The tiny cuteness army refuses to stop. “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” topped the South Korean box office for a third straight weekend (Oct. 16–18), commanding a massive 42.7% of nationwide ticket revenue in its third frame.
According to KOBIS data from the Korean Film Council, the Toho-distributed anime earned $2.8 million from 378,474 admissions across 1,181 screens, tightening its grip on a shrinking market — the weekend total fell to $6.7 million from $10.5 million the week before, but Chiikawa simply absorbed the decline better than everything else.
Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island (Credits: Toho / Daewon Media)
A Record-Breaking Run
Since its September 30 launch, the film has lifted its cumulative South Korean gross to $14 million from 1,828,909 admissions, and 2 million is considered all but certain this week. Directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from illustrator Nagano’s hit webcomic, the film follows Chiikawa and friends on a too-good-to-be-true job to a remote island, where a suspicious subjugation mission and a mysterious aquatic legend await. Reports last week said it had already overtaken “Avatar: The Way of Water” as the highest-grossing foreign release in Korean box office history.
The Assassin(s) Holds Second Amid Controversy
Director Hur Jin-ho’s controversial political crime thriller “The Assassin(s)” held second place with $1 million from 140,017 admissions across 1,104 screens (15.5% of the market). The period drama reconstructs the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee — the shooting that killed First Lady Yuk Young-soo — and stars Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho as investigators probing inconsistencies in the official inquiry.
Its commercial run continues against persistent political blowback: conservative civic organizations and bereaved family groups have filed defamation complaints alleging historical distortion, prompting 19 local film industry guilds to issue a joint statement defending cinematic expression. Even so, the title has crossed the three-million-ticket threshold, lifting its total to $23.7 million from 3,249,174 admissions since its September 23 rollout.
Quiet Newcomers From Hollywood
Two new Hollywood releases opened quietly this weekend, unable to dent Chiikawa’s dominance. With the Japanese phenomenon showing genuine late-stage staying power — it spent its first weekend in second before climbing to the top — the cute-and-dark mermaid tale looks set to keep ruling Korean cinemas into next week.
Also Read: China Box Office: Resident Evil Retains #1 Spot as Quiet Post-Holiday Frame Sets Franchise Record
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
