In a rare sweep, local films held the top five spots at the Korean box office, clinching 85% of the market in a weekend that attracted 2.54 million filmgoers. Sustained strong performances by Korean films in August have put domestic fare back over Hollywood for the year, with a 48.6% market share to their 46.7%.

 

Topping the charts for the fourth consecutive time was RYOO Seung-wan’s Veteran, which became the 13th Korean film (17th overall) to cross the ten million admissions mark. Notably, this came exactly two weeks after CHOI Dong-hoon’s Assassination achieved the same feat. This is the first time that two Korean films with ten million viewers have occupied theaters at the same time or that any two films have reached the mark in the same month.

 

The feat also made star HWANG Jung-min the first actor to headline two consecutive ten million admission hits, following JK YOUN’s Ode to My Father crossing the mark at the beginning of this year. Meanwhile, it was the seventh film (and third this year) for supporting actor OH Dal-su, who also appeared in Ode to My Father and Assassination, to reach the milestone, giving him the distinction of being the only performer to appear in the majority of Korea's ten million viewer blockbusters.

 

For its fourth weekend, Veteran slid just 20% for another 1.08 million viewers (USD 7.36 million), giving it a running total of 10.81 million (USD 71.7 million). Holding equally well in second place, with a slight 17% drop, was the romance The Beauty Inside, as it added another 401,804 spectators (USD 2.75 million) for an accumulated 1.39 million (USD 9.22 million). Still hanging in there, Assassination dropped 29% for 344,813 more viewers (USD 2.32 million) and a grand total of 12.19 million (USD 79.97 million).

 

Posting a lacklustre opening in fourth place was local action-comedy Untouchable Lawmen with 198,443 (USD 1.33 million). Dropping just 3% and climbing up to fifth place was the family comedy Wonderful Nightmare, drawing in 125,479 viewers (USD 827,723) for a total of 849,053 (USD 5.4 million).

 

The highest foreign release was Hollywood stoner comedy American Ultra, which opened with 91,083 (USD 643,029) in sixth place. Going forward, Veteran appears destined to finally cede its crown as Marvel property Ant-Man finally enters the marketplace and is currently topping the reservations chart.