by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
It’s been a strong year for both Hollywood blockbusters and South Korean films so far. From action-packed sequels to melodramatic period dramas, the South Korean box office had quite a spread of movies this summer.
On Tuesday, the Korean Film Council revealed the highest-grossing films at the South Korean box office for the first half of 2015. The following data is from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2015.
10. Furious 7
Gross: $22,795,432
Admissions: 3.25 million
When Dominic Toretto, Brian O’Connor and the rest of their team return to the States after being pardoned for their past crimes, Deckard Shaw, a rogue special forces assassin attempts to avenge his comatose younger brother, putting the team in danger once more.
See also: KoreAm’s June 2014 Feature on Sung Kang
9. Inside Out
Gross: $23,753,325
Admissions: 3.55 million
After a young girl moves to San Francisco from the Midwest, her five personified emotions—Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness—struggle to help their host adjust to a new city, house and school.
8. Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island
Gross: $26,244,618
Admissions: 3.87 million
Set in 1795, Joseon Dynasty’s top detective is assigned to investigate a silver counterfeiting ring that may be linked to the disappearance of hundreds of girls.
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
Gross: $28,337,307
Admissions: 3.84 million
In a desert wasteland where civilization has collapsed and gasoline is scarce, Max, a survivor and man of few words, aids a female warrior in bringing her companions to a mysterious haven while a tyrannical cult leader and his war gang relentlessly pursue them.
6. Assassination
Gross: $29,318,808
Admissions: 4.36 million
Set in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation of Korea, a group of Korean resistance activists plans to assassinate a Japanese military commander, but finds themselves threatened by an unknown traitor within their group.
5. Northern Limit Line
Gross: $38,929,239
Admissions: 5.98 million
Based on the true events of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, Northern Limit Line follows a crew of South Korean navy officers after a North Korean vessel launches a surprise attack on their boat during the peak of South Korea’s 2002 World Cup frenzy.
See also: ‘Northern Limit Line’ Tops South Korean Box Office
4. Jurassic World
Gross: $41,181,421
Admissions: 5.55 million
When a new theme park is built on the site of the original Jurassic Park, its newest attraction–a genetically modified dinosaur–escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service
Gross: $43,402,852
Admissions: 6.13 million
Based on Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar’s comic book The Secret Service, the film follows a street-smart kid who enrolls into a spy organization’s highly competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges.
See also: Colin Firth Is ‘Dying to Go’ to South Korea
2. Ode to My Father
Gross: $60,172,006
Admissions: 8.91 million
After getting separated from his younger sister and father, a young boy makes a lifelong promise to care for his remaining family in Busan.
*Note: Since Ode to My Father premiered on Dec. 17, 2014, the total number of admissions is 14.35 million.
See also: ‘Ode to My Father’ Grosses Over $2 Million in North America
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Gross: $76,331,397
Admissions: 10.49 million
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner discover artificial intelligence and attempt to jumpstart a peacekeeping program called Ultron, the Avengers must reassemble to stop the villainous Ultron from destroying humankind.
See Also: Q&A with Claudia Kim of ‘Age of Ultron’
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