The global K-animation 'The King of Kings' has claimed the top spot at the daily box office for the first time since its release.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for cinema tickets, 'The King of Kings' attracted 127,984 viewers nationwide on the 20th, securing its position as the number one movie of the day.
Starting its journey at the third spot on its opening day, the 16th, 'The King of Kings' climbed up to second place by Saturday, the 19th, and finally reached the pinnacle on the 20th. Including Friday, its first weekend score was 303,380 viewers, following 'F1' in second place.
The audience count over the weekend was 262,902, surpassing the opening weekend scores of the top two highest-grossing domestic animations, 'Leafie: A Hen Into the Wild' (170,000 viewers) and 'Heartsping : Teenieping of Love' (230,000 viewers).
The success of 'The King of Kings' is particularly significant as it comes from an original theatrical animation, not based on a TV series. It's a testament to both its artistic quality and mass appeal, showcasing the potential for K-animation to expand further.
Moreover, it recorded seat occupancy rates of 31.9% on July 19th and 30.4% on July 20th, leading the weekend seat sales rate among concurrent releases. It outperformed popular Japanese IP animations like 'Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback', 'Doraemon: Nobita's Art World Tales', and others like 'M3GAN 2.0', indicating its potential for long-term success.
'The King of Kings' is a global hit K-animation that narrates the journey of the renowned British author Charles Dickens and his youngest son, Walter, into the greatest story ever told 2000 years ago. Released in North America last April, it grossed $60 million, surpassing 'Parasite' to become the most successful Korean film in North America.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)