Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' leads weekend with over 50% share

Michael Jackson's biographical film “Michael” ascended to the top spot at South Korea’s box office over the weekend spanning May 15–17.

Data from KOBIS, managed by the Korean Film Council, indicates that this international release by Lionsgate and Universal Pictures collected $3.6 million from 470,375 ticket sales, capturing a commanding 51.03% share of the weekend's box office revenue. Since its mid-week release on May 13, it has achieved a total gross of $4.8 million from 647,916 ticket sales.

The chic comedy follow-up “The Devil Wears Prada 2” garnered an additional $897,275 from 120,545 viewers. Running since late April, the film has reached earnings of $9.6 million from 1,444,286 ticket sales.

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” took in $829,213 from 123,558 tickets over the three-day period. Its cumulative earnings now stand at $9.4 million, with attendance edging towards 1.5 million.

The local horror-thriller hit “Salmokji : Whispering Water” claimed fourth spot, adding $669,972. Directed by Lee Sang-min, this genre sensation has amassed a total of $21.6 million from 3,169,730 total ticket admissions.

The Hollywood sci-fi holdover “Project Hail Mary” secured fifth place, bringing in $279,821, which takes its South Korean lifetime earnings to $21.4 million. Following closely, in sixth place, was the special re-release of 2022’s blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” which garnered $136,047 at the weekend, bringing its Korean box office total to $59 million.

The historic success of “The King’s Warden” landed it in seventh position, contributing $92,473. Now in its 15th week, this historical drama by Jang Hang-jun has extended its unique domestic journey to 16,863,925 total admissions, accumulating $108.3 million in total earnings.

The domestic horror-comedy sequel “Teaching Practice: Idiot Girls and School Ghost 2” launched in eighth place, fetching $74,384. Directed by Kim Min-ha, this standalone sequel to his 2024 film features Han Sun-hwa as an enthusiastic student teacher who faces off with a high school black magic club against the supernatural challenge of a mock exam controlled by a centuries-old samurai ghost. Since its debut on May 13, it has earned $123,356.

Completing the top 10 were a special screening of the 2004 romance classic “If Only” in ninth place with $96,354, and Jung Woo’s first directorial effort “Audition 109” in 10th, which added $86,804 to bring its aggregate revenue to $2.6 million

Overall, the total market revenue for the weekend amounted to $6.8 million, rising from $4.9 million the previous week.