With Zootopia 2 surging ahead, the opening-day numbers for Korean releases Jeongbowon, Witjip Saramdeul, and Concrete Market that hit theaters the same day are drawing attention.
According to the Korean Film Council's box office tally on Dec. 4, Disney's animated Zootopia 2 topped the overall box office as of the previous day (Dec. 3). The film drew 149,239 moviegoers and has firmly held No. 1 since opening. It commanded a 47.4% revenue share, with a cumulative audience of about 2.55 million.
Among Korean titles, Witjip Saramdeul—directed by and starring Ha Jung-woo—attracted 25,425 viewers for No. 3 overall. Right behind it, director Kim Seok's Jeongbowon placed fourth with 20,726. Looking only at Korean films that opened the same day, Witjip Saramdeul and Jeongbowon ranked first and second, respectively.
Jeongbowon follows former ace detective Oh Nam-hyeok (Heo Sung-tae), who has lost both his zeal and investigative instincts after a demotion, and informant Jo Tae-bong (Jo Bok-rae), who has long cashed in by peddling tips on major cases. The two are swept into a massive scheme by chance. Blending Heo Sung-tae's all-in action with Jo Bok-rae's comedic beats, this crime-action comedy is earning word of mouth from audiences who say it is "funnier than expected."
Witjip Saramdeul, Ha Jung-woo's fourth film as a director, spins an unpredictable tale that begins with strange, nightly noise between floors. An upstairs couple (Ha Jung-woo, Lee Ha-nee) and a downstairs couple (Gong Hyo-jin, Kim Dong-wook) end up sharing a meal at one table, and things escalate from there. A remake of the Spanish film Sentimental ('The People Upstairs'), its grounded marital banter and tight, dialogue-driven pacing are piquing curiosity.
On day one, however, both films trailed the Japanese anime Jujutsu Kaisen The Movie: Shibuya Incident x Culling Game. Opening alongside Jeongbowon and Witjip Saramdeul, it drew 52,368 viewers for No. 2. The showing for Concrete Market was even softer: the disaster film, which also opened the same day, brought in 5,505 viewers and landed at No. 10. Set after a massive earthquake, Concrete Market depicts a "Hwanggung Market" springing up in the only apartment complex left standing, where people begin bartering in their own ways to survive. Its premise—an apartment building as the lone holdout after a catastrophic quake—invites comparisons to the 2023 release Concrete Utopia. On that point, the producers have clarified, "The setting may be similar, but it is a separate film."
Rounding out the chart are imports including Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (opened Dec. 3, No. 5), Wicked: Part One (opened Nov. 19, No. 6), Now You See Me 3 (opened Nov. 12, No. 7), and Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc (opened Sept. 24, No. 8).
What about real-time presales? As of 11:17 a.m. on Dec. 4, Zootopia 2 still holds a commanding lead with an advance purchase share near 60 percent. It is followed by Jujutsu Kaisen The Movie: Shibuya Incident x Culling Game, Witjip Saramdeul, Jeongbowon, Wicked: Part One, Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc, and Concrete Market, reflecting relatively softer standings for Korean films. The three Korean titles that opened the same day may be trailing imported animation out of the gate, but all eyes are on whether strong word of mouth can flip the script over the weekend.