Korean Thriller 'Salmokji' Hits 17 Days at No. 1

The movie 'Salmokji' is continuing its box office success, ranking number one for 17 consecutive days since its release. As of the 25th, the cumulative audience count has surpassed 1,726,835 viewers. This figure is more than double the break-even point of 800,000 viewers. 'Salmokji' is a horror film about the strange events experienced by a film crew who head to a reservoir to investigate an unidentified figure captured on road view. Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jong-won star in the film.

Along with the movie's success, Salmokji Reservoir in Yesan-gun, Chungnam, the filming location, has also emerged as a tourist attraction. As tourists flocked to the site, even during nighttime hours after the movie's release, Yesan-gun implemented measures to prevent accidents. These included controlling vehicle access, maintaining warning signs in dangerous areas around the reservoir, restricting nighttime visits (from 6 PM to 6 AM the next day), and increasing lighting facilities and patrol personnel. Online, a post claiming that over 100 vehicles had set 'Salmokji' as their destination before the nighttime access restriction became a hot topic, drawing reactions like "Even ghosts would be surprised" and "More people than ghosts."

The popularity of 'Salmokji' is attributed to high interest from young audiences in their teens and twenties and the 'experiential viewing culture.' According to CGV, despite being rated for ages 15 and up, the proportion of viewers in their teens and twenties reached 52%. The proportion of groups of three or more viewers was also high at 13.8%. The distributor, Showbox, analyzed that interest and buzz surrounding the film are steadily spreading, particularly among the younger generation, and that audiences are choosing the actual filming location as a travel destination to satisfy their curiosity after watching the movie. Furthermore, demand for repeat viewings, such as Nth viewings, is high as audiences seek to discover hidden elements within the film.

According to the Korean Film Council's Integrated Network for Film Ticket Sales, on the 25th, 'Salmokji' drew 86,533 viewers on the 24th, maintaining its position at number one at the box office for 17 consecutive days. Its market share was 42.9%, and it was screened 4,783 times across 1,263 screens, showing the highest numbers for the day. 'Salmokji' has a running time of 95 minutes and is rated for ages 15 and up. There are no post-credit scenes.

Meanwhile, 'Project Hail Mary' ranked second at the box office (26,138 viewers, cumulative 2,388,058 viewers), and 'Crayon Shin-chan' (24,822 viewers, cumulative 77,354 viewers) took third place. Other films such as 'Ran 12.3', 'The Man Who Lives With the King', and 'My Name Is' also made it into the top 10.