Tazza 2 Poster - P 2014
Lotte EntertainmentSouth Korean gambling saga Tazza 2 topped the box office over the local Thanksgiving “Chuseok” holiday, scoring big with $16.67 million as of Wednesday according to the Korean Film Council’s KOBIS database.
The action film, a sequel to 2008’s wildly successful Tazza: The High Rollers, has attracted a total of two million admissions in just seven days since opening on Sept. 3. It is a record for an R-rated film (19 and over) in the country — a change from the usual domination of family-oriented films during the holiday, which fell from Sept. 6-9 this year. The Lotte Entertainment franchise accounted for 28.6 percent of the market share over the period.
Tazza 2 was followed by yet another R-rated film, handled by UPI. Lucy, which has garnered much interest here for featuring the Hollywood debut of Korean actor Choi Min-sik, also made a successful debut in second place, garnering a total 1.34 million admissions or $11 million (18.2 percent of business).
Coming in third was another Sept. 3 opener, CJ Entertainment’s family drama My Brilliant Life. Starring two regionally popular stars, Kang Dong-won and Song Hye-kyo, the film has grossed a total $7.89 million.
The Pirates, a second Lotte Entertainment title, has stepped down to fourth place from the previous week’s first, but continues to perform strongly. The maritime actioner has become the fourth highest-grossing film of the year, with a cumulative $59.1 million or over eight million admissions.
The Admiral: Roaring Currents (a.k.a. Roaring Currents) slipped down to seventh place. The historical epic garnering pushed local records further on Sept. 3, with a record total of 17 million admissions, raking in $130 million so far.
