Japan's 'Chikawa' Tops Weekend Box Office for Second Consecutive Week, Surpassing 1.82 Million Admissions

'Assassination(s)' ranked 2nd, 'Tazza: The Hidden Card' ranked 3rdJapanese animation 'Chikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island' topped the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks. /CJ ENM[THE FACT|Park Ji-yoon Reporter] The animated film 'Chikawa' has made its presence felt in theaters for two consecutive weekends.According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie theaters, 'Chikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island' (Director Kei Oiwa, hereinafter referred to as 'Chikawa') captivated 378,484 viewers from the 16th to the 18th, ranking first at the box office. The cumulative audience count is 1,828,919, and it is on the verge of surpassing 2 million viewers.'Chikawa,' which regained the top spot at the box office on the 14th, has held its position firmly for five consecutive days and is continuing its box office success by ranking first on the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks.Buoyed by this, the film surpassed the final audience count of 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' (1,636,624 viewers), which was released in theaters in April, and achieved the feat of ranking in the TOP 2 for animated film box office success this year.'Chikawa' (Chiikawa) is a manga serialized by Japanese illustrator Nagano, depicting the joyful, poignant, and sometimes rough daily lives of unique characters.The movie 'Chikawa,' based on the most popular episode 'Siren Arc' serialized in 2023, is an animation that depicts Chikawa and his friends embarking on a suspicious extermination mission to an unknown island, lured by the sweet temptation of a 100x reward, and uncovering the secrets hidden there. Nagano himself participated in the script and supervision, perfectly capturing the charm and emotion of the original work.Second place went to 'Assassination(s)' (Director Huh Jin-ho), which attracted 140,021 viewers. The cumulative audience count is 3,249,178.Released on August 23rd, 'Assassination(s)' is a film that traces the suspicions and behind-the-scenes of the assassination of the First Lady that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. It is based on the assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-soo, which occurred during the National Liberation Day ceremony in 1974, a topic that has never been covered in Korean cinema.'Assassination(s)' enjoyed a successful run, dominating the Chuseok holiday box office, but faced unexpected issues. Some quarters raised concerns about historical distortion regarding scenes that suggested the possibility of former President Park Chung-hee's side or the Central Intelligence Agency's involvement in the incident, and the film became the center of various controversies, with theories of Chinese capital involvement also being raised.The production company issued an official statement to distance itself from the various suspicions, but the controversy surrounding the film spilled beyond the screen, with protests occurring in front of the homes of actors involved in the production.'Tazza: The Hidden Card' (Director Choi Gook-hee) ranked 3rd with 94,317 viewers, 'Oppenheimer' (Director Christopher Nolan) ranked 4th with 52,441 viewers, and 'The Deepest Breath' (Director Brian Davefield) ranked 5th with 38,637 viewers.jiyoon-1031@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]