'Parasite' tops 4 bln yen in Japanese sales

SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- The Oscar-winning Korean film "Parasite" has topped 4 billion yen (US$38.9 million) in ticket sales in Japan, maintaining its place as the box office No. 1 for the fourth week in a row, the film's distributor said Monday.

The film recorded an accumulated 4.05 billion yen in sales in Japan as of Sunday after earning 133.7 million yen over the weekend alone, CJ ENM said, citing data by Japanese website eiga.com.

It is the most revenue a South Korean film has recorded in Japan, surpassing the previous record high of 3 billion yen by Korean romance film "A Moment to Remember" released in Japan in 2005.

As of Sunday, "Parasite" was also the box office No. 1 in Japan, topping the chart for the forth week in a row and becoming the first Korean film to top the chart since "A Moment to Remember" in 2005.

"Parasite" by Bong Joon-ho was first released on three Japanese movie screens on Dec. 27 before hitting more screens nationwide the next month.

In Britain, "Parasite" has earned 11.1 million pounds in the first month since its release in the country on Feb. 7, the biggest box-office hit ever for a foreign movie released in Britain.

In North America, the film has garnered $52.8 million so far. Including this, the film's total revenue worldwide came to $245.9 million, according to CJ ENM.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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