THE PRISON Fails to Lock Up BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

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THE PRISON Fails to Lock Up BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Mar 27, 2017

Writer by Pierce Conran
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Tight Race Between Disney Redo and Local Thriller

As two titles fought for supremacy, it was a tight race at the top of the charts in Korea as business ticketed up 20% over last week to 2.53 million admissions. It was an equally tight race for market share dominance, with Hollywood films barely nudging out domestic ones 49% to 48%.

Though it did so by only a nose, Disney’s blockbuster-in-the-making Beauty and the Beast had a magical sophomore frame, dropping just 26% from its already stellar debut. With another 1.03 million (USD 7.81 million) viewers over the weekend, the live action update now has 3.1 million tickets (USD 23.27 million) in its coffers in Korea to date.

Barely behind was Showbox’s new thriller The Prison with HAN Suk-kyu (The Berlin File, 2013) and KIM Rae-won (Gangnam Blues, 2015), which nevertheless had a strong debut with 967,000 spectators (USD 7.4 million) snatching up seats for opening weekend and 1.24 million entries (USD 9.29 million) recorded since its Wednesday debut (the film was set to open on Thursday but screenings were added a day early).

Opening in a distant third was the 1980s-set political investigation thriller ORDINARY PERSON featuring SON Hyun-ju (Hide and Seek, 2013) with just 213,000 admissions (USD 1.55 million) from the weekend and 255,000 ticket buyers (USD 1.82 million) over four days. Though viewers have responded positively to the film, it likely won’t be able to avoid a quick exit from theaters.

Another new entry debuted in fourth as US drama Hidden Figures bowed with 108,000 entries (USD 811,000) over the frame and 139,000 entries (USD 1.03 million) since Thursday. Fifth place was occupied by Kong: Skull Island, which shed most of its theaters and 80% of its sales for a 58,000 viewer take (USD 419,000) during its third spin on the charts. It has to date taken in 1.67 million spectators (USD 12.43 million) in the market.

Topping the diversity chart and claiming eighth overall was Hong Sangsoo’s On the Beach at Night Alone, which recently earned its leading star KIM Min-hee the Silver Bear for Best Actress from the Berlin International Film Festival. Entering the marketplace on a wave of controversy the film brought in 15,000 spectators (USD 110,000) and 20,000 admissions (USD 145,000) over four days.

Beauty and the Beast and The Prison were still ahead on the reservations chart early in the week but competition from the local conman film ONE-LINE and Hollywood’s sci-fi update Ghost in the Shell look set to crowd the chart this coming weekend.

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