The September 25–27 weekend produced two very different stories in Asia’s biggest theatrical markets. In China, Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame Encore took the top spot from Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, which had ruled the chart for several weeks. In South Korea, the Chuseok holiday lifted the overall market, with director Hur Jin-ho’s The Assassin(s) opening at No. 1.
In China, Avengers: Endgame Encore claimed the top spot with $12.5 million (RMB 83.8 million), according to Artisan Gateway. The re-release has now reached a cumulative total of $647.8 million in the country.
Once Upon a Time in the Middle East moved to second place after its long run at the top, collecting $7.6 million in its seventh weekend. Directed by Wen Muye and starring Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman and Omar Sherif, the war comedy-drama has lifted its total to $341.2 million since opening on August 11. The film follows a Chinese chef in a fictional Middle Eastern city who turns his restaurant into a shelter for local orphans and civilians during an armed conflict.
All Wishes Come True! held third place in its 11th weekend with $4.6 million. Directed by Mu Zhengyang, the animated fantasy comedy has now reached $296 million since its July 18 release.
The Old Fox opened in fourth place with $3.6 million. Directed by Li Taige, the crime comedy stars Yu Qian as a retiring veteran police officer who notices suspicious details in a routine theft case. His investigation leads him to a ruthless corporate chairman, played by Tony Leung Ka-fai, and the two become locked in a battle of wits.
V rounded out China’s Top Five with $2.8 million in its sixth weekend, taking its cumulative total to $96 million. Directed by Han Yan and led by Tony Leung Ka-fai, Zhu Yilong, Tan Jianci and Kara Wai, the film follows an ambitious man’s rapid rise to power and the consequences that threaten it.
Mainland China’s overall weekend gross reached $39.9 million during the quieter stretch before the Golden Week holiday. The 2026 year-to-date box office stands at $4.34 billion, down 29.4% from the same point in 2025.
In South Korea, The Assassin(s) powered to No. 1, earning $8 million from 1,119,156 admissions across 1,532 screens and taking a 40.9% share of the weekend market, according to KOBIS.
Directed by Hur Jin-ho, the period investigation drama reconstructs the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee, which killed First Lady Yuk Young-soo. Yu Hae-jin plays a detective, Park Hae-il plays a veteran newspaper desk chief, and Lee Min-ho plays a rookie reporter. The three investigate missing ballistic evidence that contradicts the state’s lone-gunman verdict. Since opening on September 23, the film has earned $11.2 million from 1,566,222 admissions.
Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub opened in second place with $4.1 million from 566,526 admissions across 1,045 screens, giving it a 21.3% share of the market. Directed by Choi Kook-hee and starring Byun Yo-han, Noh Jae-won and Ayaka Miyoshi, the fourth film in the gambling franchise follows a betrayed former online casino operator who enters the international poker circuit for a high-stakes duel of revenge. Including previews and holiday crowds since September 23, the film has earned $6.1 million from 833,030 admissions.
The Odyssey placed third in its eighth weekend, adding $3.2 million from 364,763 admissions across 843 screens for a 16.6% market share. Christopher Nolan’s epic has reached $96.3 million from 11,783,301 admissions since its August 5 launch.
Last weekend’s admissions leader, The Intern, slipped to fourth place in its second weekend with $1.5 million from 206,347 admissions across 722 screens. Directed by Kim Do-young and starring Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee, the Warner Bros. Korea comedy remake has earned $5.3 million from 756,057 viewers.
Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love debuted in fifth place with $557,981 from 72,022 admissions across just 195 screens. The Venice Grand Jury Prize winner stars Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung and centers on the tension between a working-class couple following a strike and a wealthy couple filming a documentary about them. Since opening on September 23, South Korea’s Oscar submission has earned $890,241 from 115,938 admissions.
Obsession placed sixth in its fourth weekend with $542,493, bringing its total to $6.6 million. Avengers: Endgame Encore opened in seventh place with $550,939 from 178 screens, while Resident Evil was eighth with $291,213. Spider-Man: Brand New Day came ninth with $154,701, lifting its total to $67.4 million. The British animated adventure Octonauts: Above and Beyond – Season 2 rounded out the Top 10 with an $89,565 opening.
Korea’s overall weekend gross reached $19.6 million, a sharp increase from $7.6 million the previous week, with the Chuseok holiday driving the broader market surge.
The weekend highlighted the contrasting dynamics in the two markets. China’s quieter pre-Golden Week frame allowed Avengers: Endgame Encore to move into first place, ending Once Upon a Time in the Middle East‘s extended run at the top. In South Korea, the Chuseok holiday provided a substantial boost to the market and helped two new local releases, The Assassin(s) and Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub, move ahead of The Odyssey, which had dominated the Korean box office for weeks.
China Weekend Box Office — September 25–27
- Avengers: Endgame Encore — $12.5 Million | Cumulative: $647.8 Million
- Once Upon a Time in the Middle East — $7.6 Million | Cumulative: $341.2 Million
- All Wishes Come True! — $4.6 Million | Cumulative: $296 Million
- The Old Fox — $3.6 Million | Opening Weekend
- V — $2.8 Million | Cumulative: $96 Million
South Korea Weekend Box Office — September 25–27
- The Assassin(s) — $8 Million | 1,119,156 Admissions | Cumulative: $11.2 Million
- Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub — $4.1 Million | 566,526 Admissions | Cumulative: $6.1 Million
- The Odyssey — $3.2 Million | 364,763 Admissions | Cumulative: $96.3 Million
- The Intern — $1.5 Million | 206,347 Admissions | Cumulative: $5.3 Million
- Possible Love — $557,981 | 72,022 Admissions | Cumulative: $890,241
