“Smartwatch Triggered” Horror “SalmoKja”… Draws Teen Crowds, Ranks No. 1 Again for a Second Week

“Salmokja,” No. 1 at the Box Office for 12 Straight Days… Surpasses 1.46 Million Admissions

Director Lee Sang-Min’s new horror film “Salmokja” has maintained the No. 1 spot for 12 consecutive days since its release, delivering overwhelming box-office dominance. According to data from the Integrated Computerized System for Movie Tickets, “Salmokja” drew around 472,000 viewers over the weekend and reached about 1.461 million cumulative admissions.

The film carefully depicts the strange events that unfold when employees of a street-view service enter the reservoir location of “SalmoKja” in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province to film scenes on location. In particular, starring “Kim Hye-Yoon”, who is making her first foray into the horror genre, the strong performances by veteran actors such as “Lee Jong-Won”, “Kim Jun-Han”, and “Kim Young-Sung” are credited with heightening the audience’s immersion.

Breaks Even in the Shortest Time Yet, Driven by Teens’ “Experience-Led Consumption”

“Salmokja”’s breakneck box-office momentum is setting an unusually notable benchmark in the history of Korean horror cinema. Key box-office milestones are as follows.

• Breaks 800,000 admissions in just 7 days after release (Fastest break-even point among this year’s releases)

• Tops the 1 million admissions mark on day 10

• Fastest momentum among domestic horror films since “The Transformation” in 2019

At the heart of this box-office surge is, without question, the teen audience segment. Analysis of CGV viewing data shows that teens accounted for 10.7% of “Salmokja” audiences, far surpassing last year’s breakout horror hit “Noise” (6.9%). The share of group viewings with three or more people also reached 13.8%, and teens’ tendency to consume horror not only as a viewing experience, but as an exhilarating “experience” helped spark the film’s runaway success.

Horror Goes Beyond the Screen—A “Pilgrimage Site” Craze in Yesan, South Chungcheong

Firsthand viewing accounts have fueled the buzz. On online communities and social media, posts keep rolling in that attest to the film’s terror level—such as “My heart rate shot up, and my smartwatch warning alerts went off,” and “I spilled all my popcorn because I was shocked.”

The film’s explosive popularity is directly tied to a craze for visiting the actual filming location centered on “SalmoKja” in Yesan, where it was really filmed. In the past, the place gained notoriety after being featured in a ghost-story program, but after the film’s release, it quickly emerged as a so-called “pilgrimage site.” In response, Yesan County expanded nighttime lighting facilities and increased patrol personnel to prevent safety accidents. At the same time, it produced promotional videos that blend horror and comedy to boost awareness of the area.

The distributor, “Showbox”, analyzed that audiences actively consume the real filming location as second- and third-round content to satisfy their curiosity after watching the movie.