Japanese Anime 'Chiikawa' Keeps Strong Grip on South Korean Cinemas
Japanese animated film 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island' topped South Korea's box office for the Oct. 16-18 weekend. It sold 378,474 tickets on 1,181 screens and earned about $2.8 million, according to KOBIS. The movie took 42.7% of nationwide ticket revenue in its third weekend.
The Toho-distributed fantasy title stayed at the top of South Korea’s weekend chart for Oct. 16–18. KOBIS, operated by the Korean Film Council, recorded 378,474 admissions from 1,181 screens and about $2.8 million in earnings.
In its third weekend, the film took 42.7% of nationwide ticket revenue, meaning it held more than two-fifths of the market.
The film’s strong third-weekend showing may affect South Korean cinema operators, distributors, and anime fans by keeping Japanese animation prominent in multiplexes. It could encourage exhibitors to allocate more screens to similar titles, potentially squeezing smaller local releases. Audiences seeking animated entertainment may benefit from continued availability, while industry observers may see it as evidence of cross-border pop-culture demand.