The Korean films “Sleep” and “Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman,” and the Hollywood flick “Oppenheimer” topped the monthly box office for September in South Korea.
The Korean film industry in South Korea suffered a slump in theater attendance and box office gross in September.
(Clockwise from top left) “Sleep,” “Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman,” “Oppenheimer” and "Road to Boston" (KOFIC)
According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the theater audience in September totaled 6,656,685, down 55 percent from 14.56 million in August.
Box office revenues in September totaled 65.26 billion won (about $48.28 million), a decrease of 54.5 percent from 143.34 billion won (about $106 million) in August.
“Sleep,’ starring Jung Yu-mi, Park Hyun-jeong and Lee Sun-kyun, topped the September box office with 1.4 million in total admissions and gross of $9.87 million.
“Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman,” starring Gang Dong-won, Huh Joonho, E Som and Lee Dong-hwi, grabbed second place with 944,245 in total attendance and gross of $6.67 million.
“Oppenheimer” placed third with 676,427 in total attendance in September and gross of $5.25 million. Since its opening in August, “Oppenheimer” has grossed $25.12 million in South Korea.
Here are the 20 top-grossing films in South Korea in September, according to KOFIC:
Rank | Title | Release Date | Monthly Gross (Total) | Admissions (Total) | Revenue Share |
1 | Sleep South Korea | Sept. 6, 2023 | $9,873,968 ($9,930,354) | 1,409,811 (1,417,549) | 20.49% |
2 | Dr. Cheon And The Lost Talisman South Korea | Sept. 27, 2023 | $6,678,182 ($6,678,182) | 944,245 (944,245) | 13.86% |
3 | Oppenheimer U.S. | Aug. 15, 2023 | $5,258,001 ($25,127,632) | 676,427 (3,202,303) | 10.91% |
4 | Road to Boston South Korea | Sept. 27, 2023 | $3,248,751 ($3,248,751) | 461,408 (461,408) | 6.74% |
5 | HONEYSWEET South Korea | Aug. 15, 2023 | $2,893,127 ($9,887,120) | 407,480 (1,381,842) | 6% |
6 | Concrete Utopia South Korea | Aug. 9, 2023 | $2,686,761 ($27,597,929) | 392,373 (3,847,230) | 5.57% |
7 | Don't Buy the Seller South Korea | Aug. 30, 2023 | $2,370,233 ($2,953,480) | 331,430 (424,734) | 4.92% |
8 | A haunting in Venice U.S. | Sept. 13, 2023 | $1,463,238 ($1,463,238) | 203,098 (203,098) | 3.03% |
9 | COBWEB South Korea | Sept. 27, 2023 | $1,346,932 ($1,346,932) | 192,360 (192,360) | 2.79% |
10 | Elemental U.S. | June 14, 2023 | $1,165,304 ($52,399,073) | 160,948 (7,226,073) | 2.41% |
11 | The Nun II U.S. | Sept. 27, 2023 | $1,135,965 ($1,135,965) | 151,855 (151,855) | 2.35% |
12 | Marrying the Mafia South Korea | Sept. 21, 2023 | $1,038,286 ($1,038,286) | 147,004 (147,004) | 2.15% |
13 | Smugglers South Korea | July 26, 2023 | $861,151 ($36,657,215) | 119,002 (5,141,093) | 1.78% |
14 | Gran Turismo U.S. | Sept. 20, 2023 | $757,839 ($757,839) | 102,782 (102,782) | 1.57% |
15 | The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes Japan | Sept. 14, 2023 | $569,563 ($569,563) | 76,118 (76,118) | 1.18% |
16 | IU CONCERT : The Golden Hour South Korea | Sept. 13, 2023 | $1,275,278 ($1,275,278) | 73,769 (73,769) | 2.64% |
17 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem U.S. | Sept. 14, 2023 | $468,264 ($468,264) | 70,501 (70,501) | 0.97% |
18 | Argonuts France | Sept. 21, 2023 | $389,522 ($389,718) | 58,562 (58,581) | 0.8% |
19 | Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince U.S. | July 15, 2009 | $477,049 ($15,434,602) | 55,859 (3,013,595) | 0.99% |
20 | Butt Detective the Movie SHIRIARTY Japan | Sept. 28, 2023 | $346,125 ($346,125) | 51,456 (51,456) | 0.71% |