Korean Box Office Update (06/22-06/24, 2012)

Miss Go Goes Straight to the Top

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Miss GO	6/21/12	17.70%	268,277	331,169	439
2	The Emperor's Concubine	6/6/12	14.90%	224,090	2,187,575	427
3	Madascar 3 (us)	6/6/12	14.70%	219,150	1,275,303	449
4	King of XXX-Kissing	6/21/12	13.60%	213,630	270,293	424
5	All About My Wife	5/17/12	12.00%	179,158	4,144,011	325
6	Lockout (us)	6/14/12	5.70%	87,409	411,636	284
7	Runway Cop	5/30/12	5.30%	81,741	1,258,758	226
8	Men in Black 3 (us)	5/24/12	4.00%	60,379	3,346,609	221
9	Prometheus (us)	6/6/12	4.50%	58,567	929,723	211
10	Faces In the Crowd (us)	6/21/12	2.80%	40,950	52,982	173

Business dipped a little this weekend but stayed on par with last year's comparable frame at 1.5 million admissions. The Korean market share however jumped 20 points to a commanding 65%, a particularly strong figure for a summer weekend, granted there were no major US releases this week.

Toping the chart this week was Miss GO, a new comedy thriller starring Ko Hyeong-jeong and Yu Hae-jin. It earned 268,277 over the frame which was just enough for first place but by no means a stellar debut. Personally I've been looking forward to this film but the lone review I've read was middling. If others follow suit Miss GO will likely have a short stay on the chart.

After two weeks at number 1, period drama The Emperor's Concubine fell on spot as it earned another 224,090, crossing the 2 million mark in the process. It fell about 40% which seems to indicate that it won't be crossing any more milestones but it has had a very strong run.

Madagascar 3 once again got the kids out on Saturday and Sunday which was enough for 219,150 and number 3 on the chart, only a 30% drop from last weekend. Part of the reason it's enjoying such a consistent run, besides the heavy marketing and tie-ins, is the lack of children's fare in the marketplace.

The King of XXX-Kissing, starring Song Sae-byeok and Seong Dong-il, was a close number 4 as it opened to 213,630. Not a sterling figure but the film could bounce back with strong word of mouth, the little I've heard has been positive.

All About My Wife crossed the 4 million admissions mark this week as it receded a scant 25% for 179,158. It seems to still have a little gas left in the tank and will certainly cross 4.5 and may well cross Nameless Gangster to become the highest-grossing Korean film of the year.

Meanwhile US actioneer Lockout slowed considerably (almost 60%) in its second outing as it managed only 87,409. The Guy Pearce film should cross the half million mark but will then promptly vacate the chart.

Runway Cop fell 40% for 81,741 during its fourth weekend. It has been enjoying a relatively strong run and frankly one that I am a little baffled by.

Men in Black 3 halved its audience for another 60,379 at number 8 as it finishes up its strong run. At number 9, Prometheus had a similar fall and looks like it will just about make it over the 1 million mark before all is said and done. Closing out the chart was Milla Jovovich thriller Faces in the Crowd which stumbled out the gate with 40,950.

The only major release next weekend will be The Amazing Spiderman and given the midlevel numbers all across the chart I imagine it will have no trouble swinging into pole position. The real question is how much business it will suck out of the holdovers.

Source: kobis.or.kr


The Korean Box Office Update is a weekly feature which provides detailed analysis of film box office sales over the Friday to Sunday period in Korea. It appears every Sunday night (Korean Standard Time) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Review Round-up. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

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