Korean Sports Drama ‘The Match’ Starring Lee Byung-Hun & Yoo Ah-In Tops Korean Box Office

Korean sports drama The Match, which stars Lee Byung-hyun and Yoo Ah-in, topped the country’s weekend box office for a third consecutive week.

Released on March 26, The Match grossed an additional $2M over the past week, bringing its total box office gross to nearly $11.9M. The film has recorded over 1.8 million admissions since its premiere, according to data from the Korean Film Council.

The film is based on a real-life story about two of South Korea‘s top Go players. The Match follows the journey of Cho Hoon-hyun (played by Lee), who discovers the young genius Lee Chang-ho (Yoo) and takes him under his wing at the height of his professional career.

The Match also stars Ko Chang-seok, Hyun Bong-sik, Moon Jeong-hee, and Kim Kang-hoon.

Initially slated for release in 2023, the film’s premiere was postponed due to drug use charges against lead actor Yoo. He was given a one-year prison sentence and was released from prison after serving five months, following an appeals court decision to impose a suspended sentence.

Spy thriller The Amateur came in second at Korea’s box office after The Match, with the Rami Malek film adding approximately $325,000 over the past week and grossing around $492,000 since its April 9 debut.

Korean black comedy Lobby, starring Ha Jung-woo (who also directed the film), came in third.