South Korean comedy-drama remake “The Intern” led the local box office in ticket admissions over the Sept. 18–20 weekend, although Christopher Nolan’s epic holdover “The Odyssey” continued to dominate in total revenue.
According to KOBIS, the Korean Film Council’s tracking service, the newly released local film earned $1.9 million from 275,183 admissions across 1,428 screens. This performance captured 26% of the weekend market share. In contrast, “The Odyssey” generated a higher gross of $2.3 million but placed second in admissions with 256,789 tickets sold on 1,253 screens, claiming 30.7% of total box office revenue.
Directed by Kim Do-young, the Warner Bros. Korea adaptation of Nancy Meyers’ 2015 Hollywood comedy stars Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee. The story follows a 70-year-old retired executive with 37 years of corporate experience who returns to the workforce as a senior intern at a fast-paced fashion startup led by an ambitious young CEO. Since its wide release on Sept. 16, the feel-good film has accumulated 403,903 admissions and a cumulative gross of $2.8 million.
Meanwhile, “The Odyssey” saw its domestic gross rise to $91.1 million, driven by 11,217,639 ticket buyers since its Aug. 5 premiere.
In third place, “Obsession” maintained its position during its third weekend, earning $1 million from 131,467 admissions across 762 screens. The film accounted for 13.6% of the weekend frame, bringing its cumulative total to $5.4 million from 701,713 viewers since its Sept. 2 rollout.
“Resident Evil” opened in fourth place, generating $623,228 from 80,779 admissions on 679 screens. Since its Sept. 17 debut, the horror title has collected $783,336 from 103,654 viewers.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” rounded out the top five in its eighth weekend, taking $214,082 from 33,636 admissions across 540 screens. The film holds a gross of $67.1 million.
Anime feature “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” secured sixth place ahead of its wide release. Directed by Kei Oikawa and based on the manga by Nagano, the fantasy adventure follows Chiikawa and companions traveling to an island paradise before uncovering a looming threat. Preview screenings generated $199,794 from 20,734 admissions across theaters. Following the Sept. 30 rollout, the film has grossed $202,845 from 21,203 admissions.
Mamoru Hosoda’s 2006 anime classic “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” took seventh place via a 20th-anniversary re-release, earning $97,270 from 12,153 admissions on 150 screens. The updated cumulative gross stands at $736,815 from 132,656 tickets.
A double-feature re-release of “Digimon Adventure” and “Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!” opened in eighth place, pulling in $89,411 from 11,456 admissions across 205 screens since its Sept. 16 debut. The title has reached a cumulative total of $138,143 from 17,764 admissions.
“The Drama” finished ninth with $75,165 from 9,527 admissions, raising its gross to $583,238 from 80,094 total viewers.
Rounding out the top 10 was gambling crime thriller “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub,” which earned $60,860 from 6,999 admissions during festival and special previews. Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won, and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth installment centers on high-stakes competitive Texas hold’em and international casino circuits. The film accumulated $147,019 from 19,183 viewers ahead of its wide release on Sept. 23.
Did anyone else notice Chiikawa sneaking into sixth? The anime hype is real, and those preview numbers look promising for the wide release.
Choi Min-sik really carries these comfort films. I’m glad he’s back on top, even if Nolan still holds the cash crown.
It’s fascinating how ticket sales and revenue don’t always align. The Odyssey clearly pulls in the high-spending audience despite lower headcount.