K-SNAPP

Box Office Shock: Yeon Sang-ho’s ‘Colony’ Tops 18 Days Straight as ‘Wild Thing’ Closes In at No. 2

‘Colony’ starts the 5 million countdown

Colony, Wild Thing, The Backrooms, Michael, Jeoncheondang: The Mysterious Candy Shop, Box Office, 5 Million
Photo: films 'Wild Thing', 'Colony'

Director Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie blockbuster Colony has ruled the box office for 18 consecutive days since release and is on the verge of smashing past 5 million admissions.

According to the Korean Film Council’s KOBIS database on the 8th, Colony drew 603,873 moviegoers over the three-day weekend (June 5–7), holding the No. 1 spot. Its cumulative admissions stand at 4,727,523. Since its May 21 premiere, Colony hasn’t surrendered the top position even once, extending its runaway streak.

In a particularly viral streak, Colony surpassed 1 million in 4 days, 2 million in 5 days, 3 million in 10 days, and 4 million in 14 days—setting the fastest marks among this year’s releases and rewriting records as it goes. The film follows survivors trapped inside a locked-down building after a mysterious outbreak, battling against infected beings that evolve in unpredictable ways. It’s Yeon Sang-ho’s new large-scale zombie project after hits like ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘Peninsula,’ starring Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, Shin Hyun-bin, and Go Soo. Notably, Jun Ji-hyun’s return to the big screen after 11 years has drawn massive buzz.

No. 2 went to the comedy Wild Thing, led by Kang Dong-won, Park Ji-hyun, Um Tae-goo, and Oh Jung-se. The film attracted 321,191 viewers over the same period, bringing its cumulative total to 543,725. Wild Thing tells the story of ‘Triangle,’ a once-dominant co-ed dance group that disbanded after an unexpected incident, reuniting 20 years later to seize a shot at a comeback.

Placing third was the horror film The Backrooms, which gathered 199,819 viewers over three days and now sits at a cumulative 799,636. The Backrooms depicts characters facing inexplicable phenomena inside a bizarre space of endless yellow walls under fluorescent lights.

Also charting near the top were the Michael Jackson biopic Michael and Jeoncheondang: The Mysterious Candy Shop, led by Ra Mi-ran and Lee Re.

This summer’s box office is shaping up as a Colony runaway, with Wild Thing and The Backrooms giving chase. At the current pace, Colony could surpass the 5 million mark as early as this week.