Strong Debut Surpasses 700,000 Viewers in Two Days
The South Korean comedy-thriller Zombie Daughter has taken the local box office by storm, amassing over 700,000 admissions within just two days of its release. According to data from the Korean Film Council on August 1st, the film added more than 240,000 viewers on its second day, pushing its total to 703,010 and maintaining its spot at the top of the charts.
Highest Opening of 2024
Released on July 30, Zombie Daughter pulled in 430,000 moviegoers on its first day, surpassing the opening day tally of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (423,892), which previously held the record for the biggest opening of 2024 in Korea. This makes Zombie Daughter the new front-runner for this year’s biggest film debut.
It also outperformed the opening of Extreme Job—Korea’s highest-grossing comedy film and the second-highest earner in the country’s cinematic history—which drew 368,582 viewers on its first day. The impressive numbers have turned heads across the industry and solidified the film’s status as a major commercial hit.
A Heartfelt Story Amidst Laughter and Horror
Directed by Pil Gam-sung, Zombie Daughter is based on the popular webtoon of the same name by writer Lee Yoon-chang. The story follows Jung-hwan (played by Cho Jung-seok), a seasoned wild animal trainer, who embarks on a desperate mission to save his daughter Soo-ah (Choi Yoo-ri) after she becomes infected with a zombie virus. Blending emotional stakes with dark humour, the film has resonated with a wide range of audiences.
Box Office Rankings: F1 and DreamWorks Follow
While Zombie Daughter led the box office with a dominant 48.2% share of revenue on its second day, Brad Pitt’s racing-themed film F1: The Movie secured second place. Drawing in 74,693 viewers that day, F1 has accumulated a total of 2.71 million admissions to date.
In third place was DreamWorks’ animated sequel The Bad Guys 2, which brought in around 33,000 viewers on the same day, capturing a 6.3% share of total box office revenue.
Ticket Pre-Sales Signal Continued Success
With its strong opening, Zombie Daughter also leads in ticket pre-sales. As of 9 AM on August 1st, the film held a commanding 36.8% share in advance bookings, equating to more than 220,000 tickets sold. In comparison, F1: The Movie trailed behind with a 15.4% pre-sale rate.
The momentum behind Zombie Daughter suggests it is poised to dominate the box office through the opening weekend, with both critical interest and audience enthusiasm driving its continued success.
