BH entertainment
Disaster movie „Concrete Utopia,” starring Lee Byung-hun, topped the South Korean box office last weekend, replacing the female-led crime caper „Kidnappers.”
Directed by Um Tae-hwa, „Concrete Utopia” is set in Seoul devastated by a massive earthquake. A building rises among the ruins and becomes a refuge for those already inside, but the residents must avoid unwanted attention from outsiders.
It opened on Wednesday, earning $8.40 million between Friday and Sunday and $11.3 million in its entire opening five days, according to data from Kopics, a tracking service run by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Data shows that it has a market share of 53%.
The „smugglers” continued to be strong. Despite falling from first to second in its third week, it added $3.19 million over the weekend. It took its 19-day total to $31.5 million. Local media reported that it had passed its break-even point with more than four million additions.
For Pixar Animation, „Elemental” earned another $1.4 million over the weekend. The film, which has cultural ties to Korea, has now grossed $49.0 million overall, making it the second highest-grossing non-Korean title of any film this year.
„Ransomed,” the previous week’s highest-grossing newcomer, slipped to fourth in the latest frame. It earned $7.10 million for a 12-day total of $923,000.
„Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1” extended further, earning $453,000 over the weekend for a total of $29.9 million.
„The Moon,” a sci-fi action adventure that opened a week ago, fell to $369,000 from a $3.67 million total.
Japanese animation „Detective Conan the Movie: Black Iron Submarine” earned $194,000 over the weekend, bringing its total to $5.24 million.
The new release animated title, “Octonauts Above and Beyond Season 2” earned $158,000 for a five-day total of $261,000.
„Barbie” may have grossed $1.1 billion worldwide, but the Korean contribution remains low. Last weekend, it earned $146,000 for $4.19 million after nearly four weeks.
The Korean title, „Running Man: Avengers” earned $120,000 over the weekend and $159,000 in its five-day opening.