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Sunday, December 16, 2012

KBO: The Hobbit Stands Tall at No.1 (12/14-12/16, 2012)

The Hobbit Stands Tall at No.1


Title Release Date Market Share Weekend Total Screens
1 The Hobbit (us) 12/13/12 45.20% 921,177 1,080,351 1,028
2 26 Years 11/29/12 17.10% 409,708 2,557,122 474
3 My P.S. Partner 12/6/12 15.90% 353,277 1,223,873 420
4 Rise of the Guardians (us) 11/29/12 6.70% 165,984 899,826 361
5 Werewolf Boy 10/31/12 4.10% 102,475 372,017 233
6 One Day (us) 12/13/12 3.50% 79,190 102,936 236
7 Power Rangers (jp) 11/29/12 1.90% 48,317 63,041 229
8 Confession of Murder 11/8/12 1.00% 22,544 2,720,064 114
9 Masquerade 9/13/12 0.90% 20,635 12,274,047 88
10 Wreck-it Ralph (us) 12/13/12 0.80% 19,179 33,623 118

One new foreign release largely dominated the chart this weekend but it did little to boost an already-strong market place as total admissions went just over the 2 million mark, a fraction more than last weekend and a 13% climb over last year. The local market share took a big tumble down to 40% but that almost doubled last year's figure.

No surprises at No. 1 as Peter Jackson's The Hobbit had a massive debut with 921,177. While this may not come as a shock, it is worth noting that this is only the 4th time a non-Korean film has taken the top spot in the second half of 2012. The epic should continue to rake in some cash next weekend but it will go up against some strong local competition.

Coming at No. 2 was the third frame for the controversial 26 Years as it began to lose steam, easing around 35% for 409,708. The film will cross the 3 million mark soon, most likely within a week, but may start to slowly shuffle out of theaters.

The well-received romcom My P.S. Partner did well in its sophomore stint on the chart as it slowed only 25% for 353,277. If it can keep coasting on good word of mouth, the pic has a shot at the 2 million mark.

In its third weekend, US animation Rise of the Guardians slowed about 40% for 165,984. Though it may not last much longer on the chart it will soon cross the 1 million milestone.

The director's cut of A Werewolf Boy pulled in 102,475 this weekend which brings the film's combined total over the 7 million mark.

Next weekend sees two big new Korean releases entering the frame, including the 5th entry in the persistently-popular Marrying the Mafia franchise (last year's installment opened with 601,363) and the Go Soo/Han Hyo-joo melodrama Love 911. The Hobbit has a strong chance of repeating if word of mouth is strong but I would not be surprised to see yet another local release bustling into the top spot.

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 Korean ReviewsReviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

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1 comment:

  1. Peter Jackson's return to the world of Tolkien is rather weak. At first I was against the idea of such a small book being made into a trilogy. I still am. Many say not to compare this film to the far superior "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Well, it's hard not to considering Jackson has tried so hard to recreate the style of the original films because that's what the audience wants. But he fails big time. The bizarre, unfunny, slapstick humor is painful. This involves snot jokes, burping, poop hair, and lame one-liners. Don't give me the "it's based on a children's book" crap. Sure, the source material was written for children but I'm talking about the movie. Adding all this stupid humor really messes with the tone; it doesn't feel like it belongs in the LOTR universe which "The Hobbit" is trying so hard replicate. The film will go from trying to be epic to pathetic gags. It doesn't work. I don't mind a little humor occasionally but this is just overdone and it makes the film feel very unbalanced. consulta por internet medico por internet pediatra por internet medico por internet doctor por internet dermatologo por internet veterinario por internet veterinario por internet psychologist online abogado especialista abogado por internet abogado por internet abogado por internet abogado por internet abogado por internet psicologo por internet doctor por internet psicologo por internet abogado por internet abogado por internet Now to the pacing. Many say the beginning is slow but they're wrong. The entire film is slow! Radagast's involvement is pointless and his bunny sled is ridiculous. We also get to see Saruman and Galadriel in a boring scene that has absolutely no relevance to the main narrative. Wait, what exactly is "The Hobbit" about again? Apparently Jackson is trying to make connections with LOTR, but "Fellowship of the Ring" already explains past events pretty well. Seriously, all the LOTR fanboy pleasing scenes could have been left out (including Frodo). But no, we need them in order to have enough material for the trilogy. Not good.

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