[Box Office] ‘Chiikawa’ Holds No. 1 for Fourth Straight Week, Surpassing 2.58 Million Admissions

Strong fan support fuels an anime boom at the box office

Japanese animated film ‘Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island’ held on to the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office for a fourth consecutive week, demonstrating its staying power.

According to data released Nov. 2 by the Korean Film Council’s integrated ticketing system, ‘Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island’ drew around 221,000 moviegoers over the three days from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 to top the box office. It accounted for 32.1% of box office revenue during that period. Since opening Sept. 30, it has drawn a cumulative audience of around 2.583 million.

‘Heart of Beast’ took second place at the weekend box office, drawing around 162,000 moviegoers over the same period and claiming 23.0% of box office revenue.

The Korean film that upheld the country’s cinematic pride was ‘Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng’. The comedy, starring Lee Sun-bin and Yoo Jae-myung, ranked third with around 44,000 admissions (6.1%). Released Oct. 28, ‘Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng’ offers an engaging look at the exam setters’ experiences during a 40-day stay at a secluded training facility, where they prepare questions for the College Scholastic Ability Test.

Next, director Hur Jin-ho’s new film ‘Assassins’ ranked fourth with around 41,000 admissions (5.7%), while the re-release of Japanese animated film ‘Attack on Titan: Crimson Bow and Arrow’ came in fifth with around 30,000 admissions (5.0%), underscoring the strength of the animation genre.

The popularity of ‘Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island’ also remains strong in advance ticket sales, an indicator of the box office outlook. As of 9 a.m. Nov. 2, it held first place with a 19.6% advance sales rate, representing around 34,000 tickets.

Hot on its heels is ‘Final Interview’, directed by Kim Jung-hoon, which opens Nov. 4. Ranking second with a 17.6% advance sales rate (around 30,000 tickets), ‘Final Interview’ is a mystery thriller about six job seekers who make it to the final interview round, then discover envelopes containing one another’s secrets.

Japanese animated film ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie’, also set to open the same day, ranks third with 9.6% (around 16,000 tickets), while ‘Heart of Beast’ is fourth with 5.6% (around 9,000 tickets), foreshadowing a fierce competition for advance ticket sales.