Omniscient Reader: The Prophet has claimed the top spot at the South Korean box office in its opening weekend.
The fantasy action film attracted 427,364 viewers nationwide from July 25th to 27th, bringing its total admissions to 627,892, according to data released Monday by the Korean Film Council.
The film is based on the hit web novel of the same name and follows Kim Dokja (Ahn Hyo Seop), the story’s only reader, who finds his reality merged with the world of his favorite book. He must team up with the novel’s actual protagonist, Yoo Joong Hyuk (Lee Min Ho), and other allies to survive the new apocalyptic landscape.
The film’s first week ticket sales have fallen short of industry projections, despite its number one debut on July 23rd. It has struggled to gain traction, even with a release during the peak summer season and support from a government program offering 6,000 won discount coupons. This underperformance is particularly notable given the film’s high break-even point of 6 million admissions. Analysts had suggested that surpassing the 1-million-viewer mark in its opening weekend was crucial for commercial success, which the film failed to reach. Its hold on the top spot is considered shaky, although it managed to fend off competitors F1: The Movie and Fantastic Four.
F1: The Movie landed in second place, adding 340,240 viewers for a cumulative total of 2,393,856. The film has shown impressive staying power, although its initial performance was weaker than expected. It is now in its fifth week and aims to cross the 3-million-admissions mark.
>> ‘Omniscient Reader: The Prophet’ Dominates Korean Box Office, Reviews Polarized
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