Korean supernatural drama Exhuma is continuing to prove a box office smash in its home market and is now replicating that success in territories across Asia.
The film led the South Korea box office for a sixth consecutive weekend from March 29-31, taking $3.07m from 418,000 admissions, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking system.
As of today (April 2), the cumulative box office in the territory is $78.5m from just over 11 million admissions. It easily positions Exhuma as the biggest film of the year to date in South Korea, three times ahead of Wonka in second place with $25.1m from 3.5 million admissions.
It may not surpass last year’s top performing title, 12.12: The Day, which grossed $95.2m from 13.1 million admissions. However, it is now ahead of 2023’s second highest grossing film, The Roundup: No Way Out, which took $77.9m from 10.6 million admissions.
Exhuma, directed by Jang Jae-hyun and starring Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun, is also winning over audiences in a further six territories across Asia and beyond.
In Vietnam, it has grossed $6.9m (VND173.5bn) from 2.26 million admissions since its release by distributor Mockingbird Pictures on March 15, according to Korean sales agent, distributor and production company Showbox Corp.
This makes it the highest-grossing Korean film ever in Vietnam, ahead of previous leader 6/45, which recorded 2.15 million admissions following its release in 2022. Exhuma took $660,000 on March 15 setting a box office record for a Korean film in the country on its first day of release and became the fastest Korean film to reach 1 million admissions in Vietnam.
The horror has also become the biggest Korean film in Indonesia, where it has taken $6.64m (IDR105.9bn) from 2.34 million admissions since its release on February 28 by distributor Purple Plan. This puts it comfortably ahead of previous leader Parasite, the Oscar-winning Korean drama by Bong Joon Ho, which reached 700,000 admissions in Indonesia in the summer of 2019.
Parasite still holds the lead as the biggest Korean film released in Australia, but Exhuma now ranks second, taking $776,000 (AUD1.2m) since its release on March 14.
The film has also proved a hit in Thailand, ranked the third most-popular Korean film released in the territory to date behind Train To Busan and Peninsula, with takings of $928,000 (34m baht) from 237,000 admissions since its release on March 21.
In Malaysia, it has grossed $945,000 (RM4.5m) from 253,000 admissions since March 14 and was most recently released in North America through Well Go USA, taking $1.32m since March 21.
The international rollout is set to continue with upcoming releases in Laos on April 4, Hong Kong on April 11, Cambodia on April 18 and India later this month.
The story follows a wealthy family in Los Angeles who experience paranormal events and summon a shamanic duo to save their newborn baby. After sensing a dark ancestor’s shadow, they call in a geomancer and mortician to set about exhuming a grave in Korea — but unleash a malevolent force.
It was produced by Showbox and Pinetown Production in association with MCMC.
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