Well-made Historical Thriller, The Night Owl, Topped on Its Release Weekend

The Night Owl, a costume drama acclaimed as a ‘well-made thriller, topped the box office on the weekend of its release. According to the Korean Box Office Information System (KOBIS) of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), from November 25 to 27, The Night Owl reco...

PARASITE Scores Record Opening for BONG Joon-ho

A media frenzy and national pride have set the May box office on fire, as admissions almost doubled to 4.04 million over the previous weekend, an unusually high number for this time of year. Moreover, the local share surged to 76%, despite the opening of a new...

MAL·MO·E: THE SECRET MISSION Becomes 1st Local Chart Topper of 2019

Admissions jumped up 20% to 2.35 million as a pair of local titles claimed the top two spots and the local industry a strong 69% market share, its first majority share in a month. The first Korean film to top the charts in 2019 was the period drama MAL·MO·E: T...

SEARCHING Finds Its Way to the Top

In the absence of major new titles, as multiplexes brace for an onslaught of traffic during the Chuseok holiday frame later this month, business slowed once more to 1.54 million sales over the past weekend. 64% of those went to Hollywood titles while the local...

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 Takes 3rd Weekend Crown

Despite no change to the first two ranks at the box office, business remained almost level with last week as another 1.8 million cinema seats were filled over the weekend. Local titles, which held the top three spots, remained the strongest draw with a 61% mar...

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 Strikes Again in 1st Place

With no major new releases, last week’s local champ was able to stay on top of the charts as business slowed over 25% to 1.54 million admissions. Korean films had the strongest share of viewers over the frame but was well short of a majority with 39%. Followin...

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...