Asia’s two biggest theatrical markets headed in opposite directions over the weekend. In China, animated fantasy All Wishes Come True! climbed to No. 1 with another strong performance, overtaking Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Soccer and continuing its impressive word-of-mouth run. Meanwhile, in South Korea, Na Hong-jin’s sci-fi epic Hope remained the country’s top film for a second consecutive weekend, but a steep decline in admissions has raised fresh questions about its long-term box office prospects. Here’s how the two markets performed during the weekend of July 24–26.
Pearl Studio’s All Wishes Come True! topped the mainland China box office with $46.3 million in its second weekend, lifting its domestic total to $112.5 million. Directed by Mu Zhengyang, the animated fantasy reimagines the classic Chinese folktale of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, following a group of ordinary people who outwit the gods to earn their legendary status. Strong reviews and positive word of mouth have helped sustain the film’s momentum since its release, positioning it as one of China’s biggest animated successes of the summer.
The film is also preparing for an international rollout. Pearl Studio and distribution partner CMC Pictures will release All Wishes Come True! in Australia and New Zealand on August 13, followed by the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom on August 14, extending its theatrical reach beyond mainland China.
After dominating the previous two weekends, Kung Fu Soccer slipped to second place, adding $33.9 million to reach an impressive $286.6 million total. The Stephen Chow-directed sports comedy, centred on an amateur women’s football team that combines martial arts with professional football, had defied expectations by increasing its grosses during its second weekend but posted its first significant decline this frame while continuing an outstanding theatrical run.
Damai Entertainment’s sci-fi epic The Decisive Moment debuted in third place with $6.4 million over the weekend and $8.6 million including previews. Universal’s horror thriller Obsession opened in fourth with $4.9 million, while Enlight Pictures’ coming-of-age drama A Part of Me rounded out the top five after earning $2.7 million in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $21.6 million.
In South Korea, Na Hong-jin’s Hope remained the country’s No. 1 film for a second consecutive weekend, generating $5.5 million from 767,366 admissions between Friday and Sunday. According to the Korean Film Council’s KOBIS tracking service, the sci-fi epic accounted for a commanding 66.8% of the market’s total weekend revenue, lifting its cumulative admissions to 3,415,709 since opening.
Despite comfortably retaining the top spot, the film’s weekend admissions fell by more than 50% from its opening frame of over 1.5 million admissions. Produced on a reported budget of approximately ₩60 billion, Hope was expected to attract between 7 million and 8 million admissions domestically, although international pre-sales have reportedly lowered its break-even point to around 5 million admissions. With mixed audience reactions emerging after opening weekend, the film now faces a crucial test as competition intensifies.
The mixed response mirrors the film’s reception following its Cannes premiere in May. While Hope received a seven-minute standing ovation, critical opinion remained divided, with praise for its ambitious scale and action sequences offset by criticism of its narrative structure and visual effects. That split now appears to be reflected in its domestic box office trajectory.
Competition is also set to intensify. Although Hope has so far benefited from limited high-profile competition, Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in South Korea on July 29 and is expected to claim a substantial share of premium screens, increasing the pressure on the sci-fi blockbuster during its third weekend.
Hollywood releases occupied the remainder of the top five. Minions & Monsters held on to second place with $793,103 from 117,916 admissions, lifting its cumulative South Korean total to $3.9 million from 562,965 admissions since its July 15 debut. Disney’s live-action Moana remained in third place, collecting $593,187 from 87,033 admissions to reach $6.6 million from 909,270 admissions. Pixar’s Toy Story 5 followed in fourth with $376,522 from 53,975 admissions, pushing its local total to $19.8 million from 2,837,123 admissions. Faith-based animated feature David rounded out the top five, earning $302,409 from 46,493 admissions and increasing its cumulative gross to $1.4 million from 220,351 admissions.
Among local productions outside the top five, mystery thriller The Eyes placed sixth after adding $269,004, taking its cumulative total to $10.6 million. Japanese anime Dream Animals The Movie debuted in seventh with $92,720, while Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme opened eighth with $37,623. Zombie blockbuster Colony finished ninth after collecting $27,867, lifting its total to $42.6 million, while horror film Hokum rounded out the top 10 with $22,398 on debut. South Korea’s overall weekend box office reached $8.2 million, down sharply from $17.1 million the previous weekend.
Although Hope retained a commanding 66.8% share of the weekend market, its box office momentum will face its biggest test yet this week. Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in South Korea on July 29 and is expected to claim a significant share of premium screens, making Hope’s third weekend a crucial indicator of whether it can build enough momentum to approach its reported break-even target.
The weekend underscored two contrasting stories across Asia’s largest theatrical markets. In China, locally produced films continue to drive robust summer business, led by the sustained success of All Wishes Come True!. In South Korea, however, the focus has shifted to whether Hope can recover from its sharp second-weekend decline and move closer to profitability before Spider-Man: Brand New Day reshapes the marketplace. With both films entering crucial phases of their theatrical runs, the coming weeks will provide a clearer picture of their long-term box office trajectories.
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