the charts over the past weekend as distributors and theaters await the coming Chuseok holiday. The business was down 30% week-on-week to 608,000 admissions, with local titles claiming 36% of the market.

Remaining in the top for its second weekend was Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. The Marvel title was down 44% as it captured 297,000 sales (USD 2.63 million), raising its total to 1.23 million admissions (USD 10.62 million).

Ryoo Seugwan’s Escape from Mogadishu continued to impress as it rose one spot and slowed just 23% after seven weeks in theaters. The action film added 80,000 viewers (USD 684,000) to its year-best total of 3.38 million entries (USD 27.57 million).

The Hwang Jungmin vehicle Hostage: Missing Celebrity saw its audience cut in half as it added 69,000 sales (USD 587,000). The action-thriller has filled 1.52 million seats (USD 12.56 million) to date.

Comedy disaster film Sinkhole was down about the same with 35,000 spectators (USD 299,000) counted over the weekend, raising its total to 2.17 million admissions (USD 18.05 million).

The hit anime your name returned to theaters in Korea, claiming fifth place with 25,000 viewers (USD 214,000). As the most successful Japanese film of all time in Korea, its lifetime total stands at 3.77 million admissions (USD 25.9 million).

The exhibition market is about to get a shot in the arm with the entry of two major local titles being released in time for the Chuseok holidays: the heart-warming drama Miracle: Letters to the President and the thriller On the Line.