After three weeks of being the bridesmaid, MAMMI MIA was at last the bride last weekend. Or, to be less annoyingly cute, MAMMA MIA took over the top spot in the box office after three weeks of landing in second, behind THE DIVINE WEAPON. Pretty amazing staying power for the ABBA tribute film and yet another sign of the power of the musical in Korea. Just imagine how well the film might had done if Pierce Brosnan could sing?

Just 60,000 admissions behind THE DIVINE WEAPON, could MAMMA MIA end up being the more successful film by the time their runs are over? Oh well, I guess the horserace really does not matter much… but still, it has been fun to watch.

As for new films, TRUCK, HELLBOY 2 and MY DEAR ENEMY all opened this weekend, with TRUCK doing the best. Not surprising HELLBOY 2 did not do so well, as the theater I saw it in was pretty much empty. Still, it did much better than the original HELLBOY, which opened in seventh with just $250,000, and dropped out of the top 10 less than two weeks later.

This Week Title…………………………………….. Release Date Screens Nationwide Weekend Revenue (bil. won) Total Revenue (bil. won)
1. Mamma Mia 9.04 413 1.84 20.68
2. Truck (Korean) 9.25 337 1.41 1.66
3. Divine Weapon (Shingijeon – Korean) 9.04 439 1.41 21.67
4. Hellboy 2 9.25 355 1.20 1.36
5. My Dear Enemy (Meotjin Haru – Korean) 9.25 389 1.15 1.36
6. Rough Cut (Yeonghwaneun Yeonghwada – Korean) 9.11 305 0.92 7.60
7. Our English Teacher (Ulhakgyo Iti – Korean) 9.11 219 0.21 4.08
8. Don Quiote 9.25 87 0.18 0.19
9. Mirror 9.18 245 0.14 1.28
10. In Bloom 9.25 128 0.10 0.12

(Source: KOBIS – Figures represent 98% of nationwide box office)

Plenty of interesting looking Korean films at the moment, but I am going to try to catch them at PIFF, I think. If I have any strong opinions about them, I will try write about them soon.