South Korean Box Office: "Hitman 2" Continues Reign, "Nocturnal" Debuts in Third



The South Korean box office witnessed a continued dominance by "Hitman 2" at the top spot, albeit with a significant decline, while the newcomer "Nocturnal" made a strong debut in third place over the weekend of February 7-9.

"Hitman 2" Remains Unchallenged

The action-comedy sequel "Hitman 2" maintained its first-place position with KRW1.93 billion ($1.3 million), according to Kobis, the tracking service run by the Korean Film Council. Despite accounting for 27.8% of the market share, the film faced a steep 52.9% drop in revenue and a 55.3% decrease in admissions, attracting 201,556 viewers over the weekend. Its cumulative total now stands at $15.04 million.

"Secret: Untold Melody" Moves Up

The musical romance "Secret: Untold Melody" ascended to second place with $936,515, capturing 19.6% of the market share. Experiencing a moderate 9.7% decline, the film drew 138,241 viewers, bringing its cumulative total to $3.7 million.

"Nocturnal" Makes a Strong Debut

Marking its debut in third place, "Nocturnal," a neo-noir crime thriller directed by Kim Jin-hwang, garnered $622,790. Securing 13% of the market share, it recorded 94,267 admissions over its opening weekend. The film stars Ha Jung-woo as Min-tae, a former gangster who investigates his brother's mysterious death and the disappearance of his brother's wife.

Other Notable Performances

- "Dark Nuns" slipped to fourth place with $561,228, suffering a 64.2% decline from the previous weekend. Its cumulative total now stands at $10.6 million.

- "The Substance" maintained its steady performance in fifth place with $208,369, accounting for 4.4% of the weekend market share. Its cumulative earnings have reached $2.9 million.

- "Harbin" saw a significant 72.7% decline, earning $105,349 and dropping to sixth place. The film's gross has now reached $32.2 million.

- "Pokémon the Movie AG: Mew and the Wave Hero Lucario" followed in seventh with $88,726. Its cumulative earnings have reached $1.02 million.

- The 4K director's cut restoration of Tarsem Singh's 2006 cult classic "The Fall" exhibited the strongest holdover performance, climbing to eighth place with $93,311. Reflecting a 75.8% increase from last weekend, the film has now earned $835,636.

- "Pororo the Movie: Great Adventure Under the Sea" was in ninth with $59,537, bringing its cumulative total to $2.4 million.

- "The Octonauts Above and Beyond: The Polar Expedition" rounded out the top 10 with $44,569, bringing its cumulative earnings to $254,937.