‘Chiikawa the Movie’ Tightens Grip on South Korean Box Office With 42% Market Share in Third Weekend

The Japanese animated phenomenon “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” further solidified its stronghold over the South Korean box office during the weekend of Oct. 16–18, commanding more than 42 percent of nationwide ticket revenue in its third frame.

According to official tracking data released by KOBIS, the box office tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the Toho-distributed fantasy feature generated $2.8 million from 378,474 admissions across 1,181 screens. This formidable performance accounted for a dominant 42.7 percent of the entire weekend market in South Korea, underscoring the enduring and broad-based appeal of the property among local moviegoers.

Directed by Kei Oikawa and adapted from the widely popular manga series by creator Nagano, the animated adventure follows the titular small character alongside a group of companions as they embark on a journey to an idyllic island paradise. However, their lighthearted vacation takes a dramatic turn when they are forced to confront a mysterious aquatic legend. The film’s impressive third-weekend hold has successfully lifted its cumulative South Korean gross to $14 million, fueled by a total of 1,828,909 admissions since its initial theatrical launch on Sept. 30.

While “Chiikawa the Movie” continued to dominate the top spot, the rest of the South Korean box office showcased a diverse mix of controversial political dramas, established crime franchises, Hollywood epics, and new domestic releases.

Director Hur Jin-ho’s controversial political crime thriller “The Assassin(s)” held firm in second place. The period drama pulled in $1 million from 140,017 admissions across 1,104 screens, capturing a 15.5 percent share of the weekend market. Distributed by Hive Media Corp, the film meticulously reconstructs the high-stakes events surrounding the August 15, 1974, assassination attempt on former South Korean President Park Chung-hee. The narrative features a star-studded cast including Yu Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho, who portray investigators probing critical inconsistencies in the official state inquiry.

The production’s ongoing commercial run continues to unfold against a backdrop of persistent political blowback and significant legal challenges. Conservative civic organizations and bereaved family groups have filed multiple defamation complaints against the project, alleging historical distortion due to the film’s suggestion of internal state culpability in the tragic shooting that claimed the life of First Lady Yuk Young-soo. Despite intense protests that previously disrupted promotional appearances and prompted 19 local film industry guilds to issue a joint statement fiercely defending freedom of cinematic expression, the title has successfully crossed a major commercial milestone by surpassing the three-million-ticket threshold. This latest frame lifts its cumulative box office gross to $23.7 million from 3,249,174 total admissions since its Sept. 23 rollout.

In third place, CJ ENM’s gritty gambling crime drama “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” maintained its steady momentum during its fourth weekend in theaters. The movie generated $731,309 from 94,314 admissions across 789 screens, securing a 10.8 percent share of overall ticket receipts. Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring a notable ensemble cast featuring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won, and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth installment in the popular franchise has now amassed a cumulative gross of $14.3 million from 1,911,190 viewers.

Universal Pictures’ sweeping epic “The Odyssey” finished the weekend in fourth place as it entered its eleventh week in release. The Christopher Nolan-directed picture drew $580,011 from 52,439 admissions across 481 screens, taking 8.6 percent of the frame. The enduring popularity of the cinematic epic pushed its massive cumulative haul to $104.1 million from 12,267,696 admissions since its grand opening on Aug. 5.

Meanwhile, 20th Century Studios’ ocean survival thriller “Whalefall” made its official box office debut in fifth place. The tense feature earned $300,004 from 38,637 admissions across 621 screens, representing 4.4 percent of the market share. Since launching with a mid-week rollout on Oct. 14, the film has accumulated a total of $421,412 from 56,363 viewers.

Director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s live-action manga drama “Look Back” secured sixth place in its sophomore frame. The film brought in $194,574 from 24,614 admissions across 271 screens, bringing its growing cumulative run to $829,170 from a total of 105,345 viewers.

Locus Animation’s domestic animated adventure “Guardians of the Video Game” opened in seventh place, collecting $165,350 from 22,427 admissions across 566 screens. Adapted from Gasfard’s popular Naver webtoon, the animated fantasy follows an elite game-world administrator who is unceremoniously demoted to managing a retro mobile video game. The release has generated $295,340 from 42,647 admissions since premiering on Oct. 14.

Paramount Pictures and Legendary Entertainment’s video game adaptation “Street Fighter” debuted in eighth place, pulling in $122,148 from 16,813 admissions across 523 screens. The live-action franchise reboot has grossed $238,799 from 34,920 admissions following its Oct. 14 bow.

The Japanese supernatural chiller “The Mouths,” directed by genre veteran Takashi Shimizu, took ninth place in its second weekend on release. The horror feature earned $110,302 from 14,991 admissions across 245 screens, bringing its cumulative total to $569,462 from 77,114 viewers.

Rounding out the top ten, Lotte Entertainment’s action fantasy “Reawakened Man,” starring Koo Kyo-hwan, brought in $73,714 from 10,211 admissions across 292 screens. This performance lifted the film’s overall box office total to $2.4 million from 326,734 admissions.

Reflecting a typical seasonal cooling off period following previous holiday frames, the overall market collective gross for the weekend reached $6.7 million, marking a notable decrease from the previous week’s $10.5 million total.