After prospering in Japan, "The Crimson Rivers" tops the Korean box-office, scoring 180,000 admissions in its opening week (92,000 in Seoul).(02/21/01)
"The Crimson Rivers" is making a hit with Asian audiences. Following on the trail of its successful run in Japan (pulling in 400,000 spectators in 10 days on the screens), Mathieu Kassovitz's film has now met with the red-carpet treatment in Korea. Distributed by Taewon in 69 prints, it registered 180,000 admissions in its opening week. In Seoul alone, 92,000 moviegoers flocked to see the film, which took first place at the box-office, ahead of "Man of Honor" (USA, 45,000 admissions) and "Avalon" (Japan, 40,000 admissions). The film performed well in its second week, despite dropping back to 59 prints in circulation, which can be explained by the limited number of theaters operating in the country (707 for a population of 45 million). "The Crimson Rivers" is slated to remain in theaters for 4 weeks, and could well reach 600,000 admissions, a fine score for a foreign film. It is currently in seventh place in the Top 10 of 2001.
