South Korea Box Office

[Olive]

Presales for JW look pretty good!! When is it opening? next Thursday?

YEP

 

It is there a web site where you can keep track of tickets ?

http://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/stat/boxs/findRealTicketList.do?loadEnd=0&repNationCd=&areaCd=&repNationSelected=&totIssuAmtRatioOrder=&totIssuAmtOrder=&addTotIssuAmtOrder=&totIssuCntOrder=&totIssuCntRatioOrder=&addTotIssuCntOrder=&dmlMode=search

[abra]

YEP

 

http://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/stat/boxs/findRealTicketList.do?loadEnd=0&repNationCd=&areaCd=&repNationSelected=&totIssuAmtRatioOrder=&totIssuAmtOrder=&addTotIssuAmtOrder=&totIssuCntOrder=&totIssuCntRatioOrder=&addTotIssuCntOrder=&dmlMode=search

 

thanks

[Rsyu]

Top 10 June Films (Admissions: 2004~)

01. 7,784,807 Transformers: The Dark side of the Moon (2011)

02. 7,505,700 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

03. 7,440,531 Transformers: 2007)

04. 6,959,083 Secretly, Greatly (2013)

05. 5,237,525 World War Z (2013)

06. 5,295,801 Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

07. 4,853,273 The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

08. 4,699,307 Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

09. 4,673,009 Kung-Fu Panda (2008)

10. 4,300,670 Public Enemy Returns (2008)

 

Top 10 June 3-day OW (Admissions: 2004~)

01. 2,370,385 Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon (2011) 

02. 2,137,079 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

03. 2,064,484 Secretly, Greatly (2013)

04. 1,852,979 Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

05. 1,586,631 Transformers (2007)

06. 1,423,978 The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

07. 1,303,603 World War Z (2013)

08. 1,267,196 Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

09. 1,158,307 Kung-Fu Panda (2008)

10. 1,129,833 Public Enemy Returns (2008)

Edited June 14, 2015 by Rsyu

[Rsyu]

Friday Box Office (June 5) 

 

-Admissions (Total Adm) Daily%  Gross (weekly%)  [sC]   {wk}   <Title>
 
1.   139,165      (338,211)   +33.8% $1.11M       (--)      [800]  {Wk1} <San Andreas> 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.    57,121     (3,214,217)  +29.7%  $426K  (-47.0%)   [499]  {Wk4} <Mad Max: Fury Road>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.    48,827     (1,784,689)  +35.4%  $358K  (-39.7%)   [452]  {Wk3} <Spy>    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
4.    19,107        (44,215)     -12.1%  $138K       (--)       [393]  {Wk1} <Perfect Proposal> 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

5.    15,266       (975,819)   +26.7%  $113K  (-59.5%)   [296]  {Wk3} <The Treacherous> 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Total admissions: 317,537
Total Gross: $2,413,080
June Total: $8,751,068

Cumulative gross

Mad Max: Fury Road: $24.91 million

Spy: $12.89 million

 

Current presales (Midnight)

01. 38.4% (67,591) San Andreas
02. 15.4% (27,073) Mad Max: Fury Road
03. 14.8% (25,996) Jurassic World
04. 11.0% (19,293) Spy
05.   4.4%   (7,807) Perfect Proposal

Edited June 5, 2015 by Rsyu

[dropsicaldackel]

Decent start for SAN ANDREAS, but certainly well below similar disaster fare, which tend to be very popular in Korea. MAD MAX sadly levelling off. Not certain it'll get past 4 now, but it'll be awfully close. SPY (which was awesome) still doing well and should at least make it past 2.5.

 

Still a poor run for Korean films with what is going to be a disastrous PERFECT PROPOSAL opening. 100k OW? That's bad news for Lim Soo-jung and CJ (who distributed this) must be very nervous for her film TIME RENEGADE, which will be out soon. And yet another fop for Yoo Yeon-seok. The industry has been trying hard to push him as a big film star but I hope they will reconsider that now, plenty of more worthy talent to get behind out there. All told 4 Korean films in Top 10 (4-7), with only 16% of the market.

 

Outlook for local films for the rest of June is also pretty grim. June 18 will see THE CLASSIFIED FILE and SILENCED. The former should do OK, at least to start, but the movie's going to need to be pretty special to differentiate itself from all the other films it echoes. I like Kim Yun-seok a lot (as an actor at least) but Kwak Kyung-taek is a mediocre filmmaker. More excited about SILENCED (I like director LEE Hae-young [LIKE A VIRGIN/FOXY FESTIVAL], though I imagine it will flop.

 

That leaves the incredible crowded June 24/25 release dates. NORTHERN LIMIT LINE has been delayed two weeks due to the MERS outbreak. The film should make some money, and I think NEW is desperate for a hit this summer, and delaying this also compensates for not having a high summer film. That said, the film is a DOG. I know old crowds may go for the patriotic message but it it's the worst Korean film I've seen this year, truly badly made. Maybe 2.5 million? That weekend will also have Im Sang-soo's INTIMATE ENEMIES. Interest seems low and I've heard the film isn't good so expecting low numbers. And then there's the Yongsan Tragey court drama THE UNFAIR which was completely dumped by CJ and is now being handled by Cinema Service, which, as far as I can tell, hasn't distributed a film since ATTACK THE GAS STATION 2 in 2010. There's also MADONNA, which I think is the best Korean film of the year so far. It won't be a massive release, but I'll be thrilled if it can get past 200k. Things will definitely pick up in July, but its going to be rough until then.

 

So, MERS virus. Definitely a big deal here, though I personally think everyone is overreacting. Will it affect the box office? Probably. I think it's already doing so a little and if things get worse and people really panic we may see a big drop.

 

Sorry for long message! Lots on my mind today.

[Rsyu]

Excellent read again, love your inputs!

 

MERS is a pretty big deal for the middle-aged to elderly folk who have weaker immune systems (basically the same for all viruses) but the bigger issue is the whole situation is being handled really poorly by the Ministry of health and welfare, and to a larger extent, the government. It's essentially a repeat of the whole Sewol ferry disaster response debacle from last year with rampant incompetence from the elected "leaders" (I have yet to see any leadership) of the society.  

 

About local films, I read in an article a few days ago that with the gloomy economy forecast, studios are opting more and more to create "safe films" with an emphasis on creating monetary profit rather than trying something new which is probably why the quality of films has quickly nosedived over the past couple of years or so. I guess the irony in this situation is that this formulaic film making thing they're doing actually leads to less profit than more. 

Edited June 6, 2015 by Rsyu

[zackzack]

What is the final destination for Mad Max Fury Road in Korea?

$30M? Can it hit 4 million admissions?

[picores]

That's not very impressive for San Andreas, hope it has good legs for $20m.

[Rsyu]

What is the final destination for Mad Max Fury Road in Korea?

$30M? Can it hit 4 million admissions?

 

4 million admissions is still in play but it will need to hold strong against Jurassic World next week. I'm guessing 3.7-3.8 million admissions minimum. This is of course, without factoring the possibility of the effect that the MERS virus could have on the box office in the upcoming days and weeks. It will come close to $30 million gross. 

 

 

That's not very impressive for San Andreas, hope it has good legs for $20m.

 

With Jurassic World following just behind I don't think it will have that great legs. Also exams are coming up for a lot of students so that demo will be hurt too. 

[Rsyu]

Saturday Box Office (June 6) - Memorial Day

 

-Admissions (Total Adm) Daily%  Gross  (weekly%) [sC]   {wk}   <Title>
 
1.   317,613      (660,063)  +122.%  $2.51M       (--)       [843]  {Wk1} <San Andreas> 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.   122,957    (3,338,972) +109.%  $929K    (-51.7%)   [534]  {Wk4} <Mad Max: Fury Road>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.   110,682    (1,896,794) +120.%  $818K    (-44.2%)   [469]  {Wk3} <Spy>    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
4.    28,265        (72,920)   +44.6%  $205K        (--)        [392]  {Wk1} <Perfect Proposal> 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

5.    21,822       (998,058)  +39.1%  $166K    (-72.2%)   [286]  {Wk3} <The Treacherous> 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Total admissions: 678,373
Total Gross: $5,174,571
June Total: $13,925,639

Cumulative gross

Mad Max: Fury Road: $25.84 million

Spy: $13.71 million

 

Current presales (Midnight)

01. 35.4% (44,210) San Andreas
02. 24.4% (30,486) Jurassic World
03. 11.9% (14,909) Mad Max: Fury Road
04.   9.4% (11,767) Spy
05.   3.2%   (3,972) Perfect Proposal

Edited June 7, 2015 by Rsyu

[Rsyu]

Sunday Box Office (June 7) 

 

-Admissions (Total Adm)  Daily% Gross  (weekly%)  [sC]   {wk}   <Title>
 
1.   254,986      (920,557)   -21.1%  $2.02m       (--)       [846]  {Wk1} <San Andreas> 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.    90,563     (3,431,883)  -27.7%  $685K    (-59.5%)   [524]  {Wk4} <Mad Max: Fury Road>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.    86,371     (1,984,833)  -23.1%  $643K    (-53.3%)   [473]  {Wk3} <Spy>    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
4.    22,180        (95,548)    -22.8%  $163K        (--)        [386]  {Wk1} <Perfect Proposal> 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

5.    17,011     (2,148,622)  -21.5%  $125K    (-74.6%)   [276]  {Wk4} <The Chronicles of Evil> 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Total admissions: 531,221
Total Gross: $4,074,975
June Total: $18,000,614

Cumulative gross

Mad Max: Fury Road: $27.2 million

Spy: $14.35 million

 

Current presales (Midnight)

01. 64.9% (37,591) Jurassic World
02.   9.8%   (5,695) San Andreas
03.   4.3%   (2,467) Mad Max: Fury Road
04.   3.0%   (1,735) Spy
05.   2.1%   (1,240) A Midsummer's Fantasia

Edited June 7, 2015 by Rsyu

[Rsyu]

Box office turned to crap

[peter6412]

Box office turned to crap

MERS

Not a good sign for Jurassic world

[abra]

 

 

Current presales (Midnight)

01. 64.9% (37,591) Jurassic World

02.   9.8%   (5,695) San Andreas

03.   4.3%   (2,467) Mad Max: Fury Road

04.   3.0%   (1,735) Spy

05.   2.1%   (1,240) A Midsummer's Fantasia

 

 

to which open at the presale can count JW

because it looks like it's probably on average?

Edited June 7, 2015 by abra

[dropsicaldackel]

Excellent read again, love your inputs!

 

MERS is a pretty big deal for the middle-aged to elderly folk who have weaker immune systems (basically the same for all viruses) but the bigger issue is the whole situation is being handled really poorly by the Ministry of health and welfare, and to a larger extent, the government. It's essentially a repeat of the whole Sewol ferry disaster response debacle from last year with rampant incompetence from the elected "leaders" (I have yet to see any leadership) of the society.  

 

About local films, I read in an article a few days ago that with the gloomy economy forecast, studios are opting more and more to create "safe films" with an emphasis on creating monetary profit rather than trying something new which is probably why the quality of films has quickly nosedived over the past couple of years or so. I guess the irony in this situation is that this formulaic film making thing they're doing actually leads to less profit than more. 

 

The MERS effect has indeed begun to set in, and yes mistrust of the government is the driving factor...

 

Studio have, to some extent been trying to make safe films, but indeed they're going about it all wrong. First of, the unstoppable raft of period films is foolhardy. They're expensive, increasingly familiar and largely posting big net losses for the industry. Beyond that, the safe choices seem to be tried and true (but wearily overdone) genre pics, particularly revenge thrillers, which are also (mostly) getting hammered. What the industry has avoided has been megabudget films. No MY WAY ($30 mil), SNOWPIERCER ($40 mil) or MR. GO ($25 mil) in a few years, or even films the size of ROARING CURRENTS, ODE TO MY FATHER or THE PIRATES ($15 mil) on the horizon.

 

NEW seemed to have the right idea in 2013, with compelling mid-level fare that led to massive profits with MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7, NEW WORLD, MONTAGE, COLD EYES, HIDE AND SEEK and THE ATTORNEY. But since they grown a little too big for their boots and have also been unlucky. Sadly, their creative streak has badly stalled...

[Rsyu]

to which open at the presale can count JW

because it looks like it's probably on average?

 

Do you mean how high will the presales be on opening day? I'd say the presales for Jurassic world are pretty decent right now, could be close to 100K or even higher by opening day. Scientific journal Nature published a report saying that MERS isn't all that contagious outside of the hospital setting so hopefully they solve this situation pronto with minimal effects on the box office. 

 

 

The MERS effect has indeed begun to set in, and yes mistrust of the government is the driving factor...

 

Studio have, to some extent been trying to make safe films, but indeed they're going about it all wrong. First of, the unstoppable raft of period films is foolhardy. They're expensive, increasingly familiar and largely posting big net losses for the industry. Beyond that, the safe choices seem to be tried and true (but wearily overdone) genre pics, particularly revenge thrillers, which are also (mostly) getting hammered. What the industry has avoided has been megabudget films. No MY WAY ($30 mil), SNOWPIERCER ($40 mil) or MR. GO ($25 mil) in a few years, or even films the size of ROARING CURRENTS, ODE TO MY FATHER or THE PIRATES ($15 mil) on the horizon.

 

NEW seemed to have the right idea in 2013, with compelling mid-level fare that led to massive profits with MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7, NEW WORLD, MONTAGE, COLD EYES, HIDE AND SEEK and THE ATTORNEY. But since they grown a little too big for their boots and have also been unlucky. Sadly, their creative streak has badly stalled...

 

I have to agree with that, studios have generally engineered their downfall on this one. Maybe instead of this ridiculous trend of pumping out formulaic films they should have looked to target the foreign market places (especially China) more with even better quality films. There's a limit to how much a film can make in just the Korean market after all and Korean entertainment products are already very popular in numerous countries which could be exploited to great effect. 

[dropsicaldackel]

Do you mean how high will the presales be on opening day? I'd say the presales for Jurassic world are pretty decent right now, could be close to 100K or even higher by opening day. Scientific journal Nature published a report saying that MERS isn't all that contagious outside of the hospital setting so hopefully they solve this situation pronto with minimal effects on the box office. 

 

 

 

I have to agree with that, studios have generally engineered their downfall on this one. Maybe instead of this ridiculous trend of pumping out formulaic films they should have looked to target the foreign market places (especially China) more with even better quality films. There's a limit to how much a film can make in just the Korean market after all and Korean entertainment products are already very popular in numerous countries which could be exploited to great effect. 

 

True, but it's something they've been trying to do for a while and now, instead of making 'global' projects, they've split the pipelines to create direct revenue streams in foreign markets. If we consider the very expensive Korean films (MY WAY, MR. GO, SNOWPIERCER), all were far too expensive to be reasonably expected to show a return in Korea alone. MY WAY was a dud, MR. GO did very poorly in Korea and scraped back some (but far from all) of its expenses in China, while SNOWPIERCER was a moderate success. It would have needed about 13 million admissions to break even in Korea, but it sold for about $20 million overseas, bringing the BEP down to about 7 million, beyond that it made a few bucks in China, where I think CJ distributed so I believe they would have received 1/4 of the gross (around $2.7 million). That brings the profit to somewhere around $18 million (though that's a complete guess). That's a healthy return but it was a huge undertaking that saw investors bail and CJ assume all the risk well into pre-production. Not to mention that Bong never wants to do a big project like that again.

 

Now what we have are Korean majors setting up shop overseas and making local films. CJ's everywhere and recently made the most successful Vietnamese film of all time (LET HOI DECIDE) and they're starting to ramp up production in Thailand and Indonesia, where they now have a theater presence with CGV. The big score is China of course, where CJ had a few misses before scoring big with A WEDDING INVITATION and then the MISS GRANNY remake 20 ONCE AGAIN this year. Showbox and NEW are also busy there, while Finecut, Lotte and just about every other game in town is also trying to push in. Lots of Korean talent (directors, actors, but especially technicians) are participating in these projects, but they're not expected to see significant returns in Korea.

 

So yeah, rather than go global, they have gone local on a global scale, and it seems to be taking them much further.

[Rsyu]

True, but it's something they've been trying to do for a while and now, instead of making 'global' projects, they've split the pipelines to create direct revenue streams in foreign markets. If we consider the very expensive Korean films (MY WAY, MR. GO, SNOWPIERCER), all were far too expensive to be reasonably expected to show a return in Korea alone. MY WAY was a dud, MR. GO did very poorly in Korea and scraped back some (but far from all) of its expenses in China, while SNOWPIERCER was a moderate success. It would have needed about 13 million admissions to break even in Korea, but it sold for about $20 million overseas, bringing the BEP down to about 7 million, beyond that it made a few bucks in China, where I think CJ distributed so I believe they would have received 1/4 of the gross (around $2.7 million). That brings the profit to somewhere around $18 million (though that's a complete guess). That's a healthy return but it was a huge undertaking that saw investors bail and CJ assume all the risk well into pre-production. Not to mention that Bong never wants to do a big project like that again.

Now what we have are Korean majors setting up shop overseas and making local films. CJ's everywhere and recently made the most successful Vietnamese film of all time (LET HOI DECIDE) and they're starting to ramp up production in Thailand and Indonesia, where they now have a theater presence with CGV. The big score is China of course, where CJ had a few misses before scoring big with A WEDDING INVITATION and then the MISS GRANNY remake 20 ONCE AGAIN this year. Showbox and NEW are also busy there, while Finecut, Lotte and just about every other game in town is also trying to push in. Lots of Korean talent (directors, actors, but especially technicians) are participating in these projects, but they're not expected to see significant returns in Korea.

So yeah, rather than go global, they have gone local on a global scale, and it seems to be taking them much further.

Very interesting, and I guess it makes a lot of sense from a financial standpoint. What do you think are the short and long term prospects of Korean films though? A lot of the social media reactions I've seen recently have been very critical of the quality of Korean films in general when compared to films made 5-10 years ago. Internationally, films like Oldboy and Memories of Murder are still among the most well known Korean films after all. I'd like to think that movies, being a commodity aimed at mass consumption, will evolve to better reflect the wants/needs of the public. But with diverse revenue streams to fall back on, such as those you have mentioned, it could be that this doesn't really happen and the status quo (a select number of films doing huge over the holiday frame, while the vast majority tank outside of it) continues. Interested to hear your take on this.

[dropsicaldackel]

Very interesting, and I guess it makes a lot of sense from a financial standpoint. What do you think are the short and long term prospects of Korean films though? A lot of the social media reactions I've seen recently have been very critical of the quality of Korean films in general when compared to films made 5-10 years ago. Internationally, films like Oldboy and Memories of Murder are still among the most well known Korean films after all. I'd like to think that movies, being a commodity aimed at mass consumption, will evolve to better reflect the wants/needs of the public. But with diverse revenue streams to fall back on, such as those you have mentioned, it could be that this doesn't really happen and the status quo (a select number of films doing huge over the holiday frame, while the vast majority tank outside of it) continues. Interested to hear your take on this.

 

Hard to say really. The industry is certainly capable of giving audiences what they want, with their annual majority market share standing testament to this, but it's only a few films that get there. Korea gets really locked into fads, and social media has really intensified this, so there's a big gap between hits and misses.

 

Clearly, Korean films are worse than they were... say, 9-15 years ago. Back then, the power was in the hands of the producers, and with things moving up so quickly it was a bit of a wild west time and risks were always being taken, risks which were frequently rewarded (or not, in the case of RESURRECTION OF LITTLE MATCH GIRL, and, sigh, SAVE THE GREEN PLANET). Now, companies like CJ have experience in the industry and have learnt how to control the strings. After the mini-depression of 2007-10, the power permanently shifted to financiers and executives. There are only a handful of producers who can still get stuff done, but even they lack the creative spark they once had.

 

Where Korean cinema is thriving now, and why I won't give up on it, is the indie scene. There's so much talent out there, but of course most of their output doesn't get a shot on the national stage. Yet Korean commercial cinema will remain relevant and the industry is too advanced to relinquish much ground. Yes, the quality isn't what it used to be, but things are evolving in a way, and we'll see what form the industry takes in a few more years, with increased co-productions, and perhaps more power in the hands of the indie filmmakers (wishful thinking perhaps).

[bartonfink]

Where Korean cinema is thriving now, and why I won't give up on it, is the indie scene. There's so much talent out there, but of course most of their output doesn't get a shot on the national stage. Yet Korean commercial cinema will remain relevant and the industry is too advanced to relinquish much ground. Yes, the quality isn't what it used to be, but things are evolving in a way, and we'll see what form the industry takes in a few more years, with increased co-productions, and perhaps more power in the hands of the indie filmmakers (wishful thinking perhaps).

 

I agree with your opinion. I think Korean indie films are superior to most commercial films in quality nowadays. For example, My favorite Korean films of last year were Han Gong-ju, The King of Jokgu, Tinker Ticker, 10 Minutes etc. But most tentpoles from huge investment distribution companies, on the other hand, are epitome of deindividuation in my opinion. Really depressing.