[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] The film “The Assassin(s),” which has been embroiled in various controversies, maintained its No. 1 spot at the box office on Hangul Day and is on the verge of surpassing 3 million cumulative viewers.

According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network on the 10th, “The Assassin(s)” topped the box office after drawing 160,976 viewers the previous day. Its cumulative attendance stands at 2,745,841, leaving it about 254,000 short of the 3 million mark.
In second place, “Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” drew 152,104 viewers on the same day. The difference in daily attendance between the two films was only 8,872. Following them, “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub,” “The Odyssey,” and “The Resurrected Man: The Red” took third through fifth place, respectively.
“The Assassin(s)” continues to lead the box office despite political controversies surrounding the film, threats directed at some of the actors, and polarized online reviews. While the controversy has certainly fueled interest in the film, it is clear that the film has maintained its position at the center of the box office by steadily attracting audiences since its release. On Hangul Day, it narrowly fended off a fierce challenge from “Chiikawa,” which surpassed 1 million viewers on its 10th day in theaters.
However, it is difficult to guarantee the number one spot through the weekend. As of 8:00 a.m. on the 10th, “Chiikawa” had 102,779 advance tickets sold, which is 42,220 more than the 60,559 sold for “The Assassin(s),” currently in second place. While the daily audience gap has narrowed to less than 10,000, the gap in advance ticket sales has widened, so there is a possibility that the rankings could flip in the weekend box office.
The head-to-head battle between “The Assassin(s),” which is pushing past the 3 million viewer mark despite controversy, and “Chiikawa,” backed by its dedicated fanbase, is expected to determine the box office landscape during the holiday season.