Opening on 1,310 screens nationwide, Next Entertainment World’s crime drama “ The King ” scored $13.2 million from 1.85 million admissions between Wednesday and Sunday to top the Korean box office. That is a record for the biggest January opening in the country.
Directed by Han Jae-rim (“The Face Reader”,) and starring Zo In-sung (“A Frozen Flower”) and Jung Woo-sung (“Asura: The City of Madness”,) ‘The King” involves a young prosecutor who rises swiftly to power, but tumbles even quicker.
On 976 screens, another Korean drama, CJ’s “ Confidential Assignment ” earned $8.1 million from 1.15 million admissions. Starring Hyun Bin (“The Fatal Encounter”) and Yoo Hae-jin (“Luck-key”), the story revolves around cops from South and North Korea on a covert operation.
Disney’s “Moana” earned $2.29 million between Friday and Sunday for a total of $8.4 million after two weekends. Japan’s “Your Name” dropped from first place to fourth, earning $1.86 million for a total of $21.1 million after three weekends. Korean animation “Turning Mecard W: The Revival of Black Mirror” scored $1.76 million over five days.
Both released on Wednesday, an extended version of “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and Xavier Dolan’s Cannes-winning “It’s Only the End of the World” debuted in ninth and tenth, respectively. “Two Towers” earned $221,000, while “End of the World” earned $91,600.
