Timoth?e Chalamet draws 1 million in 9 days
'Deadman', 'Sopung', 'Dogdays' open on the 7th
Rami Ran's starring 'Simindeokhui' surpasses 1 million
The Hollywood fantasy film 'Wongka' has maintained its position at the top of the box office for the ninth day since its release, surpassing 1 million cumulative viewers.
According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticket sales network on the 8th, 'Wongka' (directed by Paul King) attracted 55,709 viewers on the 7th, securing the number one spot at the box office. Since its release on the 31st of last month, it recorded a cumulative audience of 1,005,657 as of that morning.
'Wongka' is a sweet adventure depicting the amazing journey of Willy Wongka, who has nothing but sweet dreams and an old hat, to become the world's greatest chocolate maker. It portrays the childhood of 'Willy Wongka,' well known from director Tim Burton's film 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005). Actor Timothy Chalamet plays the role of Wongka.
Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday from the 9th to the 12th, three Korean films?'Deadman' (directed by Ha Junwon), 'Dog Days' (directed by Kim Deokmin), and 'Sopung' (directed by Kim Yonggyun)?were released on the 7th. Although the audience numbers for these films show little difference, 'Deadman,' starring Jo Jinwoong and Kim Hee-ae, took the lead. The film attracted 28,099 viewers, starting at second place. 'Sopung,' which deals with old age and death, drew 21,510 viewers to rank third, while 'Dog Days,' starring actors Youn Yuh-jung and Yoo Hae-jin and warmly portraying the relationship between dogs and humans, attracted 20,706 viewers, placing fourth.
'Citizen Deokhee' (directed by Park Youngju), starring Rami Ran and adapted from a true story about voice phishing crimes, added 15,046 viewers, ranking sixth. Since its release on the 24th of last month, it has recorded a cumulative audience of 1,002,835. The total number of moviegoers visiting theaters that day was counted at 189,827.
'Wongka' is showing strong momentum. Expectations are rising to see whether the three small but solid Korean films will gain word-of-mouth success at the theaters during the Lunar New Year holiday. Last year, several Korean films released during the Chuseok and summer seasons failed to break even and suffered box office defeats. The industry consensus is that released films no longer benefit from 'peak seasons.' This Lunar New Year holiday, a variety of films targeting broad audiences with diverse themes and genres are being released, aiming to reverse the trend. Attention is focused on which films will be chosen by the audience.
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