'F9' tops box office for H1, but only two Korean movies in top 10

Only two homegrown movies made the top 10 in the local box office over the first six months of this year, while the Hollywood actioner "F9" became the biggest hit in South Korea, data showed Saturday.

"F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, was the most-watched film in the first half of 2021, drawing over 2.28 moviegoers at the end of June, according to the box office data compiled by the Korean Film Council.

The Japanese animation "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train" finished second with 2.15 million attendees, and Disney's fantasy "Soul" placed third with 2.05 million people.

Disney's live action film "Cruella" attracted 1.53 million to rank sixth, followed by Oscar-winning immigration film "Minari" with 1.13 million moviegoers.

The American horror "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," the monster action film "Godzilla vs. King" and the thriller "A Quiet Place: Part II" took the sixth to eighth spots, respectively.

The Korean crime action thriller "Hard Hit" posted 467,000 attendees as of end-June, placing ninth, and the local action comedy "Mission: Possible" finished 10th with 447,000.

"Hard Hit" rose to the highest ranking among Korean flicks released over the January-June period, a week after its theatrical launch on June 23. "Mission: Possible" was pushed down to second place after remaining on top for nearly four months since its release in February.

Among Korean shows, the romance "Waiting for Rain" came in next with 398,000 people, followed by the sci-fi action film "Seobok" with 385,000 and the historical biopic "The Book of Fish" with 338,000.

The South Korean film industry has been in the doldrums for more than a year as the protracted COVID-19 pandemic keeps people from coming to theaters.

The total film audience reached 20 million for the six-month period through June, down from 32.1 million moviegoers tallied over the same period last year.

But the downside trend is expected to make a turnaround in the coming months as big-budget movies, like Marvel's "Black Widow," are to hit local screens soon and attract people back to theaters. (Yonhap)