South Korea Box Office: ‘Jupiter Ascending’ Debuts in Third, ‘Big Hero 6’ Remains Second

Jupiter Ascending debuted in fourth place at the South Korean box office (Feb. 6-8,) while Big Hero 6 continued to perform strongly amid the dominance of local period dramas set in 1970s Korea.

Jupiter Ascending, starring Korean actress Bae Doona, made its debut in third. The Warner Bros. Korea release took 12.5 percent of sales for a cume of $2.03 million  according to the Korean Film Council’s KOBIS database. The film, however, ranked fourth in terms of admissions, by which local industry onlookers usually measure a film’s performance. Bae who is a critically acclaimed actress in both Korea and Japan, makes her second outing in a Hollywood film, having also worked on the Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas.

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C’est Si Bon, a CJ Entertainment release, debuted on top by grabbing 29.5 percent of weekend sales with a cume gross of $4.7 million. The musical biopic directed by Kim Hyun-seok captures the colorful folk music scene of 1970s Korea, and follows in the recent success of homespun period dramas.

Read more ‘Ode to My Father’ (‘Gukje Shijang’): Berlin Review

A prime example is Ode to My Father, which is now third most-watched film in Korean box office history (total $93 million or 13.2 million admissions), trailing close behind Avatar ($117 million, 13.6 million admissions). The modern historical drama features a romance during the 1970s, not unlike C’est Si Bon. Ode finished fourth, accounting for 12.4 percent of sales during its ninth week in theaters. It ranked third, however, in terms of admissions. 

Ode made its international premiere through the Berlin Film Festival‘s Panorama section, and is being represented by CJ Entertainment alongside C’est Si Bon at the European Film Market.

Another period film selling tickets is Showbox/Mediaplex’s Gangnam Blues, which grabbed 8.4 percent of the weekend revenue for a total gross of $15.4 million. The action noir takes place amid the rapid economic development of Seoul’s now-famous Gangnam district during the ’70s. Currently showing or ready to be released across 13 Asian countries, Gangnam Blues made its market premiere at Berlin.

Meanwhile, Big Hero 6 finished among the leaders during its third week in theaters, dropping to second place to account for 18.9 percent of sales. The Disney animated feature has so far garnered $16.22 million and an impressive admissions score of 2.25 million.