This Year's Top Hit 'Crime City 2' Earns Less Than Opening
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] The movie 'Avatar: The Way of Water' drew 350,000 viewers on its opening day, starting off as the box office number one. This is about 150,000 more than the previous film, but still lower than the 10 million viewers of the blockbuster 'Crime City 2'.
According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticketing system on the 15th, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (director James Cameron), which premiered on the 14th, attracted 359,290 viewers, securing the top spot at the box office. The second place was taken by 'Owl' (director Ahn Taejin) with 32,256 viewers, and third place went to 'Tonight, Even If This Love Disappears from the World' with about 13,000 viewers.
'Avatar: The Way of Water' (hereafter 'Avatar 2') is the sequel to 'Avatar,' which in 2009 set a worldwide box office record with $2.92291 billion (3.7772 trillion KRW) in revenue through innovative technology. The film depicts the ruthless threats faced by Jake Sully and Neytiri's family on the planet Pandora and their long journey to survive.
Director James Cameron, who also directed the original, along with producer John Landau and actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, visited Korea on the 9th, raising interest. The film succeeded in attracting attention even before its release. It recorded over 800,000 advance ticket sales and ranked first in real-time reservation rates, drawing significant attention prior to its premiere.
'Avatar' (2009), which attracted 13,338,863 viewers domestically and became the highest-grossing foreign film, started with 205,303 viewers on its opening day. 'Avatar 2' started with about 150,000 more viewers. However, considering that the film market has changed since the original was released 13 years ago, this is not a point to focus on.
Compared to the hype fueled by the 'halo effect' of the original, the first-day score is seen as somewhat unstable. Since it is even lower than the 460,000 viewers of 'Crime City 2,' it is difficult to say it started overwhelmingly in first place compared to the buzz. 'Jurassic World 3,' which recorded the highest opening score this year, attracted 760,000 viewers, and Marvel's 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' drew 710,000 viewers.
The key to box office success lies in the first week's score. A good movie gains momentum through word of mouth within just three days of release and continues to succeed. With 'Avatar 2's first-day score falling short of expectations, the first weekend's performance has become even more important. With a running time of 3 hours and 12 minutes and mixed reactions, it remains to be seen whether it will overcome these hurdles and succeed.
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