Fresh from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hur Jin-ho's historical thriller 'The Assassin(s)' claimed the top spot at the South Korean box office over the Chuseok holiday weekend. The feature hauled in more than 1.5 million admissions and generated $11.3 million in its opening frame.
South Korea's box office experienced a massive surge in theatrical attendance over the critical Chuseok holiday weekend, led by director Hur Jin-ho's acclaimed historical thriller, *The Assassin(s)*. Fresh off its high-profile world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film captured the imagination of domestic moviegoers by pulling in more than 1.5 million admissions since its official theatrical rollout on September 23. According to comprehensive data released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the feature grossed an impressive $11.3 million, translating to roughly KRW 15.3 billion, over its first five days of release.
The Chuseok holiday officially spanned a lucrative three-day stretch from Thursday, September 24, to Saturday, September 27, serving as one of the premier movie-going periods of the calendar year in the East Asian territory. Industry analysts note that *The Assassin(s)* capitalized heavily on this festive window, drawing robust multi-generational crowds to theaters nationwide. The film's atmospheric direction and high production values have positioned it as a major player in the ongoing domestic box office recovery, overshadowing several high-profile domestic and international competitors.
While *The Assassin(s)* comfortably secured the number one position, the wider weekly box office chart - covering the period from September 21 to September 27 - showcased fierce competition across diverse genres. Coming in at a strong second place was *Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub*, a long-awaited sequel tied to a hugely popular gambling franchise. Also debuting on September 23, the crime-drama sequel pulled in just over $6 million from a solid 813,842 admissions, proving that established intellectual properties retain immense drawing power among Korean audiences.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's cinematic juggernaut *The Odyssey* maintained exceptional staying power, landing in third place on the weekly chart. The Hollywood import added another $5 million to its historic domestic tally from 565,696 admissions during the holiday frame. Originally released on August 5, the film has now grossed just over $98 million from an astonishing 11.7 million cumulative admissions in the South Korean market alone, officially cementing its status as the highest-grossing foreign film import of the year to date.
Domestic adaptations and streaming-backed projects also carved out significant market share during the bustling holiday frame. Warner Bros Korea's *The Intern* - a localized remake of the 2015 hit Hollywood comedy originally starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway - claimed fourth place on the weekly charts. The Korean adaptation, which stars powerhouse actors Choi Min-schek and Han So-hee in the lead roles, added $2.6 million over the frame, pushing its cumulative gross to $5.5 million since opening on September 16.
Looking across the broader weekly metrics, *The Intern* was followed closely by the U.S. horror hit *Obsession*, which brought in $1.6 million for a cumulative total of $6.7 million following its September 2 debut. However, when isolating the weekend box office figures specifically, auteur Lee Chang-dong's Venice Film Festival winner *Possible Love* made a notable impact by debuting in fifth position. Opening on September 23, the Netflix-backed production - which serves as South Korea's official submission for Best International Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards - grossed approximately $1 million over its first five days in theaters.
Examining the macro picture for the South Korean box office in the year to date, historical drama *The King's Warden* continues to hold the undisputed crown as the highest-grossing release of the year, boasting staggering revenues of $120 million from 16.9 million cumulative admissions. The year-to-date elite tier is rounded out by Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey*, Sony Pictures' *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* - which has pulled in $69 million from 9 million admissions - alongside two critically lauded titles that made their debut waves at this year's prestigious Cannes Film Festival: Yeon Sang-ho's *Colony* and Na Hong-jin's *Hope*.
As the South Korean film industry navigates a dynamic shifting landscape of theatrical windows, streaming integration, and international festival circuits, the robust performance of the Chuseok holiday box office signals enduring consumer appetite for premium big-screen experiences. With major domestic historical thrillers, franchise sequels, and high-profile awards contenders all drawing millions of admissions in tandem, exhibitors and studios alike are finding strong validation for theatrical release models heading into the final stretch of the fiscal year.
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