South Korean Box Office: Train Dominates, Coffee Struggles

Last weekend in South Korea, the crime thriller Train starring Kim Min-hee, Lee Sun-kyun, and Cho Seung-woo stayed at the top of the box office for the second consecutive week, drawing 561,669 viewers across 522 screens. This follows its third straight week as the pre-sale leader—a feat not seen since Silenced (also known as The Crucible) 26 weeks prior. With solid word of mouth and continued popularity, Train is now on track to surpass 2.5 million admissions, marking the highest-grossing film of Kim Min-hee’s career and her director Byun Young-joo’s first major commercial success.

In short: Train claimed the No. 1 spot for the second weekend in a row with 561,669 admissions, while Coffee debuted poorly with just 139,717 viewers despite heavy marketing—far below expectations.

Train Maintains Its Lead

The crime drama Train, now in its second weekend, continued to dominate the South Korean box office. Playing on 522 screens, it attracted 561,669 moviegoers and has led both the weekend and pre-sale charts for three consecutive weeks. This is the first time a film has done so since Silenced 26 weeks ago. The film is projected to cross 2.5 million total admissions soon, setting a new personal box office record for lead actress Kim Min-hee and marking director Byun Young-joo’s first major box office hit.

New Entrants and Their Reception

Among new releases, 20th Century Fox’s sci-fi thriller Chronicle (known as in Chinese) debuted strongly, attracting 205,509 viewers with its inventive premise and unique take on superpowers. Meanwhile, Disney and Pixar director Andrew Stanton’s big-budget live-action adaptation John Carter (also called ) underperformed, landing in third place with 179,655 admissions. Despite its Martian creatures and romantic subplot, the $250 million production struggled to find an audience, especially considering its poor domestic US performance.

Coffee’s Disappointing Launch

The historical drama Coffee, which explores the story of King Gojong’s escape to the Russian legation during the 1896 Russian Legation Incident, and features a fictional Korean “first coffee maker” named Diana (played by Kim So-yeon), debuted in fourth place. Shown on 339 screens, it drew only 139,717 viewers—far fewer than expected given its large promotional campaign. The film stars Park Hee-soon as King Gojong, Kim So-yeon as Diana, and Joo Jin-mo as a double agent named Ilich who is in love with her. Its weak opening is being described as a disappointing start despite high pre-release expectations.

Other Notable Performances

The romantic drama The Vow (released on Valentine’s Day, March 14), based on a couple’s recovery after a car crash that leaves the wife with memory loss, attracted 113,090 viewers. Although it became the first 2012 North American release to gross over $100 million in the US, it performed only modestly in Korea. In the lower rankings, Love Fiction (starring Ha Jung-woo and Gong Hyo-jin) and Perfect Enemies (starring Reese Witherspoon) dropped to sixth and seventh places.

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated Architecture 101, starring Han Ga-in, Yan Yesheng, Suzy, and Kim Ji-hoon, held a large paid preview event on 282 screens, drawing 65,013 viewers. The film is expected to perform strongly in its official opening week. Long-running hit Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time remained on the chart with 35,874 viewers, bringing its cumulative total to 4,646,419 admissions since February 2.

Also new to the chart was the 2009 thriller Seeking Justice, starring Nicolas Cage, January Jones, and Guy Pearce, which tells the story of a man seeking revenge after his wife is attacked. The film debuted last week but did not rank in the top tier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which movie topped the South Korean box office last weekend?

Train starring Kim Min-hee, Lee Sun-kyun, and Cho Seung-woo was the number one film for the second consecutive weekend, drawing 561,669 viewers across 522 screens.

How well did Coffee perform on its opening weekend?

Coffee, featuring Kim So-yeon, Park Hee-soon, and Joo Jin-mo, opened in fourth place with just 139,717 admissions on 339 screens, a disappointing result given its extensive marketing.

What other films debuted last weekend in Korea?

New entries included Chronicle (205,509 admissions), John Carter (179,655), The Vow (113,090), and the preview of Architecture 101 (65,013). Also released was Seeking Justice.

What is Train’s expected total box office?

Train is projected to exceed 2.5 million admissions, which would make it Kim Min-hee’s highest-grossing film and director Byun Young-joo’s first major commercial success.

Why was Coffee considered to have underperformed?

Despite a large-scale promotional campaign and historical setting involving King Gojong and a fictional early Korean coffee figure, Coffee attracted only 139,717 viewers—far less than expected for its 339-screen release.