[K-Film Weekend Box Office Top Ten] September 8-10, 2006

New films: Between Love and Hate (연애, 그 참을 수 없는 가벼움), Riverbank Legends (뚝방전설), The Sentinel, and United 93.

After spending its opening weekend at the top of the Korean box office, and ranking as the second-highest opening for a Japanese film in Korea, Shinji Higuchi’s The Sinking of Japan dropped to 3rd place. (The highest-opening for a Japanese film in Korea was set in 2005 by Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle).

Coming in at #1 is Kim Hae-Gon's (김해곤) directorial debut – a romantic drama Between Love and Hate. Kim’s previous work includes screenplays for Failan (파이란) and Blue (블루), as well as acting roles in Kim Jee-Woon’s A Bittersweet Life (달콤한 인생) and Jang Hyun-Soo’s Ray Bang (라이방).

In Between Love and Hate, Kim Seung-Woo (김승우) stars as a directionless man having to choose between his fiancee and a salon girl played by Jang Jin-Young (장진영). Jang portrayed the first Korean female aviator in Blue Swallow (청연), while Kim Seung-Woo was previously seen in Hong Sang-Soo's Woman on the Beach.

Ranking / Title [country] - Seoul weekend admissions (Total national admissions):

1. Between Love and Hate (연애, 그 참을 수 없는 가벼움) [Korea] – 85,000 (298,000)
[trailer] streaming windows media [The Korea Times review]
2. Like a Virgin (천하장사 마돈나) [Korea] - 54,000 (483,000)
3. The Sinking of Japan [Japan] - 51,800 (796,940)
4. The Host (괴물) [Korea] – 48,500 (12,790,800)
5. Riverbank Legends (뚝방전설) [Korea] – 47,000 (248,900)
6. The Sentinel [USA] – 29,200 (100,500)
7. No Mercy for the Rude (예의없는 것들) [Korea] – 20,400 (873,400)
8. United 93 [USA] – 16,000 (48,000)
9. The Lake House [USA] – 12,100 (154,700)
10. Woman on the Beach (해변의 여인) [Korea] – 8,400 (206,300)

Source: [FILM 2.0]