Director Ryoo Seung-wan’s crime thriller Smugglers has taken the top spot at the Korean box office, selling over 1 million tickets since its release. The film’s success indicates a potential box office hit for this summer.
According to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Smugglers attracted 1.17 million viewers over the weekend, accounting for 53.9% of total box office sales during that period. In just five days since its release on Wednesday, the movie has garnered a cumulative total of 1.72 million admissions.
Set in the 1970s in a peaceful seaside village, Smugglers tells the story of two female divers portrayed by Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ah, who unexpectedly find themselves involved in a high-stakes smuggling scheme. It is one of the highly-anticipated big-budget Korean films to hit theaters this summer.
Although Smugglers currently sits at the top of the box office rankings, the rankings may change with the release of director Kim Yong-hwa’s sci-fi film The Moon and director Kim Seong-hoon’s buddy action comedy Ransomed on Wednesday.
The animated film Elemental, produced by Disney and Pixar, secured the second spot at the box office over the weekend, following Smugglers. With an audience of over 5.67 million, it surpassed Japanese director Makoto Shinkai’s latest animated film Suzume to become the most-viewed foreign film in South Korea this year.
In third place was Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, starring Tom Cruise, which was viewed by 300,000 people during the period. The Hollywood action blockbuster dropped two places from the previous week’s rankings.
The animated film Detective Conan The Movie: Black Iron Submarine claimed the fourth spot with 89,000 admissions, followed by Barbie, featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, with 81,000 viewers.
Overall, Smugglers has emerged as the current leader in Korean box office sales, driven by its captivating crime thriller storyline and talented cast. With its success, the film brings excitement to the summer movie season, and viewers can anticipate more engaging and thrilling releases in the coming weeks.
