Korean Movie 'The Roundup' Nears 1 Million Viewers

The movie "The Roundup", starring Jun Ji-hyun, has secured the top spot at the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks, drawing over 970,000 viewers during its second weekend. The cumulative audience count has reached 3.47 million, and at this pace, surpassing 4 million viewers is expected to be smooth sailing. It currently ranks first in advance ticket sales. The only Korean film to have surpassed 4 million viewers this year is "The King and the Clown."

"The Roundup" is a film directed by Yeon Sang-ho, depicting the story of people isolated in a building under lockdown fighting against infected individuals amidst an unknown outbreak. This is Jun Ji-hyun's first film in 11 years since "Assassination," and it also features performances by Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, and Shin Hyun-been. The movie was also invited to the Midnight Screenings section at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

However, this week, the comedy film "Wild Thing", starring Kang Dong-won and Park Ji-hyun, is set to be released and is expected to compete with "The Roundup." "Wild Thing" is currently ranked second in advance ticket sales.

The American horror thriller film "The Backrooms" debuted in second place, attracting over 300,000 viewers during its opening weekend. The cumulative audience count stands at 390,000. This film tells the story of a man who discovers a mysterious space in the basement of a furniture store.

"The Backrooms" is gaining attention for being directed by 2005-born director Kane Parsons. Director Parsons, a former YouTuber, adapted his video series, which was released on his YouTube channel, into a film. The movie also topped the box office in North America during its opening weekend.