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[HanCinema's Box Office Review] 2014.03.07 ~ 2014.03.09

"300" rises as "Non-Stop" takes a knee...

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It's been hard going for local flicks the past month. "Frozen", "Pompeii", and "Non-Stop" have all occupied the top spot but have been unable to hold onto that position. Now a new contender has come forth in the form of Noam Murro's "300: Rise of an Empire", an epic action fantasy sequel to the 2006 film "300". The film, which is based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller that is still to be released, claimed 661,909 (40.6%) over 720 screens to stand as the country's new number one. It was an epic start to its campaign as it dislodged "Non-Stop" at the top of the pile to take gold.

Last week "Non-Stop" claimed more than 700K but bowed in week two to Murro's bloodly sequel with only 395,833 (21.9%) fans in its camp. Hwang Dong-hyuk's "Miss Granny" followed with 145,181 (7.8%) of its own to occupy third. "Miss Granny" was released during the last week of January, capitalised on the Lunar New Year crowds, and has since been Korea's highest performer collecting almost 8.5 million admissions during its lengthy run. Hwang's comedy drama has remained solid in third for three weeks now, before then second, and was even able dislodge the Oscar-winning "Frozen" over the frantic Lunar New Year weekend.

Last week saw the conclusion of the 86th Academy Awards and a number of those nominees and winners have been making the rounds in Korea. Before the ceremony revealed its picks Korea was already behind "Frozen", and in the last two week's "12 Years a Slave (winner of the Best Picture award) and "Dallas Buyers Club" have been campaigning for stubs in the South. "12 Years a Slave" may have stunned American crowds, but the historical significance of the film has been less supported in Korea as it added just 108,202 (5.8%) to its new total tally of 299,554 ($2.1M). Steve McQueen's award-winning biopic was followed by "Pompeii" (97,098 – 5.8%) and then "Frozen" (the most successful animation ever released in Korea) which claimed 96,098 (5.5%) admissions during its eighth week in the country's top ten.

Kim Kwang-sik-I's "Tabloid Truth", his second feature after "My Dear Desperado", fell three places to seventh with 78,626 (4.2%); that moves its total tally now to 1.1 million ($8.2M). "Diana", a film based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, managed to attract 27,081 (1.4%), a haul good enough for eighth, while "Dallas Buyers Club", another biographical drama that won Mathew McConaughey the Best Actor award, scored 25,410 (1.4%) admissions over just 136 screens. Lastly, the second weekend of March was rounded out by Kim Jin-moo's debut drama "Apostle" (18,471 – 1%), a film that has been struggling in general and has, in its four week's in the top ten, claimed just 393,695 ($2.6M).

 

What's coming out next week in Korea?: [HanCinema's Film News] New Korean Films Inbound...

Last weekend's report: [HanCinema's Box Office Review] 2014.02.28 ~ 2014.03.02

 

Korean Box Office - Admissions for the Weekend 2014.03.07 - 2014.03.09 (www.kobis.or.kr)

# Films Release date Week-end Total
1 "'300: Rise of an Empire'"   661 909 782 906
2 "Non-Stop"   395 833 1 464 427
3 "Miss Granny" (수상한 그녀) 2014/01/23 145 181 8 427 650
4 "12 Years a Slave"   108 202 299 554
5 "Pompeii"   97 098 1 310 418
6 "Frozen"   96 098 10 194 484
7 "Tabloid Truth" (찌라시 : 위험한 소문) 2014/02/20 78 626 1 181 334
8 "Diana"   27 081 39 326
9 "Dallas Buyers Club"   25 410 34 004
10 "Apostle" (신이 보낸 사람) 2014/02/13 18 471 393 695
Korean movies only  
  "Venus Talk" (관능의 법칙) 2014/02/13 14 728 763 862
  "Mansin: Ten Thousand Spirits" (만신) 2014/03/06 7 470 13 063
  "Another Family" (또 하나의 약속) 2014/02/06 4 669 491 925
  "Intruders" (조난자들) 2014/03/06 4 637 7 762
  "Thread of Lies" (우아한 거짓말) 2014/03/13 1 870 12 970
  "The Empire of Shame" (탐욕의 제국) 2014/03/06 868 2 053
  "The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow" (우리별 일호와 얼룩소) 2014/02/20 519 43 469
  "The Nut Job" (넛잡: 땅콩 도둑들)   482 476 597
  "When A Man Loves A Woman" (남자가 사랑할 때) 2014/01/22 331 1 973 725
  "Late Autumn - 2010" (만추 - 晚秋) 2011/02/17 249 848 364

 

- C.J. Wheeler (chriscjw@gmail.com@KoreaOnTheCouch)

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