Foreign films dominate first half box office
Published: 21 Jul. 2017, 19:20

In a report released by the Korean Film Council, although “Confidential Assignment” came in at first, only three domestic films rank in the first half of the year’s ten highest grossing movies. “The King” took third place, while “The Prison” took the ninth spot.
Walt Disney Pictures saw the most success, with “Beauty and the Beast” at fourth, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” at eighth and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” grabbing the final spot.
Universal Pictures also had two movies in the top ten, with “The Mummy” coming in at fifth and “The Fate of the Furious” at sixth.
The foreign films that topped the first half of the year also took over local theaters. “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” shown at 1,965 screens, is ranked at an all-time second in theater showings, after last year’s “Captain America: Civil War.”
However, Korean films are attempting to turn this trend around in the second half of the year. As the summer holiday is the peak season for theaters, Korean films are attempting to lure audiences with several tent-pole flicks. Ryoo Seung-wan’s “The Battleship Island,” which was met with positive reviews will open on July 26, while Jang Hoon’s “A Taxi Driver” opens on August 2.
More potential blockbusters will hit theaters later in the year, including Jang Joon-hwan’s “1987,” Hwang Dong-hyuk’s “Namhansanseong Fortress” and Park Hoon-jung’s “V.I.P.”
By Kim Jung-kyoon
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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