Korea Box Office: “Alienoid” beats “Minions” while “Thor” crumbles

New releases Alienoid and Minions: The Rise of Gru dominated the South Korean box office over the weekend.

“Alienoid,” a sci-fi fantasy about the quest for a legendary sword across different eras, opened on Wednesday, consistently but narrowly defeating its animated rival.

Alienoid earned $5.19 million between Friday and Sunday for a 32% market share after being played on more than 1,800 screens. In the five days following its release, it has amassed $7.37 million.

“Minions” earned $4.58 million between Friday and Sunday, for a 29% market share, after being played on nearly 1,400 screens. The five-day cumulative value is $6.29 million.

“Top Gun Maverick,” which returned to the top of the charts last weekend, dropped to third place. In its fifth weekend of release, it fell 34% to a record $3.68 million and a 23% market share. Since its June 22 release, Top Gun Maverick has grossed $53.0 million, making it the second-grossing film of the year and the top Hollywood title to date.

The total nationwide box office for the weekend was $16.1 million. That was in line with the new norm, which has been in place since early May when COVID restrictions were largely lifted in Korea.

“Decision to Leave,” Park Chan-wook’s art-house thriller, grossed $1.14 million over the weekend and placed fourth. That compared to $1.73 million and third place a week earlier. After four weekends of release, the Cannes competition title has amassed $11.8 million.

“Thor: Love and Thunder” dropped from second to fifth place. On its third weekend of release in Korea, it earned $593,000, down a whopping 82% from the previous weekend. As of July 6, it has accumulated $22.2 million.

Lower spots included: “Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween” at $509,000 for a 12-day total of $2.75 million; “The Roundup” with $74,000 for a 2022 leading total of $100 million;
“Elvis” at $56,000 for a total of $632,000 for 12 days; and Japanese re-release It’s A Summer Film, which grossed $44,000 over the weekend and $81,000 in the five days since its debut on Wednesday.

A nine-screen preview of Hansal: Rising Dragon grossed $33,000. The period action drama opens on Wednesday.