A Korean box-office hit has continued to break records with over 8 million viewers, and is expected to reach the 10 million mark next week.

"The Thieves," featuring 10 Korean and Chinese thieves teaming up to steal a valuable diamond necklace at a Macao casino, drew 8,098,952 viewers in the first 16 days through Thursday, data from the Korean Film Council showed on Friday.

The film directed by Choe Dong-hoon, who is known for "Tazza: the High Rollers" and "The Big Swindle," has been drawing moviegoers at the same pace as director Bong Jun-ho's box-office hit "The Host."

Industry watchers say "The Thieves" will likely attract 10 million viewers around next week if the current pace of ticket sales continues.

The film drew an average of 250,000 viewers on weekdays in its third week, according to the official data.

The last Korean film that attracted more than 10 million moviegoers was "Haeundae," a 2009 disaster drama directed by Yoon Jae-gyun.

"The Thieves," starring top actors and actresses Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yun-seok and Lee Jung-jae, has raked in more than half of local box revenues, outperforming the Hollywood blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises." (Yonhap)