The South Korean box office saw “Hitman 2” continue its run at the top, though with a steep decline, while the new release “Nocturnal” landed in third place over the weekend of Feb. 7-9.
“Hitman 2,” the action-comedy sequel, remained in first place with KRW1.93 billion ($1.3 million), according to Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The film accounted for 27.8% of the market share but saw a sharp 52.9% decline in revenue and a 55.3% drop in admissions, with 201,556 viewers over the weekend. Its cumulative total has reached $15.04 million.
Musical romance “Secret: Untold Melody” moved up to second place with $936,515, taking 19.6% of the market share. The film experienced a relatively mild 9.7% decline and attracted 138,241 viewers, bringing its cumulative total to $3.7 million.
“Nocturnal,” a neo-noir crime thriller directed by Kim Jin-hwang, debuted in third place with $622,790, securing 13.% of the market share with 94,267 admissions in its opening weekend. The film stars Ha Jung-woo as Min-tae, a former gangster who discovers his brother Seok-tae’s lifeless body and learns that Seok-tae’s wife, Moon-young (played by Yoo Da-in), has disappeared. As Min-tae delves into the mystery, he encounters novelist Ho-ryeong (Kim Nam-gil), whose bestseller eerily mirrors the circumstances of his brother’s death. Determined to uncover the truth, Min-tae embarks on a relentless pursuit, navigating a web of deceit involving his former crime syndicate and the police.
“Dark Nuns” dropped to fourth place, bringing in $561,228 but suffering a 64.2% decline from the previous weekend. The horror-thriller now has a cumulative total of $10.6 million.
In fifth place, “The Substance” continued its steady run with $208,369, accounting for 4.4% of the weekend market share. The film’s cumulative earnings now stand at $2.9 million.
Further down the chart, “Harbin” saw a sharp 72.7% decline, earning $105,349 and dropping to sixth place. The film has now grossed $32.2 million. “Pokémon the Movie AG: Mew and the Wave Hero Lucario” followed in seventh with $88,726. Its cumulative earnings have reached $1.02 million.
The 4K director’s cut restoration of Tarsem Singh’s 2006 cult classic “The Fall,” which bowed at Locarno last year, showed the strongest holdover performance, climbing to eighth place with $93,311, reflecting a 75.8% increase from last weekend. The film has now earned $835,636.
“Pororo the Movie: Great Adventure Under the Sea” was in ninth with $59,537, bringing its cumulative total to $2.4 million.
“The Octonauts Above and Beyond: The Polar Expedition” rounded out the top 10 with $44,569, bringing its cumulative earnings to $254,937.
