‘Oppenheimer’ mobilized 550,000 viewers on the first day of Liberation Day

The movie 'Oppenheimer' attracted more than 550,000 viewers on the first day of its release, foreshadowing a change in the perception of the box office. Of the Big 4, only 'Concrete Utopia' and 'Smuggling' survived in the top 5.

According to the integrated computer network for movie theater tickets of the Korea Film Promotion Commission, on the 15th, which was Liberation Day, 'Oppenheimer' (director Christopher Nolan) mobilized 552,942 viewers and proudly entered the top spot at the box office.

'Oppenheimer' is a new film directed by Christopher Nolan, about a genius scientist's nuclear development project who must risk destroying the world to save it. 'Oppenheimer', which boasted a high reservation rate even before its release and received attention, seems to have been chosen by many audiences, enjoying a special release on Liberation Day.

In second place, 'Concrete Utopia' (director Uhm Tae-hwa) mobilized 303,123 viewers and recorded a cumulative audience of 2,136,522, breaking 2 million at once.

'Concrete Utopia' is a disaster drama depicting the story of survivors gathering in the only remaining imperial palace apartment in Seoul, which was devastated by a major earthquake. The film, which received favorable reviews even before its release as a work that captured both popularity and artistic value, quickly broke the 2 million mark, cruising as if the expectations of the critics were reflected.

The third place was "Sweet Sea: 7510" (director Lee Han), which was released on the same day. 'Sweet Sea: 7510' tells the story of Chiho (Yoo Hae-jin), a genius confectionery researcher who knows nothing but sweets, and Il-young (Kim Hee-seon), a world-positive mind who only knows about going straight.

'Smuggling' (director Ryu Seung-wan) ranked 4th with 96,421 viewers, with a cumulative audience of 4,569,775. 'Smuggling' is a maritime crime action drama in which people get caught up in a lifelong battle in front of people who made a living by rescuing daily necessities thrown into the sea. On the 11th, it already succeeded in breaking 4 million and enjoyed the joy of reaching the break-even point.

‘Elemental’ (director Peter Sohn), with strong backing, is in 5th place. It mobilizes 71,731 viewers and accumulates a cumulative audience of 6,767,226. 'Elemental' is gaining momentum with the best score among animations since 'Frozen'. On the 30th of last month, it broke the record of "Suzume's Door Crackdown" (director Makoto Shinkai, 5.54 million), which had the best performance among foreign films this year, and has been steadily attracting audiences after taking the throne of the highest-grossing foreign film in 2023. It is expected that it will be possible to break through 7 million.

Among 'Oppenheimer', 'Sweet Sea: 7510', and 'Guardian' (Director Woo-Sung Jung), which were released side by side on the 15th, Seungri is definitely 'Oppenheimer'. We look forward to seeing if this momentum can continue. 'Guardian' mobilized 40,000 viewers and entered 7th place.

Jiye Choi, staff reporter at TenAsia wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr