South Korea Box Office

[John Marston]

I hear some talk AOU is "collapsing" here. True or people exaggerating?

[Cynosure]

True. It had huge weekend numbers but pretty awful week days. Now the question is whether it will pick up again this weekend.

[Neo]

True. It had huge weekend numbers but pretty awful week days. Now the question is whether it will pick up again this weekend.

2 out of 4 weekdays.

[Cynosure]

True. Although people were also disappointed by the friday number iirc. Can't call that one awful though, just a bit disappointing.

[keysersoze123]

Could even fail to beat IM3 at this rate !!!

[Rsyu]

The Avengers: Age of Ultron passed 4 million admissions this morning, on the seventh day of its release. This record is the fastest among foreign releases, beating previous record holder Transformers: Dark of the moon by 1 day. 

[Rsyu]

4 million admissions (number of days)
-Restricted to just 10 million admission films

-5 days-
Roaring currents (2014)

 

-7 days-

The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

The Host (2006)

-8 days-
The Thieves (2012)

 

-10 days-

Interstellar (2014)

-11 days-
Haeundae (2009)

Avatar (2009)

 

-12 days-
Miracle in cell no.7 (2013)

Ode to my Father (2014)

 

-15 days-

Frozen (2014)

-16 days-
Masquerade (2012)
 

Edited April 29, 2015 by Rsyu

[Rsyu]

Could even fail to beat IM3 at this rate !!!

 

 I don't see it happening, especially not in gross. 

[TalismanRing]

Could even fail to beat IM3 at this rate !!!

 

It's first w/e was $8m behind. AOU would have to drop over 70% this w/e to be under IM3 and it's pre-sales (460,941) going into it's second weekend are higher than IM3's going into it's first.

[POTUS 2020]

Would be good to see an original movie beat a mega franchise movie though. Hope for mankind in a sea of sequel after sequel after sequel.

And reboots with sequel after prequel after sequel

well put

 

From the good ole days, 1981. When sequels were sparse. Ironically  aside from Bond the king of HW sequels,  the only other one on the list is the first SH franchise. He started it all. It was 12 years for Batman to come out and 11 and 12 more years for Xmen and Spidey, which triggered the onslaught. I wonder why it took so long?

Half of those top ten wouldn't be close today. Bore the shit out of the modern theater goer. I dare you SH fans to do a triple feature on a rainy sunday. On golden Pond, Chariots of Fire and The Four Seasons

 

1	Raiders of the Lost Ark	Par.	$212,222,025	1,078	$8,305,823	1,078	6/12
2	On Golden Pond	Uni.	$119,285,432	1,015	$89,213	2	12/4
3	Superman II	WB	$108,185,706	1,878	$14,100,523	1,397	6/19
4	Arthur	WB	$95,461,682	701	$2,719,534	701	7/17
5	Stripes	Col.	$85,297,000	N/A	$6,130,197	1,074	6/26
6	The Cannonball Run	Fox	$72,179,579	1,692	$11,765,654	1,673	6/19
7	Chariots of Fire	Col.	$58,972,904	810	$68,907	3	9/25
8	For Your Eyes Only	MGM	$54,812,802	N/A	$6,834,967	952	6/26
9	The Four Seasons	Uni.	$50,427,646	N/A	$4,365,643	623	5/22
10	Time Bandits	Emb	$42,365,581	821	$6,507,356	821	11/6

 

Edited April 29, 2015 by No Prisoners

[dropsicaldackel]

Hey all, first time poster here. As a keen Korean box office observer, just wanted to weigh in on the discussion.

 

Reading a lot of talk of AVENGERS being some sort of disappointment, which I think is very far from the case. The weekdays are a touch low, true, but never has a film seen so much pre-release buzz in Korea. Unlike the US, where a film's success is measured in how slight its second weekend drop is (-40%, good/-70% bad), films in Korea either stick around for a few weeks with strong holds or crash immediately. It's a reflection of a sort of groupthink consumerism (that sounds bad, but I couldn't think of a better term) but also very unfair distribution practices. Anyway, getting back to the point, AVENGERS 2 is a front-loaded film like we've never seen here, due the massive popularity of the Marvel brand and also the heightened interest in location shooting.

 

The weekdays appear low compared to the big weekend numbers but to me it's like a short intermission following the release of pent-up demand. The pre-sales are still huge, people are enjoying the film, and exams are over/ending (kids really want to see this, and a lot of them will be going back for more). It has a clear run until May 14th, and even then I'm not sure that MAD MAX will draw big crowds in Korea, though local thriller CHRONICLES OF EVIL could drum up some business. No way this doesn't top 10 million. 

[Plain Old Tele]

Welcome! Thanks for those observations.

[keysersoze123]

Welcome. Good points made. Let us see how the weekend goes.

[Rsyu]

Hey all, first time poster here. As a keen Korean box office observer, just wanted to weigh in on the discussion.

Reading a lot of talk of AVENGERS being some sort of disappointment, which I think is very far from the case. The weekdays are a touch low, true, but never has a film seen so much pre-release buzz in Korea. Unlike the US, where a film's success is measured in how slight its second weekend drop is (-40%, good/-70% bad), films in Korea either stick around for a few weeks with strong holds or crash immediately. It's a reflection of a sort of groupthink consumerism (that sounds bad, but I couldn't think of a better term) but also very unfair distribution practices. Anyway, getting back to the point, AVENGERS 2 is a front-loaded film like we've never seen here, due the massive popularity of the Marvel brand and also the heightened interest in location shooting.

The weekdays appear low compared to the big weekend numbers but to me it's like a short intermission following the release of pent-up demand. The pre-sales are still huge, people are enjoying the film, and exams are over/ending (kids really want to see this, and a lot of them will be going back for more). It has a clear run until May 14th, and even then I'm not sure that MAD MAX will draw big crowds in Korea, though local thriller CHRONICLES OF EVIL could drum up some business. No way this doesn't top 10 million.

Hello and welcome! Always nice to get different perspectives about the box office.

I'm of a similar mind as you when it comes to how the Korean box office behaves. I agree distribution practicises are biased towards big budget films, maybe more so than other countries but still I have to laugh when the press go crazy about AoU taking 80%+ screens and how its hurting the local film market, when it was those local films that scheduled their releases away from AoU. Also they stayed remarkably quiet when the same thing happened to GotG against RC last year..wonder why.

Also I agree that age of ultron will probably top 10 million admissions but in all likelihood, not much more than that. I think most of the disappointment some people are feeling on here stems from the fact that it could have done much much more, I've never seen the stage set more perfectly for a film. And yet those weekday numbers are undeniably weak. Only 17-18% seat saturation is not the hallmark of an event film (although admittedly it has more screens and seats than any other film in history).

Edited April 29, 2015 by Rsyu

[TalismanRing]

 

And reboots with sequel after prequel after sequel

well put

 

From the good ole days, 1981. When sequels were sparse. Ironically  aside from Bond the king of HW sequels,  the only other one on the list is the first SH franchise. He started it all. It was 12 years for Batman to come out and 11 and 12 more years for Xmen and Spidey, which triggered the onslaught. I wonder why it took so long?

Half of those top ten wouldn't be close today. Bore the shit out of the modern theater goer. I dare you SH fans to do a triple feature on a rainy sunday. On golden Pond, Chariots of Fire and The Four Seasons

                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

I've seen every movie on that list (more than once except for Canonball Run - once was more than enough)

 

From that list - not including Superman II and Bond - Raiders, Arthur and Cannonball Run [kind of a knock off Smokey & the Bandit which had ... sequels]   would all spawn sequels and Bond, Supes and a threatened Indy 5 are still churning along.     

[POTUS 2020]

I've seen every movie on that list (more than once except for Canonball Run - once was more than enough)

 

From that list - not including Superman II and Bond - Raiders, Arthur and Cannonball Run [kind of a knock off Smokey & the Bandit which had ... sequels]   would all spawn sequels and Bond, Supes and a threatened Indy 5 are still churning along.     

Yes it was the beginning of the sequel/franchise era thanks to Jaws, Star Wars, Superman and a few others of the mid -late 70's

Fox didn't care about a sequel when Lucas signed on with Star Wars. Gave Lucas the rights. $4b mistake.

Im sure sequel potential is the first thing that's talked about during a pitch these days

[tupek]

I hear some talk AOU is "collapsing" here. True or people exaggerating?

Yes.

[dropsicaldackel]

Hello and welcome! Always nice to get different perspectives about the box office.

I'm of a similar mind as you when it comes to how the Korean box office behaves. I agree distribution practicises are biased towards big budget films, maybe more so than other countries but still I have to laugh when the press go crazy about AoU taking 80%+ screens and how its hurting the local film market, when it was those local films that scheduled their releases away from AoU. Also they stayed remarkably quiet when the same thing happened to GotG against RC last year..wonder why.

Also I agree that age of ultron will probably top 10 million admissions but in all likelihood, not much more than that. I think most of the disappointment some people are feeling on here stems from the fact that it could have done much much more, I've never seen the stage set more perfectly for a film. And yet those weekday numbers are undeniably weak. Only 17-18% seat saturation is not the hallmark of an event film (although admittedly it has more screens and seats than any other film in history).

 

Thanks for the welcome all!

 

I totally agree on the press going nuts here with these kinds of things but the media here displays a intense national bias and is typically ill-informed, so sadly it comes as no surprise. Fact-checking counts for nothing and editors will print anything. This is hardly limited to box office reporting but case in point, last week, many media outlets ran with the story that AVENGERS 2 scored the highest opening day for a foreign film in Korea. That record still belongs to SHREK 3 (at least in terms of admissions), but people didn't bother to check.

 

Regarding seat occupancy, yes 18% can seem low, but as you say nothing has every played so widely. That's 18% of 1.6 million seats, which we can compare to IRON MAN 3 on the same day with 22% of 1.2 million seats. Monday's total was also the biggest April Monday of all time (I think). IRON MAN 3 was bigger on Tuesday, but that was the day before Labor Day. This year that falls on Friday, which will soften the FFS drop and boost Thursday. There's also Children's Day on Tuesday, which in turn will boost Monday.

 

Today won't be huge but the following 6 days will be, and I think it'll be around 7.5 mil (if not more) by the end of Tuesday.

[druv10]

Thanks for the welcome all!

 

I totally agree on the press going nuts here with these kinds of things but the media here displays a intense national bias and is typically ill-informed, so sadly it comes as no surprise. Fact-checking counts for nothing and editors will print anything. This is hardly limited to box office reporting but case in point, last week, many media outlets ran with the story that AVENGERS 2 scored the highest opening day for a foreign film in Korea. That record still belongs to SHREK 3 (at least in terms of admissions), but people didn't bother to check.

 

Regarding seat occupancy, yes 18% can seem low, but as you say nothing has every played so widely. That's 18% of 1.6 million seats, which we can compare to IRON MAN 3 on the same day with 22% of 1.2 million seats. Monday's total was also the biggest April Monday of all time (I think). IRON MAN 3 was bigger on Tuesday, but that was the day before Labor Day. This year that falls on Friday, which will soften the FFS drop and boost Thursday. There's also Children's Day on Tuesday, which in turn will boost Monday.

 

Today won't be huge but the following 6 days will be, and I think it'll be around 7.5 mil (if not more) by the end of Tuesday.

 

Thanks for the welcome all!

 

I totally agree on the press going nuts here with these kinds of things but the media here displays a intense national bias and is typically ill-informed, so sadly it comes as no surprise. Fact-checking counts for nothing and editors will print anything. This is hardly limited to box office reporting but case in point, last week, many media outlets ran with the story that AVENGERS 2 scored the highest opening day for a foreign film in Korea. That record still belongs to SHREK 3 (at least in terms of admissions), but people didn't bother to check.

 

Regarding seat occupancy, yes 18% can seem low, but as you say nothing has every played so widely. That's 18% of 1.6 million seats, which we can compare to IRON MAN 3 on the same day with 22% of 1.2 million seats. Monday's total was also the biggest April Monday of all time (I think). IRON MAN 3 was bigger on Tuesday, but that was the day before Labor Day. This year that falls on Friday, which will soften the FFS drop and boost Thursday. There's also Children's Day on Tuesday, which in turn will boost Monday.

 

Today won't be huge but the following 6 days will be, and I think it'll be around 7.5 mil (if not more) by the end of Tuesday.

 

Thanks. If that total happens by end of next Tuesday than 10M admissions is locked. 

[Rsyu]

Thanks for the welcome all!

 

I totally agree on the press going nuts here with these kinds of things but the media here displays a intense national bias and is typically ill-informed, so sadly it comes as no surprise. Fact-checking counts for nothing and editors will print anything. This is hardly limited to box office reporting but case in point, last week, many media outlets ran with the story that AVENGERS 2 scored the highest opening day for a foreign film in Korea. That record still belongs to SHREK 3 (at least in terms of admissions), but people didn't bother to check.

 

Regarding seat occupancy, yes 18% can seem low, but as you say nothing has every played so widely. That's 18% of 1.6 million seats, which we can compare to IRON MAN 3 on the same day with 22% of 1.2 million seats. Monday's total was also the biggest April Monday of all time (I think). IRON MAN 3 was bigger on Tuesday, but that was the day before Labor Day. This year that falls on Friday, which will soften the FFS drop and boost Thursday. There's also Children's Day on Tuesday, which in turn will boost Monday.

 

Today won't be huge but the following 6 days will be, and I think it'll be around 7.5 mil (if not more) by the end of Tuesday.

About Shrek 3 having the OD record, it's technically true but I'm also aware that many people in the box office business differentiate from a regular opening, so to speak, and a non-regular one such as those that open on a national holiday. Shrek 3 falls into the latter category in this case and I think the media was reflective of this although I did see news articles saying AoU was the second biggest OD among foreign releases later on. Speaking from a purely personal perspective, the fact that Shrek3 did 22% of its total business on its opening day seems frankly ridiculous and unprecedented as far as I know. So I don't really mind about the division.

And yes its almost a 5day holiday and I think some people even schedule to take a day off on monday to do just that. Numbers will be huge during this period of course but there's quite a lot of animated films targeted towards family sized audiences coming out and many will choose to go away on a trip if the weather is nice so its not entirely competition free. I think even with less screens and seats it would do well to reach last weekends saturation.