The American action-thriller film “Tenet” placed first while K-pop superstars BTS’ “Break the Silence: The Movie” grabbed ninth place in the top 10 films in South Korea for the month of September.
According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), which tracks box office results, 2.98 million people went to Korean cinemas in September, down 66.17 percent compared to August’s cinema attendance of 8.83 million, or a decrease of 5.84 million.
This was due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) scare as the second wave of the virus hit South Korea. People stayed away from cinemas and other enclosed places as the government imposed strict social distancing rules.
For September, “Tenet” topped the South Korean box office with 1.02 million tickets sold and $8.07 million in monthly gross for a revenue share of 36.26 percent for the month. Since its release on Aug. 26, the movie has sold 1.73 million tickets and grossed 1$13.63 million.
Placing second is the Korean film “Oh! My Gran” starring Na Moon-hee and Lee Hee-joon, which sold 325,579 tickets and earned $2.23 million
Third is the Disney film “Mulan,” which had 228,647 in total admissions and grossed $1.72 million since its opening on Sept. 17 in South Korea.
Grabbing fourth place is the Korean film “The Golden Holiday” starring Kwak Do-won and Kim Dae-myung with 175,845 in tickets sold and revenue of $1.14 million in just two days since its release on Sept. 29. The movie was shot in the Philippines and Pinoy actor Mon Confiado appears in the film.
The Sung Dong-il and Ha Ji-won starrer “Pawn,” released on Sept. 29, took fifth place with 165,851 in attendance and $1.1 million in earnings.
Bagging sixth place is Korean film “The Swordsman,” which sold 136,826 tickets and earned $994,128 since it opened on Sept. 23.
“Diva,” starring Shin Min-a, is seventh with 99,660 in attendance and $713,825 in revenue since opening on Sept. 23.
“Deliver Us from Evil,” another Korean film that premiered on Aug. 5, is in eight place with 94,391 in attendance and $697,431 in revenue.
BTS’ “Break the Silence: The Movie” placed ninth with 92,080 in tickets sold and $691,038 in revenue through 205 screens. It topped the Korean box office on its opening day on Sept. 24 with 21,585 in attendance and $159,985 in revenue. The film placed fourth in the weekend box office from Sept. 25 to 27 with 50,658 tickets sold and gross of $396,592.
The movie focuses on BTS members in their journey during their world tour “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself,” which took the boy band to different parts of the world including Los Angeles, New York, London, Osaka and Seoul.
In tenth place is “Beauty Water,” which sold 89,175 tickets and grossed $677,495 since opening on Sept. 9.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the South Korean movie industry. From January to September this year, Korean cinema attendance totaled 49.85 million, down 70.8 percent compared to 170.75 million in attendance during the same period last year, or a decrease of 120.89 million.