Korean crime thriller dethrones ‘Venom’ at box office

October 15, 2018

SEOUL. Oct. 15 (Yonhap) — “Dark Figure of Crime” has achieved a come-from-behind win against “Venom” in the competition for the weekend box office top spot.

The Korean crime thriller brought in 552,989 admissions in its second weekend in movie theaters, beating out the Hollywood superhero blockbuster for the No. 1 spot, according to data from the Korean Film Council on Monday.

A still from "Dark Figure of Crime" (Yonhap)

A still from “Dark Figure of Crime” (Yonhap)

Based on a true story, the “Dark Figure of Crime” follows a detective who desperately tries to uncover the truth about hidden murders using unreliable confessions from a prisoner. The movie, starring Ju Ji-hoon as the prisoner and Kim Yoon-seok as the detective, has attracted more than 2.8 million cinemagoers since it opened Oct. 3.

“Venom” added 493,724 admissions to its cumulative audience figure of about 3.25 million.

“Miss Baek” led by Han Ji-min debuted in third, selling 161,472 tickets. The Korean drama tells a story of a woman abandoned by her mother as a child who meets a girl and decides to save her from mistreatment.

Coming in fourth was another new release, “A Star Is Born.” The Lady Gaga musical sold 86,762 tickets.

“The Great Battle” slid down to No. 5 with 72,292 admissions in its fourth weekend. Released on Sept. 19, the Korean movie about a seventh century conflict has been seen by over 5.35 million people.

A poster for "Miss Baek" (Yonhap)

A poster for “Miss Baek” (Yonhap)