Romantic comedy “Love Reset” grabbed the box office crown in South Korea on the weekend following the Chuseok holiday period. But numbers reverted to the pre-festival downtrend.
Directed by Nam Dae-joong, “Love Reset” is the story of a young couple in the midst of divorce who are involved in a car accident and lose their memories. When the amnesiac pair fall for each other again, their families try to trigger their memories and set them back on the road to separation.
It earned $2.54 million between Friday and Sunday, with a 42% share of the market. That was enough to depose Chuseok holiday winner “Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman.” Over its opening five days “Love Reset” earned $4.53 million.
That performance was not enough to wrest the Korean box office from its fall slump – a downtrend that was only briefly punctuated by last week’s prolonged public holiday. The nationwide weekend total was just $6 million, which PvNew calculates is the second lowest of 2023.
“Dr Cheon” made $1.06 million in second place, a big tumble from its opening $6 million weekend. After 12 days in cinemas, it has $12.3 million.
American sci-fi movie, “The Creator” had an unusual Tuesday release. It ranked in third position with $613,000 over the weekend proper. And over its opening six days managed $1.50 million.
Sports drama “Road to Boston” earned $476,000 in its second weekend. After 12 days in cinemas it has a cumulative of $5.88 million. Considering the budget and the director Kang Je-Gyu’s pedigree, that counts as a disappointment.
“Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” opened in fifth place with a far-from mighty $289,000 over the weekend and $345,000 including previews.
“The Nun II” was closely behind with $283,000 on its second weekend. After 12 days, it has a $2.39 million cumulative.
New release Japanese horror film “Sana,” by genre-defining director Shimizu Takashi, opened meekly in seventh place with $176,000 over the weekend and $259,000 over five days.
“Cobweb,” Kim Jee-woon’s pastiche on the golden age of Korean cinema, did not stir happy memories for many. It earned $123,000 on its second weekend and a 12-day cumulative of just $2 million.
Pre-release teaser sessions for Korean crime drama “Hopeless” brought in $109,000. It opens officially on Wednesday.
Japanese animation “Butt Detective the Movie: Shiriarty” took tenth place with $74,000. Its nearly two-week cumulative in now $817,000.
