James Cameron's sci-fi threequel crosses 4 million admissions as "Zootopia 2" holds strong with 7.5 million
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is tearing through the Korean box office at a record pace, crossing 4 million admissions in just 12 days — the fastest any 2025 release has hit that mark as moviegoers flocked to theaters over the Christmas holiday weekend.
According to the Korean Film Council's box office tracker, James Cameron's sci-fi threequel had racked up 4.04 million admissions as of Monday morning, edging out "Zootopia 2" by a single day to set the new benchmark.
The $400 million blockbuster raked in 1.05 million admissions over the holiday frame (Dec. 26-28) and has topped the chart for 11 consecutive days since its Dec. 17 debut. Premium formats have posted strong turnout, with local multiplex chain CJ CGV reporting 70 percent seat occupancy in its immersive 4DX auditoriums in the opening week.
The film has grossed $32 million locally and $760 million worldwide through its second weekend. It's on pace to become 2025's third release to crack the billion-dollar threshold globally, following earlier Disney hits "Lilo & Stitch" ($1.03 billion) and "Zootopia 2" ($1.42 billion).
Korea currently ranks as the fourth-largest international market for "Avatar: Fire and Ash," behind China ($99.6 million), France ($54.4 million) and Germany ($43.1 million), according to studio estimates cited by Variety.
"Zootopia 2," meanwhile, continues to put up solid numbers despite ceding the top spot. The animated sequel added 450,000 admissions over the weekend to push its cumulative tally to 7.48 million, remaining the first 2025 title to breach the 7 million mark.
Director Jared Bush's sequel knocked "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" from the year's top spot in late November and has climbed to fifth place on Korea's all-time animation leaderboard. The 2016 original drew 4.71 million admissions during its theatrical run.
The next milestone in sight for "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is 10 million admissions — the threshold that separates hits from bona fide cultural phenomena locally. Both the 2009 original and 2022's "The Way of Water" cleared that bar, with the latter drawing 10.82 million even as the box office was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the homegrown front, romance films are filling out the holiday slate. "Even if This Love Disappears from the World Tonight," a Korean remake of the 2022 Japanese drama starring Choo Young-woo and Shin Si-ah, opened on Christmas Eve and placed third over the weekend. Total admissions have reached 365,000.
Another romantic drama, "Once We Were Us" — a remake of the 2018 Chinese film "Us and Them" starring Koo Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young — arrives in theaters Dec. 31.
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
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