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STAR TREK Can’t Escape TUNNEL
Business remained brisk during the heat wave but with school back in session and the high summer season coming to an end ticket sales have begun to slow down at the Korean box office. Local hits remained the top draw, accounting for 71% of the weekend’s 3.04 million theater visitors.
Staying at number one after its major debut was disaster drama Tunnel, which slid 39% for another 1.12 million viewers (USD 8.37 million), bringing its total 5.09 million viewers (USD 36.73 million). Though the film has been well-received and should continue to post strong numbers, it is unlikely to challenge TRAIN TO BUSAN as the hit of the season.
Also unchanged at number two was HUR Jin-ho’s Colonial Era drama The Last Princess, which receded 48% to add 501,713 spectators (USD 3.69 million), giving it an impressive 4.83 million admissions (USD 34.2 million) to date.
Opening at disappointing third place was Star Trek Beyond, the third installment in the rebooted sci-fi series. The big-budget Hollywood film debuted with 493,290 viewers (USD 4.04 million) over the three day and accumulated 678,297 spectators (USD 5.42 million) over five days. The Justin Lin-directed sequel will have a hard time matching its predecessor’s total (Star Trek: Into Darkness), which reached 1.6 million admissions in 2013.
Down 39% but still in fourth place was US animation The Secret Life of Pets with another 223,429 tickets sold (USD 1.58 million), bringing its total to 2.25 million admissions (USD 15.34 million). Sliding two spots to fifth and down 59% was Korean War hit Operation Chromite. With an additional 193,223 moviegoers (USD 1.4 million), the film is now at 6.76 million admissions (USD 46.95 million).
Just behind, TRAIN TO BUSAN added 180,514 more viewers (USD 1.36 million) to give it 11.22 million admissions (USD 80.2 million) in total. The film’s animated prequel Seoul Station opened as the top diversity release with 67,481 tickets (USD 494,751) over the weekend and 121,465 admissions (USD 856,869) since Wednesday.