Korea Box Office: Headed by ‘The Witness’ Local Films Dominate the Weekend

By Sonia Kil

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – A trio of locally-made films — “The Witness,” “The Spy Gone North” and “: The Last 49 Days” — took top three spots at the South Korean .

Opening on the National Liberation Day, crime thriller “Witness” debuted on top, beating the previous week’s winner, “49 Days.” The Next Entertainment World release earned $10.6 million from 1.37 million admissions between Wednesday and Sunday. Directed by Cho Kyu-hang, “Witness” revolves around a salaryman who watches a murder from the balcony of his apartment and struggles to protect his family from the murderer.

In second spot, CJ Entertainment’s “Spy” earned $6.3 million between Friday and Sunday for a running total of $31.1 million after two weekends on release. Lotte Entertainment’s “Along with the Gods” sequel “49 Days” earned $5.05 million for a three-weekend cumulative of $84.5 million from 11.32 million admissions. That makes “along With the Gods” the first Korean franchise where all parts have sold more than 10 million tickets. “49 Days” is also the second fastest film to reach the 10 million admissions mark behind “Roaring Currents.”

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” slipped to fourth. The UPI musical drama earned $2.42 million for a total of $12.2 million after two weekends. Opening on Wednesday, Warner Bros.’ “The Meg” earned $3.15 million over opening five days and debuted in fifth.