Zootopia tops box office for second straight weekend

Disney's animated adventure "Zootopia" continued its hit performance in South Korea, sitting at the top of the list of most-viewed films for the second consecutive weekend, data showed Monday.

The film amassed 358,012 viewers on 723 screens across the country during the March 18-20 weekend, representing 30.5 percent of all ticket sales, according to the computerized box office figures from the Korean Film Council.

After being at No. 3 for three weeks in a row, Zootopia rose to the top of the box office the previous weekend, about a month after it opened.

Released in the United States two weeks earlier than in South Korea, the film earned $73.7 million in its opening weekend, dethroning "Frozen" as the highest opening weekend earner for Disney's animation unit.

"Zootopia" also pushed it past the $200-million-sales mark in the U.S., dominating the box office for the third straight week.

Set in the animal world "Zootopia" where prey and predators live in peace and harmony, the American 3D computer-animated comedy adventure film revolves around the world's first-ever rabbit police officer named Zudy.

"London Has Fallen," the American-British terrorist-foiling action flick starring Gerald Butler, climbed a step to No. 2, collecting 191,807 viewers on 518 screens nationwide.

"Spirits' Homecoming," a film on former sex slaves, fell to No. 3, drawing 151,633 viewers. Released on Feb. 24, the film has so far been viewed by 3.42 million people.

Directed by Cho Jung-lae, the movie follows women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during the war.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, suffered from the atrocity. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45.

The movie took its inspiration from a drawing titled "Burning Women," created by Kang Il-chul, one of the victims, during her therapy sessions based on testimonies from other victims.

Despite budget shortages and other initial difficulties, the film was completed 14 years after production began with the support and donations of more than 75,000 people.

"Missing You," Korean actress Shim Eun-kyoung's thriller debut, stayed at fourth in its second weekend with 137,107 viewers. The film is about a woman who seeks revenge against a serial killer who killed her father 15 years ago.

The Hollywood film "Gods of Egypt" a fantasy adventure inspired by Egyptian mythology that relies on the power of CGI, was at No. 5, adding 66,838 to its domestic total of 898,531. (Yonhap)