Korea Box Office: Anime Hit ‘Chiikawa’ Retains Lead as Brad Pitt Thriller ‘Heart of the Beast’ Debuts

Japanese animated phenomenon “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” held the No. 1 position at the South Korean box office over the weekend of Oct. 30–Nov. 1, securing its third consecutive weekend atop the rankings. According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the Toho-distributed fantasy release generated $1.7 million from 221,651 admissions across 1,167 screens, claiming 32.1% of the weekend market. Directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from the popular manga by Nagano, the animated blockbuster has reached a cumulative gross of $20.1 million from 2,583,851 total admissions since its Sep. 30 rollout. Sony Pictures and TriStar’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast” opened in second place, pulling in $1.2 million from 162,790 admissions across 1,106 screens to capture 23% of theatrical revenue. Since opening mid-week on Oct. 28, the title has accumulated $1.5 million from 215,237 admissions. By4M Studio and Barunson E&A’s workplace comedy “Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng” debuted in third place, taking in $326,609 from 44,799 admissions across 677 screens for 6.09% of the market. The directorial debut of screenwriter Lee Yong-jae stars Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min, and Jeon Seok-ho, following a high school language teacher unexpectedly sequestered into the top-secret 40-day test-writing committee for the national college entrance examination. Following its premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and an Oct. 28 commercial bow, the comedy has grossed $505,208 from 71,767 viewers. Director Hur Jin-ho’s political crime thriller “The Assassin(s)” placed fourth in its sixth frame, collecting $307,719 from 41,265 admissions across 620 screens for 5.7% of receipts. Distributed by Hive Media Corp and starring Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho, the drama reconstructs the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee. Despite ongoing legal complaints and protests from conservative civic groups alleging historical distortion over its portrayal of state inquiry contradictions, the title lifted its cumulative total to $25.5 million from 3,448,036 admissions since its Sep. 23 launch. Anime re-release “Attack on Titan: Crimson Arrows” placed fifth, grossing $266,616 from 30,263 admissions across 233 screens. The theatrical re-issue of the 2014 feature pushed its updated cumulative haul to $547,187 from 72,324 admissions. CJ ENM’s gambling drama “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” took sixth place, earning $208,310 from 26,650 admissions across 498 screens. Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won, and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth installment in the comic-adapted franchise officially crossed the two-million-ticket threshold, reaching $15.7 million from 2,055,522 total viewers. CJ Entertainment’s psychological thriller “Paradise Lost,” directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyun-sung, placed seventh on the admissions chart with $124,104 from 17,053 admissions across 593 screens, bringing its cume to $1 million from 151,429 admissions. Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ “Clayface” placed eighth in admissions with 16,641 viewers across 444 screens, though it generated a higher revenue gross of $140,321. The film has accumulated $899,915 from 115,464 admissions. Universal’s tentpole “The Odyssey” took ninth place in its 13th weekend, adding $108,833 from 13,332 admissions across 254 screens. The film took 2.02% of the frame, lifting its cumulative total to $106.4 million from 12,335,377 admissions since its Aug. 5 opening. Rounding out the top ten, Japanese romantic drama “You, Like a Star” debuted with $77,264 from 10,091 admissions across 154 screens. Directed by Michihito Fujii and starring Ryusei Yokohama and Suzu Hirose as young lovers bound by shared hardship on an island in the Seto Inland Sea, the film has grossed $146,509 from 20,478 admissions since its Oct. 28 release. The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $5.3 million, down from last week’s $5.6 million.