Sherlock Teaser - H 2014
BBCWhile Star Wars: The Force Awakens may be breaking records worldwide, the J.J. Abrams film fell in the ranks in South Korea as domestic hits continued to dominate the charts over New Year’s weekend.
The Himalayas, the local mountaineering epic by CJ Entertainment that towered over Star Wars for the two previous weeks, ranked No. 1 for the third straight week. The film accounted for 31.3 percent of the revenue for the Jan. 1-3 period, according to the Korean Film Council’s KOBIS database. Based on a star mountaineer’s true experiences in Mt. Everest’s notorious “death zone,” the movie has so far earned a cumulative $41.6 million.
Following in second was another domestic title, Inside Men: The Original, the director’s cut version of last year’s blockbuster crime drama Inside Men. The film garnered 17.6 percent of ticket sales to gross nearly $5.8 million during its first weekend in theaters. The original Showbox/Mediaplex film, released in November, grossed a total $47.5 million and was the fifth best film of 2015.
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Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, a 90-minute special of the cult British TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, debuted at No. 3 with 16.4 percent of box-office revenue in South Korea this weekend. Handled by Megabox Plus M, it brought in a cumulative $4.4 million. The special, which sees the actors reprise their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in a one-off set in Victorian London in 1895, is also getting a theatrical release in China and other international markets.
The successful opening of Sherlock pushed Star Wars: The Force Awakens down the charts to No. 4 from the No. 2 spot that it held for the previous two weeks. Its market share also fell significantly in its latest week, from 22.1 percent to 9 percent. The Walt Disney Company Korea title has so far scored a total of $23.1 million.
Finishing in fifth was Hotel Transylvania 2 with 7.4 percent of the share. The Universal Pictures International Korea title fell two places from last week, when it debuted at No. 3. The sequel’s gross now stands at $7.9 million in Korea and surpasses that of the first film, which earned $5.0 million in 2011.
