[HanCinema's News] "Exhuma" and "The Roundup: Punishment" Made This Year's March and April the Best Ever at South Korean Box Office

A new report from the Korean Film Council released on May 21st has confirmed that April this year was the best April ever for the South Korean film industry. South Korean box office receipts totaled 63.6 billion won over this time- or approximately 46.6 million dollars. This is a massive jump of 273.6% compared to the 16.9 billion won earned in 2023. Additionally, the 6.59 million admissions 1.7 times the prepandemic April average for 2017-2019.

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This news follows up on similar figures for the month of March, where "Exhuma" led to record box office numbers for the normally quiet month. The remaining energy from "Exhuma" coupled with the new energy from "The Roundup: Punishment" were what led to April this year setting such a strong record. Notably, there were no significant foreign fillm releases during this time- the Korean Film Council believes this left a vacuum which "The Roundup: Punishment" easily filled.

Both "Exhuma" and "The Roundup: Punishment" have achieved the ten million viewer mark seen as an important touchstone in the South Korean film industry. "Exhuma" achieved this feat 32 days after its premiere on February 22nd. "The Roundup: Punishment" more recently and quickly marked the same accomplishment 22 days after its premiere on April 24th.

Written by William Schwartz