The Japanese animated cultural phenomenon “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” continued its dominant run at the South Korean box office, holding firmly onto the No. 1 position over the weekend spanning October 30 to November 1. Securing its third consecutive weekend atop the national box office rankings, the film has solidified its status as one of the most unexpected and resounding crossover hits of the theatrical season.
According to official data released by KOBIS, the real-time tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the fantasy release distributed by Toho generated an impressive $1.7 million over the weekend frame. This revenue was driven by 221,651 admissions across a widespread footprint of 1,167 screens, allowing the feature to comfortably capture 32.1% of the total weekend theatrical market. Directed by Kei Oikawa and thoughtfully adapted from the immensely popular manga series created by Nagano, the animated blockbuster has now reached a massive cumulative gross of $20.1 million. Since its initial rollout on September 30, the picture has drawn a total of 2,583,851 admissions, proving that its initial opening-week momentum was merely the beginning of an extraordinary theatrical journey.
While the reigning champion maintained its stronghold at the summit, the weekend also welcomed several notable new entries and continued robust performances from established box office favorites. Taking second place in its opening frame was Sony Pictures and TriStar’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast.” The tense drama pulled in $1.2 million from 162,790 admissions across 1,106 screens, capturing a formidable 23% share of overall theatrical revenue. Benefiting from a mid-week rollout on October 28, the title has accumulated a total of $1.5 million from 215,237 admissions since its debut, signaling a strong appetite among South Korean moviegoers for gripping, high-stakes cinematic thrillers.
The podium was rounded out by a domestic title, as the workplace comedy “Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng,” backed by By4M Studio and Barunson E&A, debuted in third place. The film brought in $326,609 from 44,799 admissions across 677 screens, translating to 6.09% of the weekend market. Marking the feature-length directorial debut of screenwriter Lee Yong-jae, the comedy boasts a star-studded ensemble cast featuring Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min, and Jeon Seok-ho. The narrative follows a high school language teacher who finds herself unexpectedly sequestered into the top-secret, 40-day test-writing committee for the grueling national college entrance examination. Following an enthusiastic premiere at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival and its commercial bow on October 28, the comedy has pushed its cumulative gross to $505,208 from 71,767 total viewers.
In fourth place, director Hur Jin-ho’s politically charged crime thriller “The Assassin(s)” continued its resilient box office run into its sixth frame. The Hive Media Corp distribution collected $307,719 from 41,265 admissions across 620 screens, accounting for 5.7% of weekend receipts. Starring a prominent cast that includes Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho, the drama meticulously reconstructs the high-tension events surrounding the August 15, 1974, assassination attempt on former South Korean President Park Chung-hee. Despite navigating ongoing legal complaints and vocal protests from conservative civic groups alleging historical distortion regarding its portrayal of state inquiry contradictions, the film has sustained impressive audience interest, lifting its cumulative total to $25.5 million from 3,448,036 admissions since its September 23 launch.
Further down the chart, the theatrical re-release of the anime feature “Attack on Titan: Crimson Arrows” captured fifth place. The big-screen return of the 2014 title grossed $266,616 from 30,263 admissions across 233 screens, pushing its updated cumulative haul to $547,187 from 72,324 admissions.
CJ ENM’s gritty gambling drama “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” secured the sixth position, earning $208,310 from 26,650 admissions across 498 screens. Directed by Choi Kook-hee and featuring a dynamic cast led by Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won, and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth installment in the comic-adapted franchise officially crossed a major commercial milestone by surpassing the two-million-ticket threshold, bringing its total gross to $15.7 million from 2,055,522 total viewers.
Meanwhile, CJ Entertainment’s psychological thriller “Paradise Lost,” directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Kim Hyun-joo alongside Bae Hyun-sung, landed in seventh place on the admissions chart. The film generated $124,104 from 17,053 admissions across 593 screens, which brings its running cumulative total to $1 million from 151,429 admissions.
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ dark adaptation “Clayface” placed eighth in terms of total admissions, drawing 16,641 viewers across 444 screens. However, due to ticket pricing and format distribution, the film managed a slightly higher revenue gross of $140,321 for the frame, pushing its overall cumulative total to $899,915 from 115,464 admissions.
Universal Pictures’ enduring tentpole release “The Odyssey” showed remarkable staying power in its 13th weekend in theaters, adding $108,833 from 13,332 admissions across 254 screens. Capturing 2.02% of the weekend frame, the epic narrative lifted its towering cumulative total to $106.4 million from an impressive 12,335,377 admissions since it first premiered on August 5.
Rounding out the top ten list of box office performers, the Japanese romantic drama “You, Like a Star” made its theatrical debut. Directed by Michihito Fujii and starring Ryusei Yokohama and Suzu Hirose as young lovers bound together by shared hardship on a remote island in the Seto Inland Sea, the film brought in $77,264 from 10,091 admissions across 154 screens. Since its commercial release on October 28, the romance title has accumulated $146,509 from 20,478 total viewers.
Taken as a whole, the South Korean box office experienced a slight contraction compared to the previous week. The overall market collective gross for the weekend registered at $5.3 million, marking a modest decrease from the $5.6 million recorded during the prior frame.
