The Kim Yoon-seok-Jo In-sung film “Escape from Mogadishu” topped the weekend box office in South Korea and emerged as the No. 1 top-grossing Korean film this year to date.
Based on the numbers from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), “Escape from Mogadishu” emerged as the No. 1 film for the weekend box office from Aug. 6 to 8, selling 480,495 tickets and earning $4.25 million.
The film is the only Korean movie which has sold one million tickets this year and is set to reach 2 million. As of Aug. 9, “Escape from Mogadishu” has sold 1.71 million tickets and grossed $14.46 million.
It premiered at No. 1 at the Korean box office on July 28 by selling 126,670 tickets, the highest opening day record for a Korean film this year.
“Escape from Mogadishu” tells the story of personnel of the South and North Korean embassies escaping Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. In 1991, a civil war broke out in Mogadishu. The South Korean embassy’s staff and their families became isolated. One night, a group from the North Korean embassy knocks on their door asking for help. Their goal is to escape Mogadishu.
On the other hand, “BLACKPINK: The Movie,” released on Aug. 4 in South Korea to celebrate the girl group’s fifth anniversary, placed ninth on the weekend box office.
According to KOFIC, “BLACKPINK: The Movie” sold 5,420 tickets and grossed $62,483 from Aug. 6 to 8 to place ninth overall. From Aug. 4 to 9, or in six days, the movie has recorded 11,761 in total admissions and $134,412 in earnings.
Here are the 10 top-grossing films in South Korea based on the weekend box office from Aug. 6 to 9:
1. “Escape from Mogadishu” (South Korea) - 480,495 (tickets sold) / $4,255,825 (gross)
2. “The Suicide Squad” (US) - 177,435 / $1,656,694
3. “Boss Baby: Family Business” (US) - 78,544 / $639,738
4. “Black Widow” (US) - 51,381 / $465,031
5. “Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s New Dinosaur” (Japan) - 27,695 / $215,058
6. “Jungle Cruise” (US) - 25,652 / $218,689
7. “The Cursed: Dead Man’s Prey” (South Korea) - 13,961 / $124,022
8. “The Green Knight” (US) - 6,697 / $56,107
9. “BLACKPINK: The Movie” (South Korea) - 5,420 / $62,483
10. “The Medium” (South Korea) - 4,582 / $44,119