Hollywood fantasy film “Wonka” held strongly at the top of the South Korean box office on a weekend boosted by the Lunar New Year holidays. But Hollywood spy comedy “Argylle” opened disappointingly in seventh position.
Korea allocates three days of public holiday to the Lunar New Year and took them this time from Friday to Sunday. The extra holiday footfall in cinemas drove up box office and gave “Wonka” an almost unchanged weekend haul, despite a declining share of the overall market.
“Wonka” earned $3.88 million in its second weekend, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). After 12 days in Korean cinemas, it has a cumulative total of $11.6 million.
The overall theatrical market climbed 50% due to the holiday, from $7.47 million to $11.3 million this weekend.
“Citizen of a Kind” was also boosted by the holiday traffic. It expanded so that its third weekend score at $2.59 million was identical to its opening frame. After 19 days in cinemas, “Citizen” has $9.78 million.
The weekend’s highest-placed new release title was a CJ ENM-backed comedy drama “Dog Days.” It opened in third place with $1.14 million. After five days it has a $1.59 million total.
“The Birth of Korea” held on to fourth place. It earned $1.12 million, a major expansion from its first session. Since releasing on Feb. 1, it has a $1.80 million cumulative.
Korean-made crime thriller “Dead Man” opened in fifth place with $863,000 over the holiday weekend. Over its first five days in cinemas, it earned $1.26 million.
Korean-produced “Picnic” opened in sixth place. A nostalgic romantic drama, it earned $693,000 over the weekend and $943,000 over its first five days in cinemas.
“Argylle” tracked below the three local openers. It earned $481,000 over the weekend. Over its first five days in Korean cinemas, it earned $752,000.
Lower places were taken by: “Baby Shark’s Big Movie” with $289,000 over its first five days; $103,000 for long-running 2023 hit “12.12: The Day,” which has a cumulative of $95 million; and French animation “The Jungle Bunch 2: World Tour,” with $75,000 in its second weekend and a cumulative total of $222,000.