'Miracle in Cell No. 7' third most-viewed Korean film

South Korean comedy "Miracle in Cell No. 7" became the third most-viewed Korean film of all time on Friday, attracting 12.32 million moviegoers since it debuted here, the film's local distributor said.

"Miracle in Cell No. 7" reached the number 52 days after opening, outperforming the previous No. 3 "Gwanghae: the Man Who Became the King" (2012), which was seen by 12.31 million people, NEW said. But the official box-office tally from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has yet to be released.

Directed by Lee Hwan-kyung, the film is about a group of inmates in cell No. 7 who embark on a mission to help to reunite their new inmate -- a mentally disabled man with the mind of a six-year-old child -- with his seven-year-old daughter who he is single-handedly raising.

Interest is now on whether the film will be able to continue its climb in the rankings. Currently, "The Host" by director Bong Joon-ho tops the list with 13.01 million viewers, closely followed by the star-studded heist film "The Thieves" with 12.98 million, according to the KOFIC data. South Korea's population is 50 million.

(Yonhap News)