Korea’s Chuseok holiday frame belonged to local films. Hur Jin-ho’s historical thriller The Assassin(s) opened September 23 and led the holiday chart with 1,546,614 admissions and $11.3 million in its first five days, according to Korean Film Council data reported by Deadline. The three-day holiday ran September 24 to 27, but the film captured the entire corridor.
How the top of the chart stacked up
The film stars Lee Min-ho, Park Hae-il and Yoo Hai-jin, and revisits the 1974 attempt on President Park Chung-hee’s life. It was not the only local opener competing for the same audience.
- The Assassin(s): $11.3M from 1,546,614 admissions in five days
- Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub: $6M from 813,842 admissions
- The Odyssey: $5M weekend, $98M cume from 11.7M admissions
- The Intern: $2.6M weekend, $5.5M cume since September 16
- Obsession: $1.6M week, $6.7M cume since September 2
Looking only at the weekend, Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love debuted fifth. The Netflix-backed film is Korea’s official Oscar submission and grossed about $1M in five days.
Why the Chuseok corridor matters
Chuseok concentrates moviegoing the way Diwali or Lunar New Year frames do in other Asian markets. The five-day opening number for The Assassin(s) includes a pre-holiday opening day, so it better reflects the corridor’s commercial value than a weekend-only view. For release planners, that is the difference between an $11.3M start and a smaller weekend headline.
The chart also shows how much local stories can set the agenda. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey remains the biggest import of 2026 in Korea with $98M from 11.7M admissions, but it could not take the holiday frame from the local titles above it.
What it means for buyers and planners
For media planners and entertainment marketers tracking Korean content, the split between local historical drama and Hollywood imports is a demand signal. The crowded September 23 date—three significant titles opened that day—raises a scheduling question: does a holiday corridor create enough lift to offset the screen split, or would some films be better placed outside the frame?
For the year to date, The King’s Warden still leads with $120M from 16.9M admissions. The Odyssey follows, then Spider-Man: Brand New Day at $69M from 9M admissions, with the Cannes titles Colony and Hope completing the top tier.
Source: Deadline
