‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Leads

The South Korean box office saw a surge in activity during the weekend of May 1–3, as high-profile international sequels drove audience turnout.

According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” claimed the top spot in its opening weekend, earning $3.8 million from 575,467 admissions. Since its mid-week debut on Apr. 29, the film has grossed a cumulative $4.5 million and captured a 31.47% revenue share.

In a close second place, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” made a fashionable debut, earning $3.3 million over the weekend. The film has reached a cumulative gross of $4.9 million from 736,033 admissions.

Local horror hit “Salmokji : Whispering Water” moved to third place but remained a strong contender in its fourth week. The film earned $2.7 million over the three-day period, bringing its cumulative gross to $18.3 million from over 2.6 million admissions.

The science-fiction epic “Project Hail Mary” took fourth place, adding $776,612. The Ryan Gosling-starrer has now grossed $20.3 million since its Mar. 18 release.

Local coming-of-age drama “Audition 109” followed in fifth place, earning $506,887. Directed by Jung Woo in his directorial debut – who also stars alongside Jung Soo-jung and Shin Seung-ho – the film follows a Busan native who moves to Seoul to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, only to face the harsh realities of the city. It has reached a cumulative total of $1.9 million and nearly 300,000 admissions.

The historical phenomenon “The King’s Warden” was in sixth place, adding $258,810. Now in its 13th week, the film has reached a total of 16,779,552 admissions and a record-breaking $110.1 million in revenue. It remains roughly 830,000 admissions short of the all-time attendance record held by “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” (17.61 million).

In seventh place, the documentary “Ran 12.3” earned $250,368, bringing its total to $1.3 million. It was followed by the identity drama “My Name” in eighth place, with a $1.1 million total.

Rounding out the top 10 were the debut of “Heartsping : Teenieping of Love” in ninth place with $49,102, and the anime “Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe,” in 10th with $46,081 and a total of $294,814.

The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $12.2 million, nearly double last week’s $6.2 million.