South Korea Box Office: 'Batman v Superman' Has Biggest March Opening Ever

The Warner Bros. superhero film dominated 68.3 percent of the market share, while 'Zootopia' crossed the $20 million mark at No. 2.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice recorded the biggest March weekend opening ever at the South Korean box office, with a cumulative haul of $10.2 million.

After opening Thursday with virtually no major competitor, the Warner Bros. title dominated 73 percent of the revenue among the top five films for the weekend of March 25-27. The superhero flick accounted for 68.3 percent of the total market share during this time frame, according to the Korean Film Council, as it was shown on 1,696 screens.

The stellar debut of the Zack Snyder-directed actioner toppled Zootopia. The animated film ranked in the second spot for the weekend, with its market share down to half of the previous week, from 30.5 to 14.5 percent. The film has steadily climbed up Korean charts since debuting at No. 3 on Feb. 17 to a total of $20.5 million after the weekend. It topped the box office during its fourth and fifth weekends in theaters.

Local road movie One Way Trip debuted at No. 3 to take 4.8 percent of the weekend revenue. The film has earned a cumulative $766,843 since opening on 493 screens Thursday. In spite of its dark tone, the Atnine Film title is the latest example of Korean cinema relying on K-pop stars to draw viewers. The film made waves at last year's Busan International Film Festival as its male leads, up-and-coming actor Ryu Jun-yeol and Suho of boy band EXO, took part in a promotional event.

Spirits' Homecoming, another local title, dropped one spot to finish at No. 4. The crowdfunded film about WW II sex slaves (euphemistically called "comfort women") accounted for 2.4 percent of the box-office revenue. Though its market share has been tapering off over its monthlong showing since Feb. 24, it has proved to be a sleeper hit with cumulative revenue totaling $22.9 million. WAW Pictures handles the film, which toured several U.S. college campuses recently.

In fifth place was Risen, which rose three places from the previous week. The biblical story about the Resurrection accounted for 1.9 percent of the share for a gross total of $564,398. Universal Pictures International distributes the film in Korea, which is home to one of the largest Christian communities in Asia.