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Horror film 'IT: Chapter Two' floats to top of box office

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This combined photo shows the posters for
This combined photo shows the posters for "IT: Chapter Two," left, and "Tune in for Love." The two films ranked first and second, respectively, on the local box office chart on Monday. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea and CGV Arthouse

By Lee Gyu-lee

The horror sequel "IT: Chapter Two" topped the local box office on Monday, grossing 3.6 billion won ($3.2 million) in Korea for its opening week including the weekend.

Since the film hit local theaters last Wednesday, it has dominated the box office until the theater version of TV animation "Hello Carbot: Save the Moon" briefly put the brakes on it, Sunday. But the animation dropped to sixth on the chart the next day, yielding the top spot to the horror film. Total ticket sales for "IT: Chapter Two" accumulated to about 445,000 as of Monday.

Based on Stephen King's novel, the "IT" sequel centers on the fear-eating figure Pennywise and a group of children ― the Loser Club ― fighting to defeat the clown that takes children. It is a follow-up to the 2017 film which became a megahit, making it the highest-grossing horror movie of all time ― at $327 million worldwide.

Directed by Andy Muschietti again, chapter two reunites the Loser Club ― the children from the first series ― 27 years after their first encounter with terrifying Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard). They, once again, team up to fight the clown though it means facing their deepest fear.

As for worldwide, the horror film's debut made $91 million and the mark will increase as the film is scheduled to premiere in France, Hong Kong, and Japan later this month or November.

The second spot on this week's box office went to melodrama "Tune in for Love," directed by Jung Ji-woo. The film features heartthrob actor Jung Hae-in and award-winning actress Kim Go-eun to tell the romance of a couple whose paths cross repeatedly for years.

The film drew moviegoers' anticipation before it hit the theaters, garnering 100,000 pre-sale tickets. The accumulated ticket sales surpassed 1.1 million as of Monday bringing in 9.3 billion won ($7.9 million).

The comedy blockbuster "Exit" is still soaring on the chart, coming in third for Monday's local box office. Released about seven weeks ago, the film has still been drawing moviegoers, reaching over 9.2 million ticket sales.

As one of Korea's major holidays Chuseok is coming up this week, pre-release tickets are kicking off for three local movies premiering on Wednesday, including "Tazza: One-Eyed Jack" and "The Bad Guys: Reign Of Chaos." The ticket sales for "Tazza" have already exceeded 101,000 with "The Bad Guys" following with 94,000 sales.

"Tazza," the third in a successful series of gambling movies, has deviated from traditional Korean card games to poker. Directed by Kwon Oh-Kwang, the film has been highly anticipated among moviegoers due to the franchise's existing reputation.

This crime drama will zoom in on Do Il-chool ― played by Park Jung-min ― who is son of a legendary gambler, teaming up with a group of gamesters to win a high-stakes card game.

"The Bad Guys: Reign Of Chaos" is a film adaptation of a crime action TV series that ran for two series in 2014 and 2017. The film revolves around a group of criminals recruited as a special crime investigating force to hunt down high-profile escaped prisoners.


Lee Gyu-lee gyulee@koreatimes.co.kr


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