Disney's 'Aladdin' creates storm at box office
By Dong Sun-hwa
More than 3.4 million tickets have been sold to see Disney's “Aladdin” as of Saturday. Courtesy of the Walt Disney Company Korea
Disney's musical fantasy film “Aladdin” has created a box office storm since its release in Korea on May 23.
As of Saturday, more than 3.4 million tickets had been sold to take No. 2 spot at the box office, behind Bong Joon-ho's black comedy “Parasite,” which won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
But in terms of real-time ticket reservations for Sunday, Aladdin beat Parasite. Of all movie tickets reserved, Aladdin had 40.7 percent, while Parasite accounted for 37.8 percent.
Word-of-mouth is seen as a key to Aladdin's popularity, with the film receiving 98 out of 100 points from the reviewers who evaluated it on cinema chain CGV's rating platform.
Aladdin, a live-action version of Disney's 1992 animated film of the same name, is about a thief who encounters a wish-granting Genie and falls in love with Princess Jasmine.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film features Hollywood big names, including Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott.