Romantic comedy “Love Reset” took the box office crown in South Korea over the weekend following the Chuseok holiday. However, the numbers returned to the pre-festival downtrend.
Directed by Nam Dae-joong, “Love Reset” tells the story of a young couple in the midst of a divorce who are involved in a car accident and lose their memories. When the amnesiac couple fall in love again, their families try to trigger their memories and set them back on the road to separation.
The film earned $2.54 million between Friday and Sunday, with a market share of 42%. This was enough to unseat the Chuseok holiday winner “Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman”. In its first five days, “Love Reset” earned $4.53 million.
This performance was not enough to pull the Korean box office out of its autumn slump, which was only briefly interrupted by last week’s long holiday. The nationwide weekend total was just $6 million, which Variety calculates to be the second lowest of 2023.
“Dr Cheon” came in second with $1.06 million, a big drop from its $6 million opening weekend. After 12 days in cinemas, it has earned $12.3 million.
The American sci-fi film “The Creator” had an unusual Tuesday release. It took third place over the weekend with $613,000. And over its opening six days, it took in $1.50 million.
The sports drama “Road to Boston” earned $476,000 in its second weekend. After 12 days in cinemas, it has a cumulative cume of $5.88 million. Considering the budget and the pedigree of director Kang Je-Gyu, this is a disappointment.
“Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” opened in fifth place with a far from mighty $289,000 over the weekend and $345,000 including previews.
“The Nun II” was close behind with $283,000 in its second weekend. After 12 days it has a cumulative cume of $2.39 million.
The new Japanese horror film “Sana”, from genre-defining director Shimizu Takashi, opened meekly in seventh place with $176,000 over the weekend and $259,000 after five days.
“Cobweb,” Kim Jee-woon’s pastiche of the golden age of Korean cinema, did not bring back happy memories for many. It earned $123,000 on its second weekend and a 12-day cumulative of just $2 million.
Pre-release teasers for Korean crime drama “Hopeless” took in $109,000. It officially opens on Wednesday.
Japanese animation “Butt Detective the Movie: Shiriarty” took tenth place with $74,000. Its nearly two-week cumulative is now $817,000.
