[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] The film “The Assassin(s),” which deals with the shooting of the late First Lady Yuk Young-soo, has remained at the top of the box office for a week despite political controversy. With cumulative attendance surpassing 2.88 million and the 3-million mark in sight, interest in the film continues to grow, fueled by a group screening attended by lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea.

According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network on the 11th, “The Assassin(s)” took the No. 1 spot at the box office on the 10th, drawing 138,527 viewers in a single day. Its cumulative audience stands at 2,884,498, leaving it just 115,502 viewers short of the 3 million mark.
However, the second-place film, “Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island,” is closing in rapidly. “Chiikawa” drew 135,798 viewers on the same day, trailing “Assassins” by a mere 2,729 viewers. Its cumulative audience stands at 1,161,527. “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” took third place, “Odyssey” fourth, and “Look Back” fifth.
In terms of advance ticket sales, “Chiikawa” is in the lead. As of 8:00 a.m. that day, “Chiikawa” ranked first with 76,434 tickets sold. “Odyssey” ranked second with 35,587 tickets, and “Assassins” ranked third with 35,435 tickets. The gap in advance ticket sales between “Odyssey” and “Assassin(s)” is only 152 tickets.
Since its release, “The Assassin(s)” has been at the center of ongoing political controversy over its portrayal of historical figures and events. Despite the continued mixed reviews and debates surrounding the film, it has maintained its No. 1 spot at the box office and continues to draw audiences. However, with “Chiikawa” closing in by a narrow margin in daily attendance and leading in advance ticket sales, the competition for the top spot at the box office this weekend is expected to intensify.
Amid this, group screenings by political figures are also continuing. Democratic Party lawmakers Park Ju-min and Kim Woo-young organized a group screening of *The Assassin(s)* on the 10th at the Seoul Eunpyeong A and B District Committees. It has drawn attention that a local Democratic Party organization held a group screening as the controversy surrounding the film spreads into political circles.
It remains to be seen whether “The Assassin(s),” which has held the top spot for a week despite political controversy, will be able to surpass the 3 million viewer mark this weekend. In particular, since the daily audience gap with “Chiikawa” is less than 3,000, the competition for the number one spot at the box office is expected to become even more intense.