South Korea’s box office delivered a split decision over the Sept. 18-20 weekend, as local comedy-drama remake “The Intern” attracted the most moviegoers while Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” remained the frame’s top revenue earner.

Figures from KOBIS, the Korean Film Council’s tracking service, showed “The Intern” opening with 275,183 admissions across 1,428 screens during the three-day period. The Warner Bros. Korea release generated $1.9 million and secured a 26% share of the weekend market.

“The Odyssey,” meanwhile, earned a weekend-leading $2.3 million from 256,789 admissions across 1,253 screens. That put the holdover epic in second place on the official admissions chart, despite its larger 30.7% share of overall box office revenue.

“The Intern” Starts Strong

Directed by Kim Do-young, the Korean adaptation of Nancy Meyers’ 2015 Hollywood comedy stars Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee. Its story centers on a 70-year-old retired executive who returns to working life after accumulating 37 years of corporate experience, joining a fast-moving fashion startup as a senior intern. The company is led by a driven young CEO.

Since beginning its wide release on Sept. 16, the feel-good film has sold 403,903 tickets and grossed a cumulative $2.8 million.

“The Odyssey” has continued to build on a much larger total since its Aug. 5 launch. The film’s South Korean gross now stands at $91.1 million, generated from 11,217,639 admissions.

Holding in third place was “Obsession,” which collected $1 million in its third weekend. The film drew 131,467 admissions from 762 screens and accounted for 13.6% of the frame. Since rolling out on Sept. 2, it has reached $5.4 million from 701,713 viewers.

Horror release “Resident Evil” entered the chart in fourth place with $623,228 and 80,779 admissions across 679 screens. Its cumulative total, dating from its Sept. 17 premiere, rose to $783,336 from 103,654 viewers.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” completed the top five in its eighth weekend, earning $214,082 from 33,636 admissions across 540 screens. The film captured 2.8% of the weekend market and has now grossed $67.1 million.

Anime Titles Populate the Lower Half

Preview screenings carried “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” into sixth place ahead of its wide release. The anime feature took $199,794 from 20,734 admissions during the weekend and has accumulated $202,845 from 21,203 tickets ahead of its Sept. 30 rollout.

Directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from Nagano’s manga series, the fantasy adventure follows Chiikawa and companions as they visit an island paradise and discover an ominous threat.

Mamoru Hosoda’s 2006 anime “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” returned to theaters for a 20th-anniversary re-release, placing seventh. It earned $97,270 from 12,153 admissions across 150 screens, bringing its updated cumulative result to $736,815 from 132,656 tickets.

Another anime re-release followed in eighth. The double feature “Digimon Adventure & Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!” earned $89,411 from 11,456 admissions across 205 screens. Since its Sept. 16 opening, it has generated $138,143 from 17,764 admissions.

“The Drama” took ninth place with $75,165 from 9,527 admissions. Its cumulative performance now stands at $583,238 from 80,094 viewers.

Gambling crime thriller “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” rounded out the top 10 through festival and special previews, collecting $60,860 from 6,999 admissions. The fourth installment in the franchise has earned $147,019 from 19,183 viewers ahead of its Sept. 23 wide release.

Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won and Ayaka Miyoshi, the film revolves around high-stakes competitive Texas hold’em and international casino circuits.

What Happens Next?

The upcoming wide launches of “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” on Sept. 23 and “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” on Sept. 30 will follow a weekend in which previews already placed both films inside the top 10. At the top of the market, “The Intern” begins its wider run as the admissions leader, while “The Odyssey” remains the stronger film by weekend revenue.