“Broker,” the art house drama film that appeared in competition in Cannes last month had a bright start in Korean cinemas, picking up over $6 million in its opening foray. Its score, however, was not enough to unseat mainstream crime actioner “The Roundup” from the weekend’s top spot.
“Broker” earned $4.13 million over the Friday to Sunday weekend, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That put it second behind “The Roundup” with a weekend score of $6.69 million.
Backed and released by CJ Entertainment, “Broker” enjoyed a wide release on some 1,500 screens and claimed top spot on its Wednesday opening. Over five days it earned a total of $6.03 million.
The film’s successes appear to have been noted at the highest level of society. It was reported that newly installed Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday had dinner with “Broker” star, and Cannes best actor prize-winner, Song Kang-ho and with Park Chan-wook, director of “Decision to Leave.”
Despite losing the daily crown on Wednesday, “The Roundup,” a sequel in the franchise starring Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee), held up strongly. It declined only 34% weekend on weekend, despite this having been its fourth weekend on release. It earned the further distinction of becoming the first Korean film in three years to pass the 10 million ticket sales landmark, a landmark that has been achieved by fewer than thirty films in recent history.
Overall, the nationwide weekend box total was $14.7 million. That was 28% down on the previous weekend total.
In third place, “Jurassic World Dominion” earned $2.60 million, a fall of 66% from its opening weekend haul. In 12-days of release, it has amassed a $21.0 million cumulative.
Lower down the chart, “Top Gun Maverick,” which will be released in Korea on June 22, earned $42,000 over the weekend from previews in eight venues.
Two other new releases made top ten debuts over the weekend. Korean-made “On My Way Home” earned $39,000 over five days. French comedy drama “The Rose Maker” earned $20,900 in tenth spot.
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