Japanese animated feature Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island dominated the weekend box office for a third frame, drawing 320,309 moviegoers between October 23 and 25 to push its total cumulative audience past 2.24 million admissions, according to figures released by the Korean Film Council via newsis.com.
Chiikawa Movie Surpasses 2 Million Domestic Admissions
- Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island added 320,309 tickets over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to 2,240,000 admissions.
- The film shares the milestone of surpassing 2 million domestic admissions this year with only one other animated title, Toy Story 5.
- Morning presale data shows the title leading upcoming competition with approximately 44,700 reserved tickets.
Animated Feature Follows Characters on a Journey
The film’s latest weekend haul places it in rare company for the current theatrical calendar. Alongside Toy Story 5, the picture stands as one of only two animated features to clear the two-million-admission threshold in South Korea this year. Based on the illustration series launched in 2017 by Nagano—widely known locally by the shortened title Monjakgwi—the feature follows core characters Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi as they journey to a special island lured by the promise of higher wages.
Japanese Box Office Gross Reaches 18.1 Billion Yen
The domestic theatrical performance mirrors its substantial commercial traction abroad. In its home market of Japan, where it premiered last July, the project accumulated 18.1 billion yen, roughly translating to 153 billion won in total box office gross. Meanwhile, local theatrical competition remained active over the weekend. The crime thriller Assassins secured second place with 68,237 attendees for a cumulative 3.37 million, followed by Paradise Lost in third with 66,706 tickets and a 100,000 total. The horror-inflected title Clayface drew 48,246 admissions to reach approximately 70,000 total, while the genre entry Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub brought in 44,919 viewers, standing just shy of the two-million mark at 1.99 million cumulative admissions.
| Weekend Rank | Film Title | Weekend Admissions | Cumulative Admissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island | 320,309 | 2,240,000 |
| 2 | Assassins | 68,237 | 3,370,000 |
| 3 | Paradise Lost | 66,706 | 100,000 |
| 4 | Clayface | 48,246 | 70,000 |
| 5 | Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub | 44,919 | 1,990,000 |
Advance Ticket Reservations Lead Competing Releases
Box office tracking indicates the feature will maintain its momentum through the early part of the week. Morning figures recorded approximately 44,700 advance ticket reservations, putting it ahead of all competing releases. The closest challenger, the upcoming domestic feature CSAT, The Secret of the Questions, scheduled to open on October 28, registered roughly 23,000 advance bookings.
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