China and South Korea Box Office: The weekend of October 2-4 brought holiday-driven shifts to two of Asia’s biggest theatrical markets. In China, a new crime procedural took the top spot as the country’s weeklong National Day holiday got underway, while in South Korea, a political crime thriller held onto the admissions lead even as a new Japanese animated release generated the weekend’s biggest gross.
In China, New Classics Pictures’ crime procedural Traces of Justice took the top spot with $31.2 million (RMB208.9 million) over the three-day frame. Directed by Chen Sicheng, the creator of the Detective Chinatown franchise, and starring Zhang Yi, Ma Li, Li Xuejian, Karry Wang, Fan Chengcheng and Chen Feiyu, the film is loosely based on the career of pioneering forensic investigator Cui Daozhi. Since its October 1 release, it has amassed $41.8 million.
Beijing Joy Fun Pictures’ comedy Mr. & Mrs. Pardon opened in second place, pulling in $17.3 million over the weekend and lifting its cumulative total to $24.5 million since also opening on October 1. Directed by Shen Chunyang, the film follows a middle-aged couple grappling with their “seven-year itch” for a third time.
Once Upon a Time in the Middle East slipped to third place in a much later weekend of its run, earning $4.4 million and pushing its cumulative total to $350 million since its August 11 release. All Wishes Come True!, the animated fantasy from Pearl Studio, placed fourth in its 12th weekend with $4.3 million, crossing the RMB2 billion milestone for a cumulative total of $302 million since its July 18 premiere.
Rounding out China’s top five, action-comedy sequel Go for Broke 2, from director Marc Ma and starring Isabella Leong, Wen Junhui and Sammo Hung, added $4.2 million in its opening frame. Mainland China’s overall weekend box office reached $74.1 million as theatrical activity accelerated into the National Day holiday. The 2026 year-to-date total stands at $4.52 billion, down 29.7% from the same period in 2025.
The National Day holiday remains one of the most important periods on China’s theatrical calendar, and the weekend’s results were shaped heavily by the concentration of new releases around the holiday frame. Traces of Justice emerged as the clear leader, opening more than $13 million ahead of Mr. & Mrs. Pardon, while the established titles further down the chart continued to post significant cumulative grosses.
In South Korea, director Hur Jin-ho’s political crime thriller The Assassin(s) held the top position in admissions over the weekend, leading all titles with 412,012 admissions across 1,129 screens. The film generated $3 million and a 23.89% market share. It dramatizes the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee that resulted in the death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo, and stars Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho. Since its September 23 release, it has earned $16.3 million from 2,233,963 admissions.
However, The Assassin(s) did not generate South Korea’s biggest weekend gross. That distinction went to Japanese animated feature Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island, which captured $3.2 million from 405,978 admissions across 1,055 screens for a 25.31% market share. Directed by Kei Oikawa, the film has grossed $4.7 million from 604,764 total admissions since its September 30 wide launch.
The distinction between admissions and gross is significant in this week’s Korean box office. The Assassin(s) led the market in the number of tickets sold, while Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island generated the higher weekend revenue despite recording fewer admissions. This resulted in the two films effectively sharing the top position depending on whether the market is ranked by audience attendance or box-office gross.
Gambling crime drama Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub placed third in its sophomore frame, earning $2.2 million from 299,915 admissions for an 18% market share. Its cumulative total has now reached $10.2 million from 1,365,648 viewers.
The Odyssey held fourth place in its ninth weekend, drawing $1.2 million from 123,059 admissions. Its local gross has reached $101.2 million from 11,998,236 ticket buyers, leaving the film just under 2,000 admissions short of the 12 million mark.
Action fantasy Reawakened Man, directed by Baek Seung-ryong and starring Koo Kyo-hwan, opened in fifth place with $885,217 from 115,894 admissions. The film has brought in $1.4 million since its September 30 premiere.
South Korea’s overall weekend market gross came to $12.6 million, down from the previous week’s holiday-boosted $19.6 million. The decline reflects the difference in holiday timing and the changing release pattern, but the market continued to record meaningful theatrical activity across both local and international titles.
Across the two markets, the weekend demonstrated the continuing importance of holiday periods in shaping theatrical rankings. China’s National Day holiday produced a clear new-release leader in Traces of Justice, which quickly accumulated $41.8 million following its October 1 launch. Mr. & Mrs. Pardon also benefited from the holiday frame, while established titles such as Once Upon a Time in the Middle East and All Wishes Come True! continued to add to already substantial cumulative totals.
South Korea presented a more unusual picture, with the admissions leader and gross leader being different films. The Assassin(s) remained the most widely attended film during the weekend, while Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island generated the highest gross. The Japanese animation’s 25.31% market share also gave it the largest share among the weekend’s titles despite its second-place position by admissions.
The two markets therefore offered contrasting holiday box-office stories. China entered its National Day period with a strong new domestic release at the top of the chart, although the country’s year-to-date box office remains below last year’s level. South Korea, meanwhile, saw a more competitive weekend in which admissions and gross told slightly different stories.
For China, the broader market picture remains an important part of the weekend’s results. Mainland China’s $74.1 million weekend total came during one of the industry’s most important holiday periods, but the 2026 year-to-date figure of $4.52 billion remains 29.7% below the comparable period in 2025.
The weekend ultimately produced two different examples of how theatrical markets can be shaped by local release calendars. Traces of Justice established itself as the leading title of China’s National Day frame, while The Assassin(s) demonstrated strong audience demand in South Korea by leading admissions even without taking the top spot in weekend gross. Together, the results highlight the different dynamics at work across two of Asia’s most important box-office territories.
China Weekend Box Office — October 2-4
- Traces of Justice — $31.2M | Cumulative: $41.8M
- Mr. & Mrs. Pardon — $17.3M | Cumulative: $24.5M
- Once Upon a Time in the Middle East — $4.4M | Cumulative: $350M
- All Wishes Come True! — $4.3M | Cumulative: $302M
- Go for Broke 2 — $4.2M | Opening Weekend
South Korea Weekend Box Office — October 2-4
- The Assassin(s) — $3M | 412,012 admissions | Cumulative: $16.3M
- Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island — $3.2M | 405,978 admissions | Cumulative: $4.7M
- Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub — $2.2M | 299,915 admissions | Cumulative: $10.2M
- The Odyssey — $1.2M | 123,059 admissions | Cumulative: $101.2M
- Reawakened Man — $885,217 | 115,894 admissions | Opening Weekend
