'Salmokji' becomes the highest-grossing horror film in South Korea.

'Salmokji' trở thành phim kinh dị ăn khách nhất Hàn Quốc - Ảnh 1. — Actress Kim Hye Yoon in a scene from *Salmokji: Whispering Water*

Citing statistics released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on May 18th, Yonhap News Agency and The Korea Times simultaneously reported that the supernatural horror film Salmokji: Whispering Water has officially become the highest-rated Korean horror film of all time.

Specifically, in just the past three days of the weekend (Friday to Sunday), this film attracted an additional 90,972 viewers, bringing the total number of moviegoers to 3.17 million. This impressive achievement has allowed Salmokji to officially break the record held by the classic horror film A Tale of Two Sisters (released in 2003) for the past 23 years with 3.14 million viewers.

The allure of the supernatural horror genre

According to film critics in The Korea Times , Salmokji 's appeal stems from its exploration of haunting local spiritual themes combined with a fast-paced narrative. Released on April 8th, the film revolves around the journey of a film crew led by young female director Soo In (played by star Kim Hye Yoon).

To meet the producer's strict deadline for filming, the entire crew risked venturing deep into a desolate swamp. As time ran out, they realized they had fallen into a terrifying trap of nature and unseen supernatural forces, with no escape.

Notably, the setting of the film Salmokji is actually a real reservoir located in Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province. This place has long been the focus of eerie rumors among the local people, with a history of recorded anomalies. Bringing a real-life "cursed" location to the big screen further stimulates audience curiosity.

Standing firm against the onslaught of foreign blockbusters.

According to Yonhap's market analysis report, despite facing intense competition from foreign films at the box office last weekend, Salmokji showed remarkable resilience by holding onto the 4th position in the box office rankings.

Leading the South Korean box office are still foreign films, with the biographical blockbuster Michael Jackson reigning supreme with 470,375 tickets sold in just three days over the weekend. Following closely behind are the animated blockbuster The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (123,558 tickets sold) and the comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada 2 (120,545 tickets sold).

Despite lagging behind Hollywood releases in terms of weekly growth rate, Salmokji has so far fulfilled its historical mission, cementing its place in the Korean film world as a new icon of the supernatural horror genre.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/salmokji-tro-thanh-phim-kinh-di-an-khach-nhat-han-quoc-185260519085507285.htm