Korean Box Office Report: September 10/11

What's interesting, more than the box office result of 'Duelist,' was the reaction of the public. Polarized opinions are nothing new, especially in Korea, but this kind of division is peculiar. A lot of people online, after watching the film, have divided themselves into virtual 'factions,' debating the merits of the film on various Net Cafe, boards and the like. On the red corner, the 'Damo 폐인' (the 'Damo Pyein', obsessed with the TV Drama) declaring love for the film's poetic visuals and elegance, the actors' performances and the action. On the blue corner, those who say the film's just image and no substance, that the story is impossible to understand, its characters too in love with their image to even try to sympathize with them, and Kang Dong-Won being an overrated pretty boy who got luck... OK, I made this last one up.
Anyway, bad publicity is always publicity, right? The film did well, with a first weekend of 662,590 tickets sold nationwide.

But the big story of the weekend, at least in terms of figures, was the success of '가문의 위기' ('Marrying The Mafia 2'). It seems, like I predicted, a lot of people in the 지방 (the areas outside Seoul. Because, as you know, there's no other cities other than the capital in Korea, right?) didn't want to hear about flyin' peoples and lovers on the snow, they'd rather see Kim Soo-Mi crack a few swear words and slaps in front of her younger associates. The film, which anticipated its release by 3 days, a smart move considering word of mouth and reviews coming out for its two big competitors, sold 1,282,000 tickets so far.

The last of the big three, the critically squashed '외출' ('April Snow') did quite OK, all considered. 443,721 tickets in 3 days, and 150,000 pre-orders in Japan alone make the possibility of a good result quite likely. And let's not forget there's still 8 countries to count in, since the film debuted all over East Asia this weekend.

Park Gwang-Hyun's 'Dongmakgol' is oh so very close to the 7 Million, but will it be able to reach the magic figure in time for the big next release - '너는 내운명' ('You're My Sunshine') on September 23 - and the emergence of the big 3? And will Showbox care, since they've already sold 6,732,000 tickets?

With 2,480,000 tickets, Jang Jin's '박수칠 때 떠나라' ('The Big Scene') keeps doing well. Although the 3 million mark is probably too far, it's likely the film will continue to stay in the Top 10 for another couple of weeks.

Box Office Top 10 (September 10/11)

1 가문의 위기 (Marrying The Mafia 2) - 38.8% - 1,282,000
2 형사 (Duelist) - 21.2% - 662,590
3 외출 (April Snow) - 16.4% - 443,721
4 웰컴 투 동막골 (Welcome To Dongmakgol) - 12.3% - 6,732,000
5 Night Flight - 7.5%
6 박수칠 때 떠나라 (The Big Scene) - 1.8% - 2,480,000
7 In Good Company - 0.4% - 140,000
8 Guess Who? - 0.4% - 120,000
9 친절한 금자씨 (Sympathy For Lady Vengeance) - 0.3% - 3,700,000
10 Crimson Rivers 2 - 0.2% - 130,000

Pre-order Sales For Next Week (as of Tuesday)

1 30.15% 가문의 위기- 가문의 영광 2 (Marrying The Mafia 2)
2 28.12% Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
3 13.62% 웰컴 투 동막골 (Welcome To Dongmakgol)
4 9.03% Cinderella Man
5 8.42% 외출 (April Snow)
6 7.60% 형사 (Duelist)
7 1.91% Danny The Dog
8 0.76% Night Flight
9 0.33% 종려나무 숲 (The Windmill Palm Grove)
10 0.06% In Good Company

Via nKino, Yonhap News and Film2.0