The movie 'Firefighter' (directed by Kwak Kyung-taek) has secured the top spot at the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks, making its way into the top 5 Korean films of the year.
According to the integrated computer network for movie ticket sales by the Korean Film Council, 'Firefighter' attracted over 510,000 viewers from the 20th to the 22nd. Maintaining its box office lead for the second week in a row, the cumulative audience has reached approximately 2,596,000.
With this, 'Firefighter' has surpassed the final audience count of 2,561,854 for the summer release 'Escape' and has joined 'Burial', 'Crime City 4', 'Veteran 2', and 'Pilot' in the top 5 Korean films of the year. On the 22nd at 1:06 PM, 'Firefighter' surpassed 2.5 million cumulative viewers, crossing the break-even point and heading towards 3 million.
Based on the true story of the fire disaster in Hongje-dong, Seoul, the film movingly depicts the hard work of firefighters, attracting audiences during the year-end and New Year season.
In second place is Disney's live-action film 'Mufasa: The Lion King', which drew over 234,000 viewers. It premiered on the 18th as a prequel to the Disney animated classic 'The Lion King'.
Following closely, 'Moana 2' attracted 198,000 viewers during the same period, securing the third spot. Its cumulative audience has reached over 3,048,000, surpassing the 3 million mark.
The success of the Korean film 'Hidden Face', which has gained word-of-mouth popularity, is also noteworthy. It attracted over 12,000 viewers over the weekend, bringing its cumulative audience to over 1,001,000, marking the first Korean film rated for adults released this year to surpass 1 million viewers.
Meanwhile, as of 8 AM today, the film with the highest pre-booking rate is 'Harbin', set to be released on the 24th, with a pre-booking rate of 56.3% and approximately 393,000 pre-booked viewers. The film depicts the Harbin incident involving independence activist Ahn Jung-geun, with Hyun Bin playing the role of Ahn Jung-geun and Woo Min-ho, director of 'The Insider' and 'The Chief of Namsan', at the helm. Following criticisms of 'lack of emotional impact' after the press screening, it remains to be seen whether it will succeed at the box office.
