LOS ANGELES ― A South Korean mega-hit movie about a 16th-century Korean admiral’s astonishing victory over Japanese naval forces became the top-selling Korean film that has ever been shown in North American theaters, earning more than U.S. $2.58 million, the movie’s distributor said Sunday.

The film, “Roaring Currents,” posted the box-office haul nearly four months after it was released in 30 cinemas in the United States and Canada on Aug. 15 under the title “The Admiral: Roaring Currents,” according to the U.S. unit of the South Korean distributor CJ E&M.

The previous record was $2.38 million for “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring” (2004) by director Kim Ki-duk.

Thanks to favorable reviews by critics and moviegoers, the number of theaters screening “Roaring Currents” in North America later increased to 53, CJ said.

In South Korea, the film currently is the all-time most-watched film that attracted 17.61 million viewers after it opened on July 30.

The historical film depicts a legendary naval victory over Japan led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

In the Battle of Myeongnyang in 1597, the commander prevailed with only a dozen ships against Japan’s 300-strong fleet. (Yonhap)