Korea Box Office: Anime Phenomenon Chiikawa Staves Off Final Interview for Top Spot
Japanese animated feature Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island maintains its dominance at the South Korean box office for a fourth consecutive weekend, fending off new challengers including corporate thriller Final Interview.
Published 8 November 2026
Chiikawa Leads the Box Office Again
The Japanese animated sensation Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island successfully defended its leadership position at the South Korean box office over the weekend spanning November 6 to November 8. Securing its fourth consecutive weekend crown, the fantasy feature brought in $1.1 million from 149,050 admissions across 977 screens, capturing a 23.5% slice of the weekend market.
Distributed by Toho and directed by Kei Oikawa, the film draws its inspiration from the popular manga created by Nagano. Since its initial release on September 30, the animated hit has built a massive cumulative gross of $21 million, backed by 2,788,843 total admissions.
Final Interview Debuts in Second Place
Next Entertainment World's corporate mystery thriller Final Interview entered the box office race in second place. The claustrophobic feature pulled in $787,344 from 104,476 admissions across 957 screens, taking 16.7% of theatrical receipts for the frame.
Directed by Kim Jung-hoon and adapted from Akinari Asakura's bestselling novel, the story follows six finalists vying for a single corporate position. Tasked with evaluating one another during a two-hour deliberation, the process turns chaotic when envelopes containing their darkest secrets are exposed. The movie features an ensemble cast starring Cho Yi-hyun, Kim Jae-won, Shin Seung-ho, Kang You-seok, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Bae Gang-hee, pushing its mid-week launch total to $1.2 million from 166,796 admissions.
Heart of the Beast Holds Third
Sony Pictures and TriStar's wilderness survival thriller Heart of the Beast claimed the third-place position during its sophomore frame. The action-adventure venture earned $667,817 from 90,679 admissions across 851 screens, securing 14.17% of the market share.
Headlined by Brad Pitt, the film's strong hold lifted its overall cumulative total to $2.7 million from 379,763 viewers since kicking off its theatrical run on October 28.
Detective Conan Special Enters at Fourth
Toho's anime special Detective Conan: The Counterfeit Case of Ultra 30 made its debut in fourth place. The mystery project generated $592,765 from 79,999 admissions across 409 screens, representing 12.58% of the weekend's ticket sales.
Marking a 30th-anniversary milestone, the narrative follows Conan Edogawa as he investigates an organized counterfeit banknote operation tied to a murder case, bringing its cumulative earnings to $803,051 from 108,164 admissions since bowing on November 5.
Mid-Tier Openings and Continuing Runs
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's The Cat in the Hat opened in fifth place with $200,431 from 29,259 admissions across 608 screens, pushing its total to $216,246. Aniplex's anime fantasy Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie -Walpurgisnacht: Rising- secured sixth place with $211,771 in revenue from 25,069 tickets, benefiting from premium ticketing across 187 screens.
Further down the chart, the anime re-release Attack on Titan: Crimson Arrows claimed seventh place, while Searchlight Pictures' Wild Horse Nine debuted in eighth. Director Hur Jin-ho's political crime thriller The Assassin(s) placed ninth in its seventh weekend, bringing its staggering cumulative total to $25 million from 3,476,553 admissions since September 23. Rounding out the top 10, the comedy Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng pushed its cumulative gross to $688,175.
Overall Market Growth
The broader South Korean theatrical ecosystem experienced an upward tick in overall revenues for the weekend. The collective gross across all films reached $6.2 million.
This total marks an increase from the previous weekend's figures, which stood at $5.3 million, demonstrating healthy box office activity driven by both holdover anime blockbusters and fresh thriller debuts.
News Overview
Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island retained the top spot at the South Korean box office for a fourth consecutive weekend, earning $1.1 million. Meanwhile, corporate thriller Final Interview debuted strongly in second place behind solid mid-week ticket sales.
The overall weekend market collective gross rose to $6.2 million, showcasing steady momentum across diverse cinematic offerings.
Key facts
- Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island earned $1.1 million over the weekend of November 6-8, 2026.
- Chiikawa has accumulated a total of $21 million from 2,788,843 admissions since its September 30 release.
- Final Interview opened in second place with $787,344 from 104,476 admissions.
- Heart of the Beast lifted its cumulative total to $2.7 million.
- The overall weekend market gross was $6.2 million.