'The Roundup: No Way Out' dominates box office on opening day

SEOUL, June 1 (Yonhap) -- The Korean action comedy film "The Roundup: No Way Out" dominated the local box office with 740,000 admissions on the first day of its official release, boding well for the blockbuster movie franchise starring Ma Dong-seok.

The highly anticipated sequel to "The Roundup" (2022) attracted 740,874 moviegoers Wednesday, accounting for about 90 percent of daily box-office sales, according to data from the Korean Film Council.

Ahead of its official release, "No Way Out" hit local theaters during the three-day Buddha's Birthday holiday that began Saturday, drawing about 482,000 viewers.

With the numbers combined, the movie has already garnered about 1.22 million admissions.

It is the third installment of a crime action franchise that began with "The Outlaws" (2017) that attracted 6.87 million viewers. Its sequel, "The Roundup," topped the annual domestic box office last year with 12.69 million admissions.

"No Way Out" has drawn attention as to whether it could surpass its original film and invigorate the sluggish Korean film industry amid a lack of hit movies.

In the new film, rough-and-tough cop Ma Seok-do (played by Ma) chases down a local drug ring as a new and dangerous drug is circulating around local clubs.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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