Siena:The Korean film "The Assassin(s)" attracted more than 400,000 admissions over the weekend, despite controversy over its historical details, but slipped to No. 2 at the box office.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the film garnered 407,680 admissions over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to 2,992,544 as of Sunday, as reported by the Korean Film Council. The council's weekend chart compiles ticket sales from Friday through Sunday.
"The Assassin(s)" centers on the 1974 assassination attempt on then South Korean President Park Chung-hee that resulted in the death of the first lady. Blending the actual event with fictional elements, the film has drawn backlash, mostly from conservative critics, over alleged historical inaccuracies. After its release on September 23, the film had topped the weekend box office chart for two consecutive weeks, drawing 412,004 admissions the previous weekend.
The Japanese animation "Chiikawa the Movie The Secret of the Mermaid Island" took the top spot by a narrow margin, with 407,895 admissions, bringing its cumulative ticket sales to 1,281,485.
Other Korean films also performed strongly. The crime film "Tazza Song of Beelzebub" ranked No. 3 with 190,080 admissions, while the webtoon-based Korean film "Reawaken Man The Red" came in at No. 5 with 49,345 admissions.
The Hollywood epic "The Odyssey," which has become the most-watched foreign film in South Korea this year, ranked No. 4 with 95,218 admissions, surpassing 12 million cumulative admissions.
Elsewhere on the chart, Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's new film "Look Back," released Thursday, debuted at No. 6 with 41,423 admissions.