The local horror-thriller โSalmokji : Whispering Waterโ retained its position at the top of the South Korean box office during the weekend of Apr. 17โ19.
According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the film earned $3.3 million from 472,121 admissions, maintaining a commanding 50% share of the weekend revenue. Directed by Lee Sang-min and starring Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jong-won, the film follows a road-view camera crew that encounters terrifying supernatural events at a remote reservoir. Since its launch, the Showbox-distributed title has reached a cumulative gross of $10.2 million from 1,461,849 admissions.
โProject Hail Maryโ held steady in second place, earning $1.3 million over the weekend. Starring Ryan Gosling, the film has now reached a cumulative gross of $17.5 million from 2,298,106 admissions since its Mar. 18 opening.
In third place, โThe Kingโs Wardenโ added $712,905 to its record-breaking total. With 104,955 admissions over the three-day period, the filmโs cumulative attendance now stands at 16.5 million. While it has slowed significantly in its eleventh week, the historical drama continues to extend its record as the second most-watched film in Korean history, trailing only โThe Admiral: Roaring Currentsโ (17.61 million). Its cumulative revenue has reached $108.6 million.
The identity drama โMy Nameโ debuted in fourth place, earning $380,515 from 60,953 admissions. Directed by veteran filmmaker Chung Ji-young and starring Yeom Hye-ran and Shin Woo-bin, the film is set in 1998 and follows a boy named Young-oak who struggles with his feminine name and complex identity at a testosterone-heavy boysโ school, while his mother Jeong-sun (Yeom) begins to confront long-repressed memories of the 1948 Jeju April 3 Uprising. As Young-oak navigates school violence, his motherโs trauma regarding the historic massacre and state crackdown resurfaces, forcing both to find their place in a society still reckoning with its violent past. Since its Apr. 15 release, the film has grossed $611,162. The film played at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.
Animation โGoatโ debuted in fifth place, earning $114,641 and its cumulative gross stands at $115,563.
Miyazaki Hayao classic โKikiโs Delivery Serviceโ re-entered the charts in sixth place following a specialty re-release, earning $140,117. It was followed by the action-thriller โShelterโ in seventh place, which grossed $41,752. Since its Apr. 15 debut, it has earned $71,594. American action-thriller โNormalโ opened in eighth place with $34,259.
Rounding out the top 10 were a re-release of โThe Truman Showโ in ninth place with $48,875, and the Japanese sports anime โHaikyu!!: The Dumpster Battleโ in tenth with $47,969.
The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $6.6 million, down from last weekโs $8.01 million.
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