The local horror-thriller โSalmokji : Whispering Waterโ claimed the top position at the South Korean box office during the weekend of Apr. 10โ12.
According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the film earned $3.7 million from 536,451 admissions over the weekend, capturing 47.17% of the total revenue share.
Directed by Lee Sang-min, the film stars Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jong-won as a road-view camera crew that encounters terrifying supernatural events at a remote reservoir. Since its official launch, the Showbox-distributed title has reached a cumulative gross of $5 million from 724,036 admissions. This marks the strongest opening weekend for a domestic horror film since the 2024 blockbuster โExhuma,โ outperforming other recent genre entries like โDark Nunsโ and โNoise.โ
The Hollywood science-fiction epic โProject Hail Maryโ moved to second place, earning $2 million over the weekend. The Ryan Gosling-starrer has now officially crossed the 2 million admissions mark, reaching a cumulative gross of $15.4 million since its Mar. 18 opening.
In third place, the historical drama โThe Kingโs Wardenโ added $1.1 million to its record-breaking total. With 175,342 admissions over the three-day period, the filmโs cumulative attendance reached 16,397,364. This milestone officially moves the film past the 2019 comedy โExtreme Jobโ (16.26 million) to become the second most-watched film in South Korean history, trailing only โThe Admiral: Roaring Currentsโ (17.61 million). Its cumulative revenue stands at an unprecedented $106.3 million.
The animated feature โRunning Man: Light & Shadowโ debuted in fourth place, earning $70,833. Written and directed by Yoon Jun-sang, the film features the voices of Kim Seo-young, Kwon Chang-uk, and Um Sang-hyun. The plot centers on the world-famous Running Men, who suddenly transform into dangerous villains attacking Tree City. As a secret organization called Metronome declares war to eliminate them, an agent named Lema suspects a hidden truth and launches an investigation to find the real enemy. Including its Apr. 11 opening day, it has earned $73,199.
Pixarโs โHoppersโ took fifth place, adding $83,572 to bring its total to $4.9 million. It was followed by โDemon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc,โ which earned $108,625 from 77 screens, reaching a lifetime South Korean total of $42.1 million.
The romantic drama โWe Live in Timeโ was in seventh place with $63,017. Directed by John Crowley and starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, it has earned $108,386 in total.
The Japanese romantic drama โThe Last Song You Left Behindโ took eighth place, earning $63,055 for a cumulative total of $517,425. Directed by Miki Takahiro and based on the novel by Ichijo Misaki, the film stars Michieda Shunsuke and Nukumi Meru as two musicians whose bond is forged through music and poetry over many years.ย
The American crime thriller โCrime 101โ debuted in ninth place with $40,824 and has a cumulative total of $71,825.
Rounding out the top 10 was the local crime-action comedy โThe Ultimate Duo,โ which added $47,034 to bring its cumulative total to $516,178. Directed by Park Cheol-hwan and starring Bae Sung-woo and Jung Ga-ram, the film follows an unlikely partnership between a veteran detective demoted to a rural station and a wealthy influencer-turned-rookie cop. The pair embarks on an unauthorized investigation that leads them from a petty church theft to a high-stakes murder case in Gangnam.
The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $8.01 million, an improvement over last weekโs $5.8 million.
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