Korea Box Office: Action-Comedy ‘Boss’ Debuts at No. 1, Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ Moves to Second

“Boss” opened at the top of the Korean box office with $4.5 million from 666,679 admissions over Oct. 3–5, commanding 31.5% of weekend sales across 1,168 screens, according to KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.

Directed by Ra Hee-chan, the action-comedy stars Jo Woo-jin as Soon-tae, Jung Kyung-ho as Kang-pyo, Park Ji-hwan as Pan-ho and Lee Kyu-hyung as Tae-gyu. The film, which debuted at the Busan International Film Festival, centers on gang underlings who, oddly, compete to avoid becoming the boss while pursuing personal ambitions.

Park Chan-wook‘s “No Other Choice” moved to second with $3.2 million (458,582 admissions) for a 22.5% share. The title, released Sept. 24, now stands at $12.8 million. Lee Byung-hun plays Man-su, a laid-off paper manufacturing specialist who resorts to serial murder to eliminate his competitors for a single job opening, only to discover the position exists to supervise AI testing.

In third, “Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc” added $2.7 million (352,673 admissions) for an 18.9% share and a cumulative $8.1 million after 12 days. The film adapts the “Reze” arc of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s hit manga. Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara with a screenplay by Hiroshi Seko, the movie follows Denji as his encounter with café worker Reze leads to a clash between intimate connection and bloody chaos. Voice cast includes Reina Ueda, Fairouz Ai, Tomori Kusunoki, and Maaya Uchida.

Japanese juggernaut “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle” ranked fourth with $942,292 (125,653 admissions), lifting its local total to $39.7 million. “One Battle After Another” opened fifth at $694,006 (88,306 admissions), while family animation “Bread Barbershop: The Bakerytown Baddies” took sixth with $414,864 and has reached $936,673 to date.

Korean animation “Your Letter” debuted seventh with $351,769 (51,755 admissions). Directed by Kim Yong-hwan and based on Cho Hyun-ah’s webtoon, it features voice performances by Lee Su-hyun, Kim Min-ju, Min Seung-woo, and Nam Doh-hyeong. The story follows So-ri, who after transferring schools finds a mysterious letter from the previous desk occupant, sparking a search for hidden letters and personal discovery.

Yeon Sang-ho‘s “The Ugly” followed in eighth with $303,278 (43,482 admissions), pushing its tally to $7.2 million. The film stars Park Jeong-min alongside Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Hyun-been, Im Seong-jae, and Han Ji-hyun. The plot follows Dong-hwan, the son of a visually impaired seal engraving master, who discovers skeletal remains and investigates the long-hidden truth about his mother’s disappearance four decades earlier.

“Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” opened ninth at $250,182 (38,004 admissions), and Korean family animation “City of Delivery” rounded out the top 10 with $83,014 (13,285 admissions), for a running total of $85,876.

The top 10 films collectively grossed $13.6 million over the weekend, up from $9.6 million the previous frame, making it one of the best weekends of the year.