With the Korean film "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" expected to surpass a cumulative audience of 14 million, attention is now being paid to how much it has earned in and out of its home country.
According to the real-time based box office tally from the Korean Film Council, the movie has garnered 13.85 million views as of Saturday.
The fantasy action movie is currently the third most-viewed film of all time in South Korea after "Roaring Currents" (2014, 17.6 million) and "Ode to My Father" (2014, 14.26 million).
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(Lotte Entertainment) |
Industry insiders say "Along With the Gods" will likely hit No. 2 sooner or later if the current trend continues.
In South Korea, movies seen by more than 10 million viewers are considered huge box-office successes.
The film has so far grossed about 110 billion won ($103 million) in South Korean theaters. Its net sales have reached 97.1 billion won, excluding 3 percent that goes to the state fund for the development of domestic films and a 10 percent supertax.
In addition, the movie is expected to pull in about 4 billion won in the IPTV and overseas theater markets.
It has hit 25 million dollars (about 26.6 billion won) internationally, sweeping box offices in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
In Taiwan, it became the most-viewed Korean film ever, beating out "Train to Busan" (2016). Its international box office is expected to rise further as the movie is set to open in the Philippines, which has a relatively large movie market, on Wednesday and is seeking to open in Japan later this year.
"Train to Busan" is the top-grossing Korean film of all time in the international market. It grossed 46 million dollars in 20 countries around the world.
"Along With the Gods" is the first installment of a two-part series directed by Kim Yong-hwa and is based on a popular webtoon by Joo Ho-min.
Starring Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon and Kim Hyang-gi, the film is about a righteous firefighter who is judged in seven hells for 49 days after his death, guided by three grim reapers.
Part two is scheduled to open this summer. (Yonhap)
