[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] The Japanese animated film "Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island" (Chiikawa) has maintained its No. 1 spot at the box office and surpassed 1.45 million cumulative viewers.

According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network for movie theater admissions on the 16th, “Chiikawa” drew 35,423 viewers on the 15th alone, securing the No. 1 spot at the box office. Its cumulative attendance stands at 1,450,448.

“Chiikawa” is an animated film depicting a suspicious expedition mission in which Chiikawa and her companions, lured by the sweet temptation of 100 times their usual pay, set off for an unknown island to uncover the secrets hidden there.

“The Assassin(s)” took second place that day, drawing 23,511 viewers. This represented a decrease of 4,776 viewers (16.9%) from the previous day, and its cumulative total reached 3,109,162, surpassing the 3.1 million mark. “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” ranked third, drawing 16,535 viewers. Its cumulative attendance stands at 1,816,886.

The long-running hit “The Odyssey” took fourth place with 8,610 viewers. Its cumulative total stands at 12,215,228, continuing its long-term success.

The box office competition among new releases that opened simultaneously on the 14th also continued. “Street Fighter” drew 7,064 viewers to take fifth place, while “Whalefall: The Man Eaten by a Whale” ranked sixth with 6,946 viewers. “The Guardians of Video Games” drew 5,530 viewers to take seventh place.

“Chiikawa” also took the top spot in advance ticket sales. As of 11:00 a.m. on the 16th, “Chiikawa” had sold 118,200 tickets. In second place was “Odyssey” (26,295 tickets), followed by “The Assassin(s)” in third (18,852 tickets), “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” in fourth (16,985 tickets), and “The Guardians of Video Games” in fifth (13,949 tickets).

With a string of new releases hitting theaters in mid-October, the choices made by weekend audiences are expected to be a key factor in the upcoming box office competition.