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'Gonjiam' leads box office for second weekend straight

  • Published : Apr 9, 2018 - 11:32
  • Updated : Apr 9, 2018 - 11:32

"GONJIAM: Haunted Asylum" dominated the box office for the second weekend in a row, extending its cumulative audience to over 2 million people, data showed Monday.

The low-budget Korean horror movie sold 513,673 tickets from Friday to Sunday, bringing its total to 2.25 million, according to the computerized tally from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

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A still from "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum"
The tally is the second highest for Korean horror films of all time after "A Tale of Two Sisters," which attracted an audience of 3.15 million in 2003.

Written and directed by Jung Bum-shik, "Gonjiam" tells the story of seven young people teaming up to experience an abandoned former psychiatric hospital near Seoul, which CNN called one of the freakiest places in the world.

"What a Man Wants," a local adult comedy about infidelity, debuted at No. 2, selling 503,913 tickets. Directed by Lee Byoung-heon, who also directed "Twenty" (2014), and starring Lee Sung-min and Shin Ha-kyun, the movie is about a legendary playboy who introduces his younger sister's husband to the world of womanizing.

It was closely followed by Steven Spielberg's sci-fi fantasy "Ready Player One," which was seen by 473,298 people.

"Stand by Me," a new Korean release, took the fourth spot with 108,256 views. Starring veteran senior actor Lee Sun-jae, the film is about a grandfather who prepares special presents for his two grandchildren, whom he has been raising alone, when he learns that he has only a few months to live.

The domestic romance "Be With You" dropped two spots to fifth, seen by 102,347 moviegoers in its fourth weekend. Released on March 14, the movie led by So Ji-sub and Son Ye-jin has drawn 2.52 million people in total. (Yonhap)

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