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'Once We Were Us' dethrones 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' after 3-week box-office reign

Published: 12 Jan. 2026, 09:27

A still image from ″Once We Were Us″ (2025), featuring actors Koo Kyo-hwan, left, and Moon Ga-young. [SHOWBOX]

The romance drama "Once We Were Us" (2025) topped the weekend box office, breaking the three-week winning streak of Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar: Fire and Ash" (2025), data from the Korean Film Council showed Monday.

The film, released Dec. 31, 2025, attracted more than 340,000 moviegoers from Friday to Sunday, pushing its total to 1.04 million. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" drew over 316,000 admissions during the same period, with cumulative ticket sales reaching 6.07 million.

Starring Koo Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young, "Once We Were Us" is a Korean remake of the 2018 Chinese hit film "Us and Them," which stars Jing Boran and Zhou Dongyu.

Directed by Kim Do-young, who garnered acclaim for her feature debut, "Kim Ji-young, Born 1982," the Korean adaptation follows a young couple, Eun-ho (Koo) and Jung-won (Moon), as they reflect on their relationship and missed chances in their 20s.