Korea Box Office: Female-Led ‘Smugglers’ Dominates Weekend Action

variety.com:

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief There is female empowerment in Korean cinemas, but it is coming more from local characters, than global hit “Barbie.” Female-led crime action film “Smugglers” dominated the weekend at the South Korean box office and pushed aside “Mission: impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” which had headed the chart for the previous two sessions. “Smugglers” earned $9.31 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic), giving it a nearly 54% market share.

Over its full five opening days, the film has built up a cumulative total of $13.1 million. Directed by stylish action specialist Ryoo Seungwan (aka Ryu Seung-wan), “Smugglers” is set in Jeju where some of the island’s famous diving women have lost their jobs.

Instead they use their skills to mount a smuggling operation, collecting illegal shipments that have been dropped into the sea.

The film has already been invited to both the Locarno and Toronto film festivals as special screenings material. Pixar animation “Elemental” held on to its second place in its seventh week on release in Korea.