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The super successful Spanish thriller The Hidden Face (2011) has already been remade as many as three times. First it was Bollywood – Murder 3 (2013), then Turkey – The Other Side (2017) and then Mexico did it with Perdida (2019). Each of the remakes has tried to add something new to the story while keeping the basic premise intact. Quite naturally, South Korean director Kim Dae-woo had quite the tough mountain to summit with the onus of making another remake. But going by how spectacular Hidden Face has turned out, it is safe to say that the Koreans have not only nailed the assignment; they have, in fact, bettered the original. That’s a tricky thing to say, though, as without the original, this wouldn’t have existed. But the erotic angle in the Korean Hidden Face is something that was not in any version before, including the Spanish one. And dare I say that...

Local hit “The Firefighters” led the South Korean box office, which returned to its sluggish ways after a brief spell that showed signs of recovery.

In its second weekend, “The Firefighters” climbed from second place to first with a $4.3 million gross, 657,124 admissions and a 41.9% market share, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The film now has a cumulative gross of $11.5 million in the territory. However, the total box office for the top 10 titles fell to below $10 million, down from last week’s $16 million.

Directed by Kwak Gyeong-Taek (“A Love”), “The Firefighters” revolves around a fire station in Seoul, where a rookie firefighter joins the Rescue Unit and is quickly sent out on his first mission alongside a seasoned veteran, celebrated for saving many lives. In the chaos of a raging fire, the veteran defies the chief’s orders to withdraw, determined to save an occupant.

After a sluggish few weeks where the South Korean box office struggled to cross a total of $10 million, “Moana 2” and local hit “The Firefighters” improved matters somewhat. The total box office for the weekend was just above $16 million.

“Moana 2” led the box office for the second weekend in a row with $4 million, a 36.4% market share and 610,389 admissions, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The film now has a cumulative gross of $14.1 million in the territory.

Close behind in second place was Dec. 4 release “The Firefighters” with $3.7 million, a 34.2% market share and 569,286 admissions. The five-day total for the film is $4.8 million.

Directed by Kwak Gyeong-Taek (“A Love”), the film revolves around a fire station in Seoul, where a rookie firefighter joins the Rescue Unit and is quickly sent out on his first mission alongside a seasoned veteran, celebrated for saving many lives.

Disney’s Moana 2 surged to the top of the Korean box office on its opening weekend, commanding 58% of ticket sales on one of the busiest weekends of the year.

The animated sequel earned an impressive $7.1m from Friday through Sunday (November 29 - December 1), according to data provided by Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking service.

The strong performance appears to have revitalised a sluggish Korean box office that had seen weekend earnings dip below $10m for 10 consecutive weeks. Within its first five days in theatres, the film has racked up a cume of $8.9m, already positioning...

Broadway adaptation Wicked soared to the top of the Korean box office at the weekend with 45% of ticket sales.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the US fantasy musical took $3.6m from Friday through Sunday (November 22-25) from just over 500,000 admissions. Over its first five days in theatres, the film has accumulated $4.64m.

Also opening at the weekend was New’s Hidden Face, which placed second with $1.7m. Directed by Kim Dae-woo, the mystery thriller is a remake of Spanish-Colombian film The Hidden Face directed by Andrés Baiz. The film stars Cho Yeo-jeong of Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite as a cellist who mysteriously vanishes.

“Wicked,” which was by far the highest grossing film in the world this weekend, failed to give the South Korea box office market a much-needed jolt.

The Jon M. Chu-directed fantasy claimed a strong 45% share of the box office in Korea with $3.58 million earned from 501,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday. Over five days, it collected $4.64 million.

Korean-produced “Hidden Face” earned $1.75 million, and a more than 21% market share, for second place. Over its full five-day opening, it accumulated $2.41 million.

Directed by Kim Dae-woo (“Obsessed”), the film is a remake of the 2011 Spanish-Columbian picture of the same title. It involves a woman who is thought to have disappeared, but instead is trapped in a secret room in her house. She is forced to be an observer as her fiancé becomes romantically entangled with another woman. It stars Cho Yeo-jeong, Song Seung-heon and Park Ji-hyun.

While the new releases elevated the box...

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