The historical drama “The King’s Warden” stormed to the top of the South Korean box office in its opening weekend, according to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.
“The King’s Warden” earned $4.9 million from 761,832 admissions between Friday and Sunday, capturing 58.1% of the total revenue share. Directed by Jang Hang-jun and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Ji-hoon, and Yoo Ji-tae, the film is set in 1457 during the Joseon Dynasty. It tells the story of Eom Heung-do (Yoo), a village chief who welcomes the deposed teenage King Danjong (Park) into his remote mountain valley, unaware of the political turmoil and danger that follows. Since its Feb. 4 release, the film has reached a cumulative total of $6.4 million from over 1 million admissions.
In second place, the musical drama “Choir of God” continued its steady run, earning $678,101 from 103,792 admissions. Starring Park Si-hoo and Jeong Jin-woon, the film has now reached a total gross of $7.2 million.
Last week’s leader, “Once We Were Us,” moved to third place. The romance, starring Koo Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young, earned $577,252 over the weekend. After more than a month in the top three, the film has amassed a cumulative total of $16.6 million from nearly 2.5 million admissions.
A documentary titled “December 3, 2024: The Orchestrated Insurrection, the Hidden Truth” debuted in fourth place. The film, which examines the political events of late 2024, earned $557,264 from 80,616 admissions, bringing its total to $827,567.
Hollywood sci-fi thriller “Mercy” opened in fifth place, grossing $249,351 from 35,998 admissions. Since its mid-week debut, it has earned $409,315.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” moved to sixth place, adding $208,987 to its total. The James Cameron threquel has now earned $53.8 million in South Korea.
Japanese animation “Butt Detective the Movie: Star and Moon” opened in seventh place, earning $107,659 from 20,204 admissions. The film follows the titular detective as he infiltrates an idol contest on Stardust Island to uncover a criminal conspiracy.
Rounding out the top ten were the local animated feature “Shinbi’s Haunted House: One More Summon” in eighth with $110,603 (total $1.9 million), “Zootopia 2” in ninth with $85,210 (total $56.6 million), and a preview of the upcoming spy thriller “Humint” in tenth. “Humint,” directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and starring Zo In-sung and Park Jeong-min, earned $94,107 from limited pre-release screenings ahead of its official launch on Feb. 11.
The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $8.6 million, a healthy uptick from last week’s $4.9 million.