SEOUL -- "D-War", the Korean movie in which giant dragons invade Los Angeles, scored a big domestic boxoffice opening this week, becoming the second local hit in as many weeks and prompting hope of giving Hollywood imports a run for their money this summer.
"D-War" earned $2.8 million from 417,000 admissions Wednesday, making it the biggest domestic Wednesday opening ever, distributor Showbox said. The opening bolstered a local boxoffice spike that began last week with the opening of CJ Entertainment's "May 18", the true-life drama about the 1980 Gwangju Massacre.
Both titles arrived after three months of domination by Hollywood blockbusters that has eroded local films' market share to 41%, the lowest level since 2001.
Now, analysts say the pair of hot local titles could help restore filmmakers' confidence in South Korea, the world's fifth-largest movie market by theatrical revenue.
"It's exciting -- more than I expected," said Young Choi, a senior analyst at Mirae Asset Securities. He credits strong marketing by Showbox for the opening, which had to overcome mixed reviews.
"D-War" earned $2.8 million from 417,000 admissions Wednesday, making it the biggest domestic Wednesday opening ever, distributor Showbox said. The opening bolstered a local boxoffice spike that began last week with the opening of CJ Entertainment's "May 18", the true-life drama about the 1980 Gwangju Massacre.
Both titles arrived after three months of domination by Hollywood blockbusters that has eroded local films' market share to 41%, the lowest level since 2001.
Now, analysts say the pair of hot local titles could help restore filmmakers' confidence in South Korea, the world's fifth-largest movie market by theatrical revenue.
"It's exciting -- more than I expected," said Young Choi, a senior analyst at Mirae Asset Securities. He credits strong marketing by Showbox for the opening, which had to overcome mixed reviews.
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