"Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island" held the top spot at the South Korean box office over the weekend of Oct. 30–Nov. 1, its third consecutive weekend at No. 1, according to data from KOBIS, the tracking service run by the Korean Film Council.
The Toho-distributed fantasy earned $1.7 million from 221,651 admissions across 1,167 screens, taking 32.1% of the weekend market. Directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from Nagano's popular manga, the film has now accumulated $20.1 million from 2,583,851 admissions since its Sep. 30 release.
Sony Pictures and TriStar's survival thriller "Heart of the Beast" opened in second place with $1.2 million from 162,790 admissions across 1,106 screens, accounting for 23% of theatrical revenue for the frame. Since its mid-week launch on Oct. 28, the title has gathered $1.5 million from 215,237 admissions.
By4M Studio and Barunson E&A's workplace comedy "Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng" debuted third, grossing $326,609 from 44,799 admissions across 677 screens for 6.09% of the market. The directorial debut of screenwriter Lee Yong-jae stars Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min and Jeon Seok-ho, and follows a high school language teacher who is unexpectedly drawn into a top-secret 40-day committee writing questions for the national college entrance examination. After premiering at the Busan International Film Festival and opening commercially on Oct. 28, the comedy has earned $505,208 from 71,767 viewers.
Director Hur Jin-ho's political crime thriller "The Assassin(s)" ranked fourth in its sixth weekend with $307,719 from 41,265 admissions across 620 screens, or 5.7% of receipts. Distributed by Hive Media Corp and starring Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, the film reconstructs the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee. The title has drawn ongoing legal complaints and protests from conservative civic groups alleging historical distortion in its portrayal of contradictions in the state inquiry, while lifting its cumulative total to $25.5 million from 3,448,036 admissions since its Sep. 23 launch.
The anime re-release "Attack on Titan: Crimson Arrows" placed fifth with $266,616 from 30,263 admissions across 233 screens. The theatrical re-issue of the 2014 feature pushed its updated cumulative haul to $547,187 from 72,324 admissions.
CJ ENM's gambling drama "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub" took sixth place with $208,310 from 26,650 admissions across 498 screens. Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth installment in the comic-adapted franchise officially crossed the two-million-ticket mark, reaching $15.7 million from 2,055,522 total viewers.
CJ Entertainment's psychological thriller "Paradise Lost," directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyun-sung, was seventh on the admissions chart with $124,104 from 17,053 admissions across 593 screens, bringing its cume to $1 million from 151,429 admissions.
Warner Bros. and DC Studios' "Clayface" was eighth in admissions with 16,641 viewers across 444 screens, though it generated a higher revenue gross of $140,321. The film has accumulated $899,915 from 115,464 admissions.
Universal's "The Odyssey" placed ninth in its 13th weekend, adding $108,833 from 13,332 admissions across 254 screens for 2.02% of the frame. Its cumulative total stands at $106.4 million from 12,335,377 admissions since opening on Aug. 5.
Rounding out the top ten, the Japanese romantic drama "You, Like a Star" debuted with $77,264 from 10,091 admissions across 154 screens. Directed by Michihito Fujii and starring Ryusei Yokohama and Suzu Hirose as young lovers bound by shared hardship on an island in the Seto Inland Sea, the film has grossed $146,509 from 20,478 admissions since its Oct. 28 release.
The overall market gross for the weekend was $5.3 million, down from $5.6 million the previous weekend.
Sources: Variety.