Korea Box Office: ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Takes Top Spot on Year’s Slowest Weekend

As a seasoned moviegoer who has witnessed the ebb and flow of the global cinema landscape for decades, I must say that the current state of South Korea’s box office is reminiscent of a once-bustling marketplace slowly emptying out under the fading sun. The weekend’s top earner, “Venom: The Last Dance,” while dominating the charts, seems to be struggling against an invisible enemy – the structural downturn that has gripped the nation’s cinemas.


In South Korea, “Venom: The Last Dance” claimed victory over the weekend, yet it couldn’t manage to stir the local box office out of its current lethargy.

In the timeframe of Friday to Sunday, the third installment of “Venom” garnered approximately $2.66 million, as per Kobis, a data tracking service run by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). This figure accounted for an impressive 62% control over the market share.

In the five days since it premiered on Wednesday, the movie has amassed a total of $4.13 million. Maintaining this rate, however, the new film might find it challenging to surpass the $15.2 million earned by “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” in 2021, which debuted during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It seems clear that the Korean box office is experiencing a prolonged slump, with signs suggesting this could be a structural issue. For instance, over the most recent weekend, Korean cinema earnings totaled only around $4.32 million. This is the lowest weekly take so far this year, barely surpassing it. In the ten weeks since late August, there have been only two weekends – one being the Chuseok holiday period – that managed to earn over $10 million in ticket sales.

Over the past weekend, the movie “A Normal Family,” which had won previously, came in second place. Its score was almost cut in half, earning $728,000 compared to its initial $1.43 million opening weekend earnings. After 12 days of being released, the film has amassed a total of $3.32 million.

In third place was the Korean drama film “Love in the Big City,” bringing in $419,000 this past weekend, boosting its total earnings to $5.07 million since its release on October 1. The American import “The Wild Robot,” released on the same day, took fourth place, earning $293,000 over the weekend and currently standing at a total of $3.90 million.

“The Executioner,” a popular comedy-crime drama, maintained its fifth position in the recent box office session. Directed by Ryu Seung-wan, this film earned an additional $234,000, bringing its total to $52 million. This makes it the fourth highest-grossing Korean movie of the year so far and the third highest for any Korean film. However, with 7.5 million viewers, it’s yet to reach the 10 million mark considered a local blockbuster.

The filmed stage performance of ‘Elizabeth, The Musical Live’ ranked sixth in terms of box office earnings in South Korea, but it was placed lower by domestic charts that rank movies based on audience attendance. Over the weekend, it grossed approximately $124,000 from about 7,000 tickets and around 120 screens. Since its release on October 16th, it has generated a total of $534,000.

Elizabeth” narrates the story of Empress Elisabeth, famously known as “Sisi,” who was an Austrian legend. The tale focuses on her enduring love for death that led to her ultimate demise. This captivating account is penned by Michael Kunze and scored by Sylvester Levay, with the story being told from the perspective of her convicted assassin.

The weekend earnings saw lower rankings for several films. These included a reissued version of the 2004 film “The Notebook,” which made $123,000, the U.S. animated movie “Little Emma,” with a three-day opening revenue of $53,000, and another American animation titled “Gracie and Pedro: Pets to the Rescue,” earning $37,000 over the weekend.

Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” finished in ninth position (eleventh in terms of box office earnings). Over the weekend, it grossed approximately $44,000, while earning a total of $72,000 during its first five days on release.

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2024-10-28 01:47