Gyeongju Giyaeng reclaims Korean box office No. 1 on word-of-mouth buzz

Back on top, weeks after opening

Gyeongju Giyaeng hit No. 1 again on September 5. The integrated cinema ticketing system confirmed it at 8:00 AM that morning. The film had first claimed the top spot on opening day, August 26, then slipped as new competition arrived. Now it was back.

It beat Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day at launch and kept winning. A 92% score on the CGV Golden Egg Index meant audiences kept showing up, week after week.

Directed by Kim Mi-jo, the film follows four women—a mother and three daughters—who finally take a trip after eight years. They've been waiting for their youngest, Gyeongju, who vanished on a school excursion and never came home. The cast includes Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, Lee Yeon, and Byun Yo-han.

What audiences are saying

Word-of-mouth has been the engine. One viewer wrote, "The dialogue between Oksil and Jangju and the final scene will remain in my memory for a long time." Others raved about the performances, the Gyeongju scenery, the emotional whiplash. One person cried, laughed, and gasped out loud in the theater—the kind of reaction that keeps a film alive at the box office.

Sept. 13 theater tour

The cast and director are hitting five Seoul venues on September 13 for a third-week audience greeting. Kim Mi-jo, Park So-dam, Lee Yeon, and Byun Yo-han will appear at:

• CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall
• CGV Wangsimni
• Megabox Guui Eastpole
• Megabox Coex
• Lotte Cinema World Tower

Gyeongju Giyaeng is screening nationwide.