After drawing bustling crowds across three consecutive holiday breaks over the past three weeks—Chuseok, National Foundation Day, and Hangeul Day—the box office has suddenly turned quiet.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated box-office network on October 16, total moviegoers across theaters on October 15 numbered 132,083. Daily attendance dropped sharply once the weekdays arrived following the triple holiday period. With the exception of October 14, which was Culture Day, the daily box-office audience has stayed below 200,000 across all weekdays this week.
Taking the top spot on October 15 was the Japanese animated feature "Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island," which brought in 35,423 viewers. In second place was "The Assassin(s)," attracting 23,511 moviegoers. Neither title managed to reach 50,000 daily attendees.
A wave of fresh titles is on the horizon, with "Paradise Lost" and "Still Shining" slated to open on October 21, followed by "Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng" and "Heart of the Beast" on October 28. Theaters are hopeful that this diverse slate of upcoming releases will inject much-needed vitality into the box office during this off-peak lull.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)