A Quiet Powerhouse: 'Salmokji : Whispering Water' Sets New All-Time Horror Box Office Record After 23 Years

The film 'Salmokji : Whispering Water' has officially become the highest-grossing horror movie in domestic box office history, surpassing 3.16 million admissions nationwide.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie theater tickets on the 17th, 'Salmokji : Whispering Water' drew 90,972 viewers from the 15th to the 16th, ranking 4th at the weekend box office. The cumulative number of viewers stands at 3,169,793.

With this, the film has overtaken 'A Tale of Two Sisters' (released in 2003, with 3.14 million cumulative viewers) to claim the top spot for horror films at the domestic box office. It has rewritten the history of horror movie box office success for the first time in 23 years.

'Salmokji : Whispering Water' was a quiet powerhouse. It was released while 'The King's Warden' was enjoying a long-term run of nearly two months, so it did not receive much attention early on. Although it debuted at number one at the box office with 80,000 viewers on its opening day, it remained out of the spotlight as 'The King's Warden' achieved a record-breaking run, surpassing 16 million viewers during the same period.

However, it maintained its momentum by consistently drawing audiences and holding its ground at the box office after its release. It surpassed 1 million viewers in 10 days, 2 million in 20 days, and 3 million in 33 days. Having exceeded its break-even point (approximately 800,000 viewers) in just one week, the profitability of 'Salmokji : Whispering Water' is considered a model case for mid-to-low budget films.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)