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Local romantic drama “Once We Were Us” and James Cameron’s sci-fi juggernaut “Avatar: Fire and Ash” split the honors at the South Korean box office this weekend, with the former claiming the most ticket sales and the latter securing the highest revenue.
“Once We Were Us” ascended to the No. 1 spot in terms of admissions, ending the three-week reign of the “Avatar” threequel. The film earned $2.3 million from 340,267 admissions between Friday and Sunday. Since its release on Dec. 31, the film has accumulated a total of $6.9 million from 1,046,417 admissions, according to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.
Directed by Kim Do-young, “Once We Were Us” is a Korean remake of the 2018 Chinese hit “Us and Them.” Starring Koo Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young, the film follows two former lovers who unexpectedly cross paths years after their breakup, confronting unresolved emotions and the lives they have built apart.
While “Once We Were Us” sold more tickets, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” retained the revenue crown. The film grossed $2.6 million over the weekend from 316,262 admissions. The film has now amassed $48.1 million from 6,079,644 admissions since its mid-December debut.
Disney’s “Zootopia 2” remained the solitary animated blockbuster holding firm in the upper ranks, retaining third place. The sequel earned $887,595 over the weekend from 133,639 admissions, lifting its cumulative total to $54.8 million from 8,313,926 admissions.
Korean release “Choir of God” debuted in fourth place. Directed by Kim Hyeong-hyeop, the musical drama marks the big-screen return of actor Park Si-hoo. The film follows efforts to bypass international sanctions by seeking assistance from a Hungarian NGO to construct churches in Pyongyang. It grossed $609,305 over the weekend from 89,857 admissions, bringing its total to $1.6 million from 260,431 admissions.
Rounding out the top five was another local title, “Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight.” Based on the novel by Ichijo Misaki, the romance stars Choo Young-woo and Shin Sia. Directed by Kim Hye-young, the film is a bittersweet high-school romance centered on a girl with anterograde amnesia whose memories reset each morning. It added $441,507 over the weekend from 65,744 admissions for a cumulative total of $5.1 million from 779,299 admissions.
Japanese animation “Crayon Shinchan the movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers” took sixth place with $180,668 from 27,869 admissions for a cume of $2.9 million. It was followed by Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” which earned $66,903 from 11,120 admissions and a cumulative total of $488,136.
Further down the charts, the Aziz Ansari-directed comedy “Good Fortune” – starring Ansari alongside Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves – landed in eighth with $60,466 from 9,816 admissions and now has a cume of $122,891. New entry “Arctic Dogs: In Search of Arctic Idol” opened in ninth with $34,810 from 7,146 admissions, while “Pororo the Movie: Sweet Castle Adventure” completed the top ten with $41,322 from 6,818 admissions and a cume of $1.4 million.
The overall market saw a significant cooling off following the holiday surge. The top 10 films collectively grossed $7.9 million over the weekend, a drop from last weekend’s $10.6 million.
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