Thriller 'Noise' tops Korean box office with highest seat occupancy rate
“Noise” tops Korean box office on opening weekend / Courtesy of BY4M Studio
Korean thriller “Noise” has claimed the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, signaling a strong start for the summer release.
According to the Korean Film Council’s box office data on Sunday, “Noise” drew over 202,568 moviegoers since its release, securing the top position among Korean films over the weekend. The film attracted more than 147,000 viewers during the weekend alone.
“Noise” also ranked first in seat occupancy rate among all films in theaters. As of Sunday, it recorded a seat sales rate of 26.5 percent, surpassing international blockbusters such as “F1: The Movie” (16.6 percent), “How to Train Your Dragon” (20.7 percent), “Elio” (20.9 percent) and the Korean film “Hi-Five” (15.15 percent).
Even ahead of its release, “Noise” generated buzz after being officially invited to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, one of the most prestigious genre film festivals, alongside other Korean hits like “Exhuma” and “Escape.”
The cast includes Lee Sun-bin, Kim Min-seok, Han Soo-ah and Ryu Kyung-soo. It follows the story of Joo-young (played by Lee Sun-bin), who searches for her missing younger sister in a noisy apartment complex plagued by constant upstairs-downstairs disturbances, only to uncover a chilling mystery.
“Noise” is now playing in theaters nationwide.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.