[Box Office] Foreign Films Dominate Theaters... 'Slam Dunk' Tops Weekend for 2nd Week

Weekend Theaters Draw 850,000 Visitors

The Japanese animated film 'The First Slam Dunk' topped the box office for the first weekend of February, following its success last week.

According to the Korea Film Council's integrated computer network for movie ticket sales on the 6th, 'The First Slam Dunk' attracted 276,455 viewers over the three-day weekend (March 3-5), securing the number one spot at the box office. The film, which was released on January 4, has recorded a cumulative audience of 2,348,332.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

'The First Slam Dunk' surpassed the 2.18 million viewers of 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train' (2021) to become the third highest-grossing Japanese animated film released in Korea. The top spot is held by 'Your Name.' with 3.78 million viewers, followed by 'Howl's Moving Castle' with 2.61 million viewers.

The film was written and directed by Takehiko Inoue, the author of the Japanese sports manga 'Slam Dunk,' which was serialized from 1990 to 1996, bringing it back to the screen after 26 years. It has steadily attracted audiences through word of mouth, evoking nostalgia among male viewers in their 30s and 40s. With no significant new releases expected in the near future, its box office momentum is unlikely to wane.

'Avatar: The Way of Water' drew 113,663 viewers during the same period, ranking second. Since its release on December 14 last year, it has been seen by 10,552,790 viewers.

'Negotiation,' starring Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin and directed by Lim Soon-rye, attracted 92,361 viewers, placing third. Released on January 18, it has amassed a total audience of 1,620,272.

In fourth place was director Damien Chazelle's new film 'Babylon,' released on the 1st, which drew 65,892 viewers, followed by director Yoon Je-kyun's 'Hero,' which attracted 46,375 viewers and ranked fifth.

Additionally, the Taiwanese film 'Your Name Engraved Herein' ranked sixth, Lee Ha-nee's 'Phantom' came in seventh, 'M3GAN' was eighth, and 'BTS: Yet to Come in Cinema' entered the charts at ninth place.

The total number of moviegoers over the weekend remained at 856,083.