THE COURIER Opens in 2nd Place 

A pair of new releases drove business up almost 30% to 483,000 sales, a figure that is likely to rise further this weekend owing to upcoming holidays. The local market share edged down slightly to 45% as a new domestic title clinched the top spot for the fourth weekend on the trot.

Waiting for Rain, a new romantic drama with KANG Ha-neul and CHUN Woo-hee, debuted in first place with 122,000 entries (USD 1.05 million) over the weekend and 175,000 seats (USD 1.41 million) filled over its first five days.

Opening a spot lower was the British spy drama The Courier with Benedict Cumberbatch. The film sold 89,000 tickets (USD 756,000) over the frame, with 131,000 viewers (USD 1.05 million) counted since its Wednesday bow.

Following its number one opening last weekend, local thriller Recalled slid two spots and 46% in its sophomore frame, during which it welcomed 55,000 spectators (USD 467,000). The film has sold 248,000 tickets (USD 1.96 million) to date.

On the heels of YOUN Yuh-jung’s historic Academy Awards win, Minari saw its fortunes rise 320% as it climbed back up to fourth place. The award-winning film scored another 53,000 sales (USD 437,000), lifting its haul to 1.03 million admissions (USD 8.3 million).

Late January release Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train was still in the top five after a 54% decline. The hit Japanese animation brought in 44,000 viewers (USD 386,000), raising its total to 1.89 million entries (USD 16.32 million).

With Children’s Day falling later this week, theaters are getting ready to welcome plenty of children’s fare and leading the pack on the reservations chart is the animated sequel The Crowds: A New Age.