Cinema box office in South Korea amounted to a dismal $5.45 million over the weekend, propelling “Alien: Romulus” back to top spot, despite the film’s steep week-on-week decline. Among new releases there was joy for a Korean-produced panda documentary and disappointment for “ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice .
” “Alien: Romulus” earned $905,000 between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. That represented a 45% week-on-week decline and market share of less than 17%, but it pushed the horror franchise title to a $14.0 million cumulative since releasing on Aug.
14. Early September has historically been a weak spot on the calendar for Korean cinema business as the summer season fades out and the biggest local titles delay their releases until the Chuseok (or Korean thanksgiving) holiday season towards the end of the month. The latest Friday-Sunday aggregate followed that seasonal pattern and represented the third weakest weekend haul of the year.
Chuseok arrives early this year and will give three days of public holiday (Mon-Wed, Sept. 16-18) in addition to a weekend. “I, The Executioner,” known locally as “Veteran 2,” and a sequel to 2015 crime blockbuster “Veteran,” will arrive in Korean cinemas on Friday and is poised to dominate the holiday period.
It premiered in Cannes in an out-of-competition slot and has another international showcase this week at the Toronto festival. But two other tit.