The highly anticipated film Harbin drew 380,000 viewers on its first day of release and securing the top spot at the box office.
According to the Korea Film Council’s integrated computer network for theater tickets on the 25th, Harbin recorded 381,000 viewers on its opening day, capturing 63.9% of the total sales share.
This impressive performance dethroned the previous daily box office leader, Firefighter, which drew 81,000 viewers on the same day.
Harbin surpassed the first-day numbers of Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), a December blockbuster that went on to surpass 10 million viewers, which had 359,000 viewers on its opening day.
Harbin is a historical action film inspired by the Harbin incident involving Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun.
The film features an all-star cast, including Hyun Bin, Park Jung-min, and Jo Woo-jin, and is directed by Woo Min-ho.
The film’s strong start is further bolstered by its advance ticket sales, which hint at continued box office success.
As of 8 a.m. on the 25th, Harbin had an advance ticket sales rate of 51.7%, amounting to 595,000 tickets sold.
Other films trailing behind included Firefighter (9.5%), Moana 2 (7.6%), and Mufasa: The Lion King (7.5%).
