"Salmokji: Whispering Water" Dominates South Korean Box Office for Second Consecutive Week
"Whispering Water" Maintains Box Office Reign Amidst New Releases
Horror-Thriller Leads Korean Box Office
For the weekend spanning April 24–26, 2026, the critically acclaimed horror-thriller "Salmokji: Whispering Water" successfully held onto its leading position in the South Korean box office. The film generated an impressive $2.4 million from 343,461 admissions, capturing a substantial 39.29% of the total revenue share. Since its debut on April 8, the Lee Sang-min-directed feature has accumulated a remarkable $13.9 million, drawing nearly 2 million viewers to cinemas. The narrative, featuring Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jong-won, centers on a road-view camera crew's terrifying encounters with supernatural occurrences at a secluded reservoir. Its performance has also placed it among the top ten films globally.
Hollywood Sci-Fi Sustains Strong Performance
The Hollywood science-fiction epic "Project Hail Mary," starring Ryan Gosling, maintained its second-place ranking. The film added just over $1 million to its earnings during the weekend, pushing its cumulative gross to an impressive $19.1 million. It is now on the verge of surpassing the 2.5 million admissions mark, demonstrating its enduring popularity with moviegoers.
"Audition 109" Makes a Promising Debut
The local coming-of-age comedy-drama "Audition 109" entered the box office charts in a respectable third place. Directed by Jung Woo in his first directorial venture—who also stars alongside Jung Soo-jung and Shin Seung-ho—the film garnered $752,735 from 111,366 admissions. The story follows a young man from Busan as he navigates the challenges of Seoul in pursuit of his acting dreams. Since its release on April 22, the film has quickly reached a total of $1.08 million.
"Ran 12.3" Chronicles a Nation's Brief Halt
In fourth place, the documentary "Ran 12.3" debuted with earnings of $549,311 from 78,339 admissions. Directed by Lee Myung-se, this film creatively re-enacts the events of December 3, 2024, a pivotal day when a sudden declaration of martial law temporarily brought the nation to a standstill, using innovative visual and musical techniques.
"The King's Warden" Continues its Historic Run
"The King's Warden" slipped to fifth place but continued to expand its historic run at the box office. The historical drama added $460,237 to its total, bringing its cumulative admissions to an astounding 16,706,855. This further cements its status as the second most-watched film in South Korean history, with total revenue reaching $109.6 million.
Diverse Films Round Out the Top Ten
Rounding out the top ten, the identity drama "My Name" secured sixth place, adding $176,112 for a total of $984,733. "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" debuted in seventh with $123,535, followed by the anime film "Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe" in eighth, earning $112,765. The re-release of "Kiki's Delivery Service" and the animated sports comedy "Goat" took ninth and tenth places, respectively. Overall, the collective gross for the weekend's film market was $6.2 million, a slight decrease from the previous week's $6.6 million.
