The Assassin(s) holds tickets lead as Chiikawa takes cash in South Korea
South Korea's box office split in two over Oct. 2-4. The Assassin(s) sold the most tickets, while Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island earned the most money, per KOBIS data reported by Variety.
The Assassin(s) recorded 412,012 admissions in South Korea over Oct. 2-4. Admissions are tickets sold. The film played on 1,129 screens, earned $3 million, and held 23.89% of the market.
It was close. Chiikawa the Movie drew 405,978 admissions across 1,055 screens in South Korea over the same three days. It earned $3.2 million for 25.31% of theatre receipts, finishing second on the admissions chart but first on gross revenue.
KOBIS is the box-office tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The gap between tickets and cash points to different average ticket prices. Neither film pulled far ahead on footfall.
Cumulatively, The Assassin(s) has amassed $16.3 million from 2,233,963 admissions in South Korea since its launch on Sept. 23. Chiikawa the Movie, counting nationwide previews, has grossed $4.7 million from 604,764 total admissions. It launched wide on Sept. 30 following limited festival previews.
The Assassin(s) dramatises the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee and the resulting death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo. It stars Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho as investigators. Chiikawa the Movie was directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from the manga by Nagano.
The result extends a strong run for The Assassin(s). It grossed $11.3 million (KRW15.3 billion) from 1,546,614 admissions over its first five days of release in South Korea, according to Deadline.
What makes this stand out is how tight the race stayed into October. One local historical drama kept drawing crowds. One Japanese animation matched it almost ticket for ticket, and passed it at the till.
