Canada
United States
New Zealand
Australia
Ireland
Japanese animation film Suzume continues to reign supreme for the fourth consecutive weekend at South Korea’s box office, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Meanwhile, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves debuted at the box office, landing in second place with a market share barely a fifth of “Suzume.”
The Japanese animation earned $4.46 million, a 26% week-on-week drop, but still held over 60% of the box office. It has grossed $29.9 million since its release on March 8, making it the second-highest film of the year in Korea, just behind another Japanese animation film, The First Slam Dunk, which earned $35.1 million.
Depressed South Korean box office
South Korea’s box office continues to operate at depressed levels, with the latest weekend generating a nationwide theatrical total of just $7.21 million, making it the weakest this year. The top-ranked Korean film was Woongnami, earning $330,000 over the weekend. It grossed $1.86 million after two weekends.
The fellow Korean title Soulmate earned $151,000 in fifth place for $1.64 million after three weekends. The concert film I’m Hero earned $147,000 for a four-week total of $4.45 million. A Man Called Otto ranked seventh on its opening weekend, earning $90,000 between Friday and Sunday and $163,000 over its full five-day opening.
Japanese Animation ‘Suzume’ Shines in China
Makoto Shinkai’s latest film, Suzume, is making waves at the Chinese box office. The Japanese animated film hit the theaters in Japan last November, grossing over USD 100 million at the box office. It debuted in North America on April 14, with Nichole Sakura voicing Suzume, Josh Keaton as Souta, Jennifer Sun Bell as Tamaki Iwato, Joe Zieja as Tomoya Serizawa, and Lena Josephien Marano as Daijin, among others.
Over its first three days in China, Suzume raked in over USD 50 million over its first three days in China, with a chance of beating Japan’s box office tally. It remains to be seen if the anime movie will surpass Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, which earned a whopping $479 million in Japan last year.
With anime growing in popularity worldwide, it will be interesting to see if an anime movie will manage to dethrone Mugen Train shortly. Shinkai, known for his award-winning and critically acclaimed films such as Your Name and Weathering With You, has yet to reveal his next project.
Box Office Slump Continues
Despite March’s gross revenue leap to KRW80.2 billion, nearly triple the score achieved in the same month last year (KRW27 billion), South Korea’s box office still operates at depressed levels. The total for the first quarter of 2023 was KRW276 billion ($209 million), more than double the KRW113 million in 2022.
However, it is still 40% less than in 2019, when the aggregate ran to KRW467 billion, and Korea was the world’s fourth-largest box office market. The local Korean movie industry also saw a collapse in market share, earning only KRW79 billion ($60.1 million) in the first quarter, or a lowly 29% market share.
