Stream Classics to Latest K-Movies & Shows at OnDemandKorea

[HanCinema's Box Office Review] 2014.05.23 ~ 2014.05.25

Marvel's mutants dominate and send "Godzilla" packing…

Advertisement

Last weekend Kim Dae-woo's "Obsessed" and the latest "Godzilla" flick slugged it out at the top as Korean cinephiles were torn between a local delight and a potentially impressive alien invasion. This week, however, saw the release of the much anticipated "X-Men: Days of Future Past", a comic-inspired event that promptly settled last week's tussle by snatching over 64% of the box office pie. Marvel's mutants mounted an all-out assault and forced the rest of the pack to scramble for stubs, resulting in a landslide victory as it pooled support from over a 1,000 screens nationwide.

Last week Kim Dae-woo's romantic drama "Obsessed" opened its account with over 445K admissions; a healthy start considering it was up against the gargantuan stub-guzzler "Godzilla" (which has already grossed over $315M worldwide). This week "Obsessed" claimed just 231,510 (10%) to advance its total tally to 1.1M, while the American monster re-make tumbled all the way to fifth with an unimposing 77K (3.4%). Indeed, Marvel's latest mutant outing did abruptly settled matters, and left the rest of the weekend's contenders to count their blessings as it gorged itself on the bulk of the bucks. 

Director Chang's "The Target" (116K – 4.8%) and the sci-fi thriller "Transcendence" (113K – 4.9%) followed in third and fourth respectively despite the chaos around them. Wally Pfister's "Transcendence" generated a lot of buzz before its release through its intriguing premise and A-list cast, but has subsequently been snubbed and criticised for over-reaching somewhat. Koreans have shown some interest there, but beyond those curious few its run thus far been flat. "The Target", on the other hand, has quietly amassed a healthy sum of over 2.5M ($21.2) despite not having occupied pole position once during its three-week run.

Lee Jae-gyoo's historical drama "The Fatal Encounter" (starring, among others, Hyun Bin, Jung Jae-young, and Cho Jung-seok) sprinted to over 3 million admissions, but then battled to find further traction as the brutal box office lifecycle brought in fresh blood for the hungry masses. This past weekend the film claimed an additional 66K (2.7%) over 311 screens to bring its total tally now to 3.8M ($28.8M), further securing its place as the third highest-grossing Korean film of the year. Marvel's monopoly meant that newcomer "A Girl at My Door", by director/writer July Jung, found it difficult to stake its claim. Still, Jeong's debut drama opened to over 310 screens around the country and enjoyed a welcoming party 56K (2.4%) strong.

The American comedy drama "Her" and the Spanish horror El cuerpo ("The Body") also made their way to Korean shores, but both found it hard going and came away with 46K (2.1%) and 37K (1.5%) for eighth and ninth place. Lastly, the animated antics of "Rio" rounded out the weekend's top flicks with 32K admissions, bringing its total haul in Korea now to just under 750K.

 

What's coming out next week in Korea? [HanCinema's Film News] New Korean Films Inbound...

Last weekend's report: [HanCinema's Box Office Review] 2014.05.16 ~ 2014.05.18

 

Korean Box Office - Admissions for the Weekend 2014.05.23 - 2014.05.25 (www.kobis.or.kr)

# Films Release date Week-end Total
1 "X-Men: Days of Future Past"   1 451 606 1 755 908
2 "Obsessed" (인간중독) 2014/05/14 231 510 1 135 553
3 "The Target" (표적) 2014/04/30 116 079 2 779 945
4 "Transcendence"   113 066 644 329
5 "Godzilla"   77 265 692 030
6 "The Fatal Encounter" (역린) 2014/04/30 66 658 3 800 218
7 "A Girl at My Door" (도희야) 2014/05/22 55 868 72 394
8 "Her"   46 818 57 357
9 "The Body" (El cuerpo)   37 500 46 128
10 "Rio 2"   32 635 749 764
Korean movies only  
  "Ghost Messenger" (고스트 메신저) 2014/05/22 10 734 13 242
  "A Hard Day" (무덤까지 간다) 2014/05/29 5 248 22 475
  "One on One" (일대일) 2014/05/22 4 650 7 095
  "The Groin" (배꼽과 무릎사이) 2014/05/22 2 607 3 785
  "Han Gong-ju" (한공주) 2014/04/17 880 223 298
  "Sage Solutions" (슬기로운 해법) 2014/05/15 516 2 637
  "Thread of Lies" (우아한 거짓말) 2014/03/13 505 1 618 315
  " Mother " (친정어머니, 1966) - Re-release   190 4 574
  "Hope in Baseco" (바세코의 아이들)   126 126
  "Uigwe, the 8-Day Festival 3D" (의궤, 8일간의 축제 3D) 2014/04/17 74 7 832

 

- C.J. Wheeler (chriscjw@gmail.com@KoreaOnTheCouch)

❎ Try Ad-free