Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mickey 17’ Shatters South Korean Box Office Records

SEOUL, South Korea — Bong Joon-ho‘s sci-fi film ‘Mickey 17’ dominated the South Korean box office with a remarkable $6.6 million debut over the weekend of February 28 to March 2, 2025, capturing 69.06% of the market share.

The film, which is both directed and starred in by Bong Joon-ho, outperformed competitors and set a new record for 2025, surpassing the opening of previous hits. According to Kobis, the tracking service of the Korean Film Council, the overall box office took in $9 million during this weekend, a notable increase from the previous weekend’s $4.4 million.

‘Mickey 17’ tells the story of a ‘reprinted’ worker portrayed by Robert Pattinson on a distant planet tasked with hazardous jobs that others will not undertake. The film attracted 980,549 admissions over the weekend across 2,153 theaters. Warner Bros. reported that the film made a four-day opening total of KRW 12.9 billion (approximately $9 million), aided by a non-traditional Friday release and the Monday holiday for Independence Movement Day.

IMAX screenings of ‘Mickey 17’ contributed 9% of the weekend’s gross. In second place, ‘Captain America: Brave New World‘ earned $721,841, which is 7.47% of the market share. The Marvel film, featuring Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, saw a decrease in viewer numbers, attracting only 110,888 viewers, bringing its cumulative total to $10.5 million.

The Korean horror film ‘Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning’ took third place with a gross of $568,718. It holds a cumulative earning of $1.7 million. A romantic drama ‘It’s Okay!’ debuted in fourth place, earning $186,691 with 29,779 admissions. Directed by Kim Hye-young, the film follows high school student In-young, played by Lee Re, navigating life after losing her mother in a car accident. This film has a cumulative total of $337,276.

‘Paddington in Peru‘ rounded out the top five with $159,116 and a cumulative total of $571,143. The coming-of-age romance ‘You Are the Apple of My Eye‘ follows in sixth place with $151,499, contributing to its total of $826,449.

In seventh place, the patriotic documentary ‘Cheer Up, Korea!’ debuted with $118,067, bringing its cumulative total to $144,541. Japanese romantic drama ‘1st Kiss‘ came in eighth with a gross of $85,423. The Bob Dylan biopic ‘A Complete Unknown‘ took ninth place with $106,367, while the Korean concert documentary ‘Lee Chan-won Concert Anthem: Dear My Chance’ earned $255,785, rounding out the top 10 with a cumulative total of $517,422.

The successful release of ‘Mickey 17’ clearly speaks to Bong Joon-ho’s established reputation as a filmmaker. This film is based on Edward Ashton’s novel ‘Mickey7’ and explores themes of humanity and resilience in dire circumstances.