Korea Box Office: 'Hitman 2' Debuts at No. 1, 'Dark Nuns' Plummets Over Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year holiday fueled a surge in South Korean box office revenue from January 31 to February 2, with "Hitman 2" emerging as the top performer while "Dark Nuns" faced a steep decline.

'Hitman 2' Dominates

"Hitman 2," the action-comedy sequel, amassed KRW4.1 billion ($2.8 million), capturing 39.2% of the weekend market share. The film's admissions climbed by 6% to 450,751, boosting its cumulative total to $12.9 million, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council's tracking service.

'Dark Nuns' Suffers Drop

Horror-thriller "Dark Nuns" slid to second place with $1.5 million, representing 21.8% of the weekend market share. The film plunged 60.1% compared to the previous weekend, with 243,886 admissions. Its cumulative total now stands at $9.6 million.

New Releases Surge

Musical romance "Secret: Untold Melody" made its debut in third place, grossing $1.05 million and claiming 14.4% of the market share with 160,863 admissions during its opening weekend. "Harbin," a historical thriller about Korean independence fighters, slipped to fourth place with $390,450, representing 5.4% of the market. The film experienced a 21.2% decline from the previous weekend and has now grossed $32.4 million.

Strong Showings Elsewhere

In fifth place, "The Substance" saw a resurgence, increasing 40% from the previous weekend to earn $248,220, contributing 3.4% to the weekend market. The drama has now grossed $2.5 million.

Further down the chart, "Pokémon the Movie AG: Mew and the Wave Hero Lucario" ranked sixth with $184,102 and a total of $885,000, while "Pororo the Movie: Great Adventure Under the Sea" placed seventh with $88,768 and a total of $2.2 million.

Other Notable Performances

"IU Concert: The Winning" fell to eighth place, grossing $216,018 and a total of $1.03 million, while animated entry "The Octonauts Above and Beyond: The Polar Expedition" made its first top 10 appearance in ninth place with $68,079 and a total of $196,763.

Rounding out the top 10, "Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary" generated $63,018, bringing its cumulative total to $5.1 million.