Japanese animations rank high at Korean box office

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Sat, December 9, 2023 | 17:45

Films

Japanese animations rank high at Korean box office

Posted : 2023-03-20 11:36

Updated : 2023-03-20 18:45

A scene from the Japanese animation "Suzume" is seen in this photo provided by its local distributor, Media Castle. Yonhap

Three Japanese animations were among the top five films on the weekend box-office chart in Korea, industry data showed Monday, proving their unwavering popularity among local audiences.

The Japanese animation "Suzume" posted 712,473 admissions from Friday to Sunday to top the box office for the second consecutive week, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

Director Makoto Shinkai's latest film, which is centered on a high school girl and a mysterious young man trying to prevent a series of disasters across Japan, has drawn an accumulated 1.95 million viewers since its release March 9.

The Japanese basketball animation "The First Slam Dunk" ranked second with 107,519 admissions over the three-day period.

Directed by the original manga writer Takehiko Inoue, the movie has become a cultural phenomenon with its unprecedented streak of box-office hits for a Japanese animation with its captivating story of an undefeated spirit and nostalgia for the 1990s.

The film adaptation of the popular basketball manga series "Slam Dunk" has attracted 4.15 million moviegoers since it hit cinemas Jan. 4, becoming the most-viewed animated Japanese film released in the country of all time.

Another Japanese animation, "Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba To the Swordsmith Village," ranked No. 5, drawing 31,407 viewers over the weekend.

The dark fantasy action film based on the popular manga series "Demon Slayer," helmed by Haruo Sotozaki, has stayed in the top 10 chart since its release March 2.

In contrast to booming Japanese animations, Korean movies posted sluggish performances, with the romantic drama "Soulmate" in third place and the crime noir "The Devil's Deal" in seventh over the weekend. (Yonhap)