2016.03.18 ~ 2016.03.20

"Zootopia" gets more screens and scores...

"Zootopia" was released in Korea mid-February and for the first three weeks it sat in third place; after its America release, however, the film shot to number one. This past weekend "Zootopia" (also known as "Zootropolis") banked another 358 thousand admissions ($2.5 million) to bring its total tally in Korea now to 2.8 million ($18.7 million; 30%). Worldwide, Byron Howard and Rich Moore's "Zootopia" has grossed over $591 million.

The American action thriller "London Had Fallen" (the sequel to the 2013 film, "Olympus Has Fallen") moved up from third into second place with 191 thousand admissions (16%), followed byCho Jung-rae's timely drama"Spirits' Homecoming"on 151 thousand (12%)."Spirits' Homecoming"was released just ahead of International Women's Day and tells how young lives were affected by Japanese soldiers during Japan's military campaign around the turn of the last century. The film starsKang Ha-naandChoi Ri, and since its release late February, it's made $22.3 million (3.4 million admissions).

Fourth place was claimed byMo Hong-jin's thriller"Missing You - 2016"starringSim Eun-kyeong,Yoon Je-moonandKim Seong-oh."Missing You - 2016"entered the fray last week in fourth, and managed to retain that position here with 137 thousand admissions (12%) and moving its bottom line now to $3.9 million (551 thousand admissions). The fantasy flick "Gods of Egypt" by Alex Proyas was next with 66.8 thousand (5.7%), a film that is still in the red worldwide having only made back $128 million of the $140 million it took to produce, followed by the American comedy "Dirty Grandpa" (starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron) with 43.6 thousand (3.7%).

South Korean directorLee Joon-ikhas produced a number of popular films which includes"The Throne"(2014), "Battlefield Heroes" (2010), and "The King and the Clown" (2005), and his latest film,"DongJu, The Portrait of A Poet"starringKang Ha-neulandPark Jeong-min-I, has been out on Korea's cinema circuit since the middle of February. Over the weekend, it attracted an additional 39.9 thousand filmgoers to its screens (3.2%) to move its total tally now to 1.1 million, or $7.2 million.

The biblical drama "Risen" by Kevin Reynolds hit Korean screens last Thursday and its first weekend out yielded just $180 thousand (2%) for the 120 screens allocated to it. This tale of a group of Roman soldiers in search of Jesus' body was closely tallied by Marvel's bombastic madman, "Deadpool". Worldwide, "Deadpool" has been extremely popular, bringing in over $730 million, $23.6 million coming from Korean screens, and over the weekend, the film sold 27.7 thousand admissions to bring its total admissions count in Korea to 3.3 million. The second-last weekend of March was rounded out by the British spy film "Spooks: The Greater Good" by Bharat Nalluri which claimed 24.5 thousand (2%) during its first weekend out.

Korean Box Office - Admissions for the Weekend 2016.03.18 - 2016.03.20 (www.kobis.or.kr)

-Chris Wheeler