South Korea’s weekend box office delivered a split decision as “The Assassin(s)” remained No. 1 by admissions while “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” generated the most ticket revenue.

Director Hur Jin-ho’s political crime thriller drew 412,012 admissions across 1,129 screens during the Oct. 2–4 frame. Its $3 million weekend represented 23.89% of the market, according to KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.

“Chiikawa,” meanwhile, finished second by admissions with 405,978 ticket buyers across 1,055 screens. However, the Japanese animated feature produced a weekend-leading $3.2 million and accounted for 25.31% of theatrical receipts.

“The Assassin(s)” Extends Its Run

Currently at the center of a political storm, “The Assassin(s)” dramatizes the Aug. 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee and the resulting death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo.

Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho star as investigators examining irregularities in the official inquiry. Since launching on Sept. 23, the film has amassed $16.3 million from 2,233,963 admissions.

“Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” went into wide release on Sept. 30 after limited festival previews. Directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from Nagano’s manga, the animated fantasy adventure follows Chiikawa and friends as they travel to an island haven and encounter a mysterious aquatic legend. Including nationwide previews, the film has earned $4.7 million from 604,764 admissions.

Third place went to gambling crime drama “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub,” which collected $2.2 million from 299,915 admissions across 1,093 screens in its second frame. That result gave the film an 18% market share.

Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth entry in the comic-adapted franchise has reached $10.2 million and 1,365,648 admissions since its Sept. 23 rollout.

“The Odyssey” Nears a Major Admissions Mark

In fourth place, “The Odyssey” remained a major draw in its ninth frame, adding $1.2 million from 123,059 admissions across 678 screens. Its South Korean total now stands at $101.2 million from 11,998,236 ticket buyers, putting it fewer than 2,000 admissions away from the 12 million threshold.

New arrival “Reawakened Man” opened in fifth with $885,217 from 115,894 admissions across 830 screens. Baek Seung-ryong directed the action fantasy, which was adapted from a popular webtoon.

Koo Kyo-hwan stars as a job-seeker who discovers that he comes back to life three days after dying and uses that ability to fight criminal syndicates. Since premiering midweek on Sept. 30, the film has taken $1.4 million from 189,802 viewers.

Lee Chang-dong’s Venice award winner “Possible Love” ranked sixth, earning $482,385 from 60,534 admissions across 202 screens. Starring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung, the film is South Korea’s official international feature film submission. It has grossed $1.7 million from 230,483 admissions since Sept. 23.

The Rest of the Top 10

“Obsession” moved into seventh place with $283,437 from 33,886 admissions across 314 screens. Its cumulative performance reached $7.3 million from 916,738 viewers.

Warner Bros. Korea’s comedy remake “The Intern” followed in eighth, generating $265,015 from 33,491 admissions across 502 screens. Directed by Kim Do-young and starring Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee, the film has accumulated $6.1 million from 834,866 admissions since Sept. 16.

“Digger” debuted in ninth place with $222,627 from 27,580 admissions across 517 screens. Following its Oct. 3 bow, it has a cumulative gross of $234,385 from 28,551 viewers.

“Avengers: Endgame Encore” completed the top 10, taking $242,747 from 25,777 admissions across 116 screens. Its cumulative run has produced $1.3 million from 148,743 admissions.

Overall weekend box office revenue reached $12.6 million, falling from the previous week’s holiday high of $19.6 million.