[Weekend Box Office] 'Assassins' regains No. 1, surpassing 1.82 million viewers despite controversy

Has it shed the 'historical distortion' label? Film proves its box-office strength by drawing audiences

'Assassins', which sparked fierce controversy at the intersection of historical fact and cinematic imagination, has finally settled back onto a box-office trajectory.

According to data from the Korea Box-Office Information System on the 2nd, 'Assassins', directed by Heo Jin-ho, drew more than 55,000 viewers the previous day to reclaim the top spot at the domestic box office. It captured a 21.8% share of revenue, while cumulative attendance since its release on the 23rd of last month stood at more than 1.822 million.

The film initially followed reporters as they closely tracked those behind the 1974 'shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo'. But suggestions that the 'Korean Central Intelligence Agency' and the highest levels of power may have been involved triggered intense accusations of 'historical distortion'. The fallout created a chill across the film industry, including the 'cancellation of stage greetings' and the decision to make review videos private.

The producers drew a line under the controversy, calling the film "a work of fiction that adds a considerable amount of creative imagination." The dispute instead fueled audience curiosity and produced the unexpected result of the film reclaiming the top spot.

Meanwhile, 'Tazza: Song of Belzebub', directed by Choi Kook-hee and released during the same period, remained in second place after drawing more than 49,000 viewers, for a 20.8% share. The film, starring Byun Yo-han and Roh Jae-won, depicts a tale of betrayal surrounding an online casino business and has now surpassed 1.066 million cumulative viewers.

Japanese animation 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island', backed by a strong fan base, ranked third with more than 45,000 viewers, while 'Resurrection Man: The Red', an action film starring Koo Kyo-hwan, ranked fourth with more than 22,000.

In real-time advance-booking figures, 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island' holds a commanding lead at 37.8%, representing more than 239,000 tickets. 'Assassins' is in second place at 14.2%, followed by Christopher Nolan's new film 'The Odyssey' at 12.0%, setting the stage for a fierce three-way race at theaters this weekend.