South Korea Box Office: 'Ant-Man' Stays on Top for Second Week as Local Films Dominate

Domestic blockbuster 'Veteran' topped 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' to become the No. 2 film of 2015.

Ant-Man finished at No. 1 in the South Korean box office for the second consecutive week from Sept. 11-13, while local films continue to occupy the rest of the ranks.

Though the Marvel flick distributed by Walt Disney Company Korea was the only Hollywood film among the top five films during this time frame, it accounted for a whopping 40.8 percent of the weekend revenue according to the Korean Film Council's KOBIS database. The market share was slightly down from last week's stellar debut (45.7 percent) but Ant-Man nevertheless has earned a cumu $16.8 million.

Local titles followed suit.

Veteran also maintained its No. 2 spot by taking 21.8 percent of the share for a gross total of $82.8 million. Moreover, the CJ Entertainment title crossed 12.5 million admissions over the weekend, beating Avengers: Age of Ultron to become the second best film of the year and the seventh most-watched Korean film of all time in the domestic box office. Local industry observers primarily use attendance records for box-office performance, and only just over a dozen titles have attracted 10 million admissions, which is equivalent to a fifth of the Korean population.

The crime actioner makes its international premiere Tuesday at Toronto International Film Festival. A special premiere will be held for Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers and their families on Wednesday before the film hits screens across major North America cities including Boston, Chicago, New York, Seattle and Vancouver on Friday via CJ Entertainment America.

Deep Trap, handled by Invent Stone, debuted at No. 3 by taking 9.4 percent of weekend sales. Its total earnings come down to about $1.4 million. Directed by Kwon Hyung-jin, the crime thriller is about a couple traveling to a remote island to be free from SNS and other modern-day worries, only to be met by a bizarre local who seems to know too much about them.

The Beauty Insidecame in next at No. 4, maintaining its position from the week before by accounting for 6.9 percent of the share. The Next Entertainment World (NEW) title surpassed Love Forecast to cross 2 million admissions on Monday, becoming the most-watched rom-com of 2015. In financial terms, it has so far grossed $13.242 million.

Last but not least, the blockbuster period actioner Assassination also stood strong at fifth place. The Showbox/Mediaplex film brought in 4.6 percent of the revenue during this time frame, for a gross total of nearly $83 million. Its attendance record comes down to over 12.65 million to remain the top film of the year and the fourth most popular Korean film of all time.