'Elemental' tops box office for third weekend in a row
A scene from the film "Elemental" / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Disney and Pixar's “Elemental” (2023) has stayed atop the weekend box office for the third time in a row, data showed Monday.
The film topped the box office chart, selling 800,453 tickets from Friday to Sunday, according to data from the Korean Film Council.
“Elemental” debuted at No. 3 at the domestic box office, following “The Roundup: No Way Out” and “Flash.” Thanks to some positive word of mouth, however, attendance grew gradually. It has been on the top of the weekend chart since the second week of its theatrical release on June 14, amassing a cumulative 3.4 million admissions.
In North America, the film scored the lowest opening weekend since 1993. However, it bounced back at the box office, earning $109.2 million and becoming the first original animated film to cross the $100 million threshold since 2018.
Set in Elemental City, where the four elements coexist harmoniously but separately, the film follows water element Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) and fire element Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis), who fall in love with one another. Despite their differences, the two must collaborate to save Ember's family business.
“Thank you so much for your support of our film 'Elemental.' The film is a love letter to my parents who emigrated from Korea to America before I was born. They worked so hard to create a good life for me and my brother while also sharing the culture and traditions with us,” director Peter Sohn said in a video released by Walt Disney Company Korea, Saturday. “Now for the audiences in Korea to see the film and embrace it the way you have mean so much.”
Coming in second was action thriller “The Roundup: No Way Out,” seen by 170,197 moviegoers over the weekend. It attracted a cumulative 10.53 million admissions as of Sunday.
Starring Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, and directed by Lee Sang-yong, the film is about a detective named Ma Seok-do chasing down a local drug ring as new drug circulates in local clubs.
It was followed by “Mission: Impossible ― Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023), which landed early fan screenings ahead of its official release on July 12 and garnered about 166,220 admissions over the weekend. The film revolves around Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team who must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.