“Alien: Romulus” claimed a second weekend victory at the South Korean theatrical box office in another quiet session that may signal the end of the summer season.
The horror-action franchise film collected $2.70 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). After 12 days on release, it has a cumulative of $9.81 million.
The film’s weekend performance represented only a modest 24% week-on-week decline compared with its opening frame. And the film’s share of the weekend market remained steady at 28%.
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That meant that the overall market trended downwards too – by 23% — delivering the first weekend with aggregate box office below $10 million for ten weeks. A lack of significant titles arriving in cinemas may further be signalling the end of the summer season – a vibrant season in previous year, often dominated by horror titles. Big local titles, such as “Veteran” sequel “I, The Executioner” are targeting Chuseok holiday audiences in mid and late September.
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Comedy hit, “Pilot” remained in second place over the latest weekend. It flew off with $1.55 million in its fourth weekend on release, taking its cumulative total to a lofty $29.8 million. That makes it the fourth highest-grossing film of the year.
Korean-produced horror-thriller “Spring Garden” was the weekend’s highest ranked new release title. It earned $1.13 million over the weekend and $1.52 million over its full five-day opening run.
Korean animation, “Heartsping: Teenieping of Love” earned $649,000 in its third weekend on release. After releasing on Aug. 7, the film has a running total of $5.41 million. It is a family-oriented spin-off from a three-season TV series produced by SAMG Entertainment.
“Twisters,” which released in Korea on Aug. 14, dropped a notch to $729,000 and fifth place. After 12 days on release, It has sucked up $3.41 million.
Korean, political thriller “Land of Happiness” earned $608,000 in its second weekend of release. That give it a $4.34 million total. The film is the latest cinema examination of Korea’s political turmoil in the late 1970s.
“Victory,” a drama about cheerleading, dropped the baton. It earned $392,000 in its second weekend of release and now has a cumulative of $2.06 million.
“The Desperate Chase,” a newly-released comedy-action film, also got lost. It earned $313,000 over the weekend and $558,000 over its five-day opening run.
Japanese animation, “Blue Lock: Episode Nagi” opened with $148,000 between Friday and Sunday, for ninth place. Over its five-day sequence, it managed $273,000.
Sliding downwards, “Despicable Me 4” earned $132,000 in its fifth weekend on release in Korea. That gives it a cumulative of $10.6 million.
The nation’s year-to-date running box office total amounts to KRW827 billion or $627 million. That compares with KRW890 million for the full first eight months of 2023.
