The film "The Assassin(s)" has drawn the fourth-largest audience among Korean movies released this year.
According to data from the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie tickets on October 19, "The Assassin(s)" attracted 140,021 moviegoers nationwide from October 16 to October 18, securing second place at the weekend box office. Its cumulative audience has reached 3,249,178.
Although it yielded the No. 1 spot at the box office—which it had long defended—to the Japanese animated feature "Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island," the film has maintained a top position on the box office charts for four consecutive weeks, establishing a solid stepping stone toward surpassing its break-even point of 3.7 million viewers.
Having topped 3.2 million admissions, "The Assassin(s)" entered the top four highest-grossing Korean films of 2026, trailing "The King's Warden" (16.91 million), "COLONY" (5.95 million), and "Salmokji: Whispering Water" (3.24 million). It is anticipated to overtake "Salmokji: Whispering Water" to take third place sometime this week.
Warning signs had emerged early in its release when the movie became embroiled in a controversy surrounding historical distortion, but "The Assassin(s)" has continued to draw steady audiences on the strength of the film itself. While it may not possess the explosive momentum seen in its opening days, strong word-of-mouth ratings from actual moviegoers—including a 92% CGV Golden Egg Index, a 9.2 audience score at Lotte Cinema, and an 8.9 verified viewer rating on Naver—are serving as the driving force behind its extended theatrical run.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)