'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' draws over 680,000 moviegoers on opening day, tops Korean box office

The latest Spider-Man film drew more than 680,000 moviegoers in Korea on its opening day and claimed the top spot at the box office, setting a new high for any release this year, data showed on Thursday.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” the fourth installment starring British actor Tom Holland, attracted about 688,000 viewers on Wednesday, accounting for 83.2 percent of all ticket sales, according to data from the Korean Film Council.

The figure surpassed the opening-day attendances of Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi thriller “Hope,” which recorded 333,000 moviegoers, and Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie thriller “Colony,” which saw 199,000, according to Sony Pictures, the local distributor of the Spider-Man film. Both Korean films were released earlier this year. 

It also exceeded the first-day results of previous entries in the franchise: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017) with 540,000, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) with 670,000 and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021) with 630,000.

The new film follows an adult Peter Parker, played by Holland, as he confronts new threats while grappling with being forgotten by everyone who knows him, including his former girlfriend MJ, played by American actor Zendaya, and his best friend Ned, played by American actor Jacob Batalon.

“Hope” slipped to second place at the daily box office, ending a 14-day streak at the top since its release on July 15. The film saw about 87,000 viewers Wednesday, bringing its cumulative audience to 3.7 million.

Yonhap