James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash continues to tower over the Korean box office, holding firmly to the top spot as the new year gets underway. Even with fresh local releases entering the race, the sci-fi spectacle remains the audience’s first choice.
Avatar still unstoppable
Over the January 2–4 weekend, Avatar: Fire and Ash pulled in $5.2 million from more than 630,000 admissions, comfortably leading the charts once again. Since its December 17 release, the film has now crossed $44.4 million in South Korea — a strong showing that reinforces the franchise’s long-standing appeal in the region.
The numbers suggest that word of mouth and premium-format screenings are still driving footfalls, even as competition intensifies.
Local romance makes a solid entry
Opening in second place was South Korean romantic drama Once We Were Us, which debuted with $1.8 million from nearly 264,000 admissions. Directed by Kim Tae-yong, the film stars Park Bo-young and Yoo Yeon-seok as former lovers forced to confront unresolved feelings after unexpectedly meeting again years later.
The film has already reached $3.2 million total, indicating decent early traction among adult audiences looking for emotional storytelling over spectacle.
Animation holds strong
Zootopia 2 continued its impressive run in third place, adding $1.6 million this weekend. Its cumulative total now stands at $53.9 million, cementing its position as one of the highest-grossing animated films in Korea.
Family and youth audiences also kept several animated titles afloat further down the list, including Crayon Shinchan the Movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass, and Pororo the Movie: Sweet Castle Adventure.
Romance and nostalgia round out the top 10
In fourth place, Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight added nearly $790,000, pushing its total to $4.4 million. The film’s bittersweet high-school romance, built around memory loss and fleeting love, continues to resonate with younger viewers.
Meanwhile, a 25th anniversary re-release of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love quietly made its presence felt in tenth place through limited screenings — proving that classic cinema still finds an audience even decades later.
Weekend totals dip slightly
Altogether, the top 10 films earned $10.6 million, down from $14.02 million the previous weekend — a natural post-holiday slowdown rather than a sharp drop in interest.
Final words
While new releases are slowly finding their footing, Avatar: Fire and Ash remains the clear box office king in South Korea. With strong holds and steady admissions, Cameron’s epic continues to outpace both local dramas and animated heavyweights — at least for now.
