The film 'Omniscient Reader' (directed by Kim Byung-woo) has claimed the top spot at the weekend box office.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie theater tickets, 'Omniscient Reader' attracted 427,364 moviegoers nationwide from July 25 to 27. The cumulative audience count stands at 627,892.
'Omniscient Reader' is a fantasy action film where the world of a novel, which has been serialized for over a decade, becomes reality on the day it concludes. The story follows 'Kim Dokja' (played by Ahn Hyo-seop), the novel's sole reader, who, along with the novel's protagonist 'Yoo Joonghyuk' (played by Lee Min-ho) and allies, strives to survive in the now-doomed world.
Since its release on July 23, 'Omniscient Reader' has led the box office. However, its audience numbers have not met expectations. Despite being released during the peak season and the government's efforts to revitalize the film industry by distributing movie tickets at a discounted rate of 6,000 won, the film has not seen the expected boost. It managed to fend off competition from 'F1: The Movie' and the new release 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' to maintain its number one spot, but its position is shaky. With a break-even point of 6 million viewers, it needed to surpass 1 million viewers in its opening weekend.
Second place at the box office went to 'F1: The Movie', which drew 340,240 viewers in the same period. Its cumulative audience count is now 2,393,856. Although its initial performance fell short of expectations, it has steadily attracted viewers over five weeks, reaching 2 million and now aiming for the 3 million mark.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)