South Korean action fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy led the local box office on its opening weekend as Hollywood tentpole The Fantastic F
South Korean action fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy led the local box office on its opening weekend as Hollywood tentpole The Fantastic Four: First Steps landed in third place.
The huge budget Korean feature earned $3.2m from 427,357 admissions from July 25-27, commanding a 24.5% share of all tickets sold, according to Korean Film Council tracking service Kobis.
Since opening on Wednesday (July 23) through Lotte Entertainment, it has taken $4.5m from 627,885 admissions. While a sturdy start, it could not match the $5.6m taken by Jurassic World Rebirth over its opening weekend at the beginning of July.
Directed by Kim Byung-woo, the story follows an ordinary office worker who recognises details from an online novel he is reading after being involved in attacks by mythical creatures, discovering that his knowledge means he can rewrite what happens next. The top cast is led by Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho and Nana. Further releases across Asia and beyond are set to begin this week.
US blockbuster F1, starring Brad Pitt, continued to hold steady after a month on release and ranked second with $2.7m from 340,233 admissions. This takes its cume to $18.6m in South Korea and positions it as the country’s fourth highest-grossing film of the year to date.
It meant that Disney/Marvel superhero title The Fantastic Four: First Steps had to settle for third place on its opening weekend with $2.2m from 269,084 admissions for a cume of $2.75m and 342,400 admissions. It leads the global box office with takings of $218m.
South Korean animation The King Of Kings came fourth on its second outing, adding $1.68m over the weekend for a cume of $5m. The faith-based feature opened in most other territories in mid-April and has taken more than $70m worldwide, of which $60m is from the US.
In fifth, Japanese animation Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback added $750,000 on its second weekend for a cume of $3.7m. The film ranks as the second biggest of the year in Japan to date with takings of nearly $100m.
After a month on release, local horror thriller Noise ranked sixth and added $587,000 for a cume of $11.6m, while former leader Jurassic World Rebirth added $482,000 on its fourth outing for a total of $14.9m
South Korean animation Bebefinn Sing-Along Movie: Into the Pinkfong World opened in eighth place with $376,000 for a cume of $472,000 while US tentpole Superman fell to ninth with $206,000 for a total of $6.1m after three weekends.
In tenth was South Korean zombie comedy-drama My Daughter Is A Zombie, which took $136,000 for a cume of $210,000. However, these were just previews on 61 screens – compared to 1,221 for Omniscient Reader – and is expected to score more prominently after its official release on Wednesday (July 30).
Like Omniscient Reader, My Daughter Is A Zombie is based on a webtoon and centres on a father amid an outbreak who takes his infected daughter to a still seaside village, drawing on his experience as a wild animal trainer to do the impossible – tame a zombie. Directed by Pil Gam-sung, the film reunites stars Lee Jung-eun and Cho Yeo-jeong from Oscar-winner Parasite.
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