Korea Box Office: ‘Exhuma’ Reaches $58 Million, Easily Holds Off ‘Dune 2’

variety.com:

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Dune 2” added $2.63 million in its second weekend in South Korea, but the sci-fi fantasy remained a long may short of the year’s runaway winner, “Exhuma,” which has dominated and dynamized box office for three weeks. “Exhuma,” about two shaman, a feng shui master and a mortician who attempt to undo the mysterious events happening to a U.S.-based Korean family, earned $6.52 million between Friday and Sunday, representing a 67% share of the overall box office market, according to data from tracking service Kobis, operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

It was the third weekend in a row that “Exhuma” took two-thirds of Korean box office weekend total. After nearly three weeks on release the film has earned a powerful $58.7 million from eight million admissions. “Exhuma” is now by far the top-earning film of 2024, with a total that is more than double the second-ranked film “Wonka,” which has a running score of $24 million. “Dune 2,” which benefited from a recent visit to Korea by its stars, now has a 12-day running total of $11.0 million. “Wonka,” which released at the end of January, remained in third place over the latest weekend with a score of $588,000. “Poor Things,” released in time for a possible benefit from the Oscars, was the weekend’s highest new opener.

It earned $296,000 between Friday and Sunday and $494,000 over its full five-day opening. Korean animation “Bread Barbershop: Celeb in Bakery Town” ranked fifth with $240,000 and has a two-week running total of $959,000. “Past Lives,” the Korean-language, U.S.-made drama film that is another Oscars contender, opened a quiet sixth place.