Amid Yoon Impeachment Turmoil, 'First Lady' Reaches 30,000 Cumulative Viewers... 'Firefighter' Tops Weekend Box Office

A view of a theater in Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Director Kwak Kyung-taek's film "Firefighter" topped the weekend box office in its second week of release. The documentary about First Lady Kim Geon-hee, "First Lady," surpassed 30,000 cumulative viewers amid the impeachment turmoil surrounding President Yoon Seok-yeol.

According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticket sales system on the 16th, "Firefighter" (directed by Kwak Kyung-taek) attracted 657,138 viewers over the weekend (13th-15th), securing the number one spot at the box office. It accounted for 41.9% of the revenue share. Since its release on the 4th, it has recorded a cumulative audience of 1,764,902.

"Firefighter" is a film adapted from an arson incident that occurred in a multi-family house in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. After it was revealed on the 7th that director Kwak is the older brother of Kwak Gyu-taek, a People Power Party lawmaker who abstained from voting on the impeachment motion, a boycott movement ensued. In response, on the 12th, the director stated, "It is right for the president to step down voluntarily," adding, "If not, impeachment is certainly justified." However, Kwak did not sign the statement demanding President Yoon's resignation, which included 6,388 film industry professionals such as directors and actors.

Movie still from 'Firefighter'. Provided by Bypoem Studio.

The Hollywood animation "Moana 2" (directed by Dave Derrick Jr.), which ranked first last weekend, dropped to second place with 389,503 viewers. Released on the 27th of last month, it has attracted a cumulative audience of 2,745,967. The Hollywood musical film "Wicked" (directed by Jon Chu) drew 131,530 viewers to claim third place, while "Big Family" (directed by Yang Woo-seok), starring actors Kim Yoon-seok and Lee Seung-gi and released on the 11th, started in fourth place with 100,964 viewers.

The volleyball film "One Win" (directed by Shin Yeon-sik), starring Song Kang-ho and Park Jung-min, gathered 42,916 viewers, placing fifth. The documentary about First Lady Kim Geon-hee, "First Lady" (directed by Aemong), ranked eighth with 26,097 viewers. Released on the 12th, it has recorded a cumulative audience of 33,145. On its opening day, it was screened 74 times across 54 theaters, attracting 4,822 viewers, and during the first weekend, it was shown 474 times in 100 theaters.

The total number of moviegoers over the weekend reached 1,539,029.