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Korean films take top three spots at weekend box office

August 20, 2018

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) — Three domestic titles were in the top three in ticket sales at the box office this past weekend, data showed Monday.

New release “The Witness” ascended to the throne by selling 810,599 tickets from Friday to Sunday, according to the box office tally from the Korean Film Council. The thriller surpassed 1 million admissions on Saturday, the fourth day of its run.

Starring Lee Sung-min, the movie tells the story of a salaried worker who witnesses a murder from the balcony of his apartment at dawn.

A promotional poster for “The Witness” (Yonhap)

Director Yoon Jong-bin’s Cannes-premiered “The Spy Gone North” clung to the second spot in its second weekend at the box office. The espionage drama amassed 781,374 admissions for a 12-day cumulative total of 4,040,502.

Starring Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong and Ju Ji-hoon, the film portrays a breathtaking covert operation by a South Korean agent sent to infiltrate the highest ranks of the North Korean leadership.

“Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days” fell two spots to third after winning two consecutive weekends.

The Lotte Entertainment release added 639,979 admissions for a domestic total of 11.3 million after 19 days on release, becoming the 17th most-viewed film of all time in Korea.

Starring Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon and Kim Hyang-gi, “The Last 49 Days” is the second installment in the franchise started by the 2017 box office hit “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” by the same director, Kim Yong-hwa. The action fantasy flick tells the story of three grim reapers from the first installment meeting the Seongju God (House Guardian God), who remembers their pasts from 1,000 years ago.

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” the sequel to 2008′s all-ABBA jukebox musical “Mamma Mia!” was a distant fourth with 298,760 views.

Coming in fifth was a new release — Warner Bros./Time Warner Inc.’s “The Meg,” seen by 200,368 people.

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