Resident Evil continued its run at the top of mainland China’s box office, while Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island maintained its lead in South Korea over the October 23–25 weekend. The horror reboot, directed by Zach Cregger, collected $5.6 million in China, securing its third consecutive weekend at No. 1. Meanwhile, the Japanese animated film earned approximately $2.5 million in South Korea, remaining ahead of Korean political thriller The Assassin(s).
The performances highlight two distinct box-office stories across Asian markets: a horror franchise sustaining its theatrical momentum in China and an animated feature continuing to attract audiences in South Korea.
In China, Resident Evil added another $5.6 million to its theatrical run over the weekend, bringing its cumulative collection in the market to approximately $64.8 million, according to the supplied industry figures. Released on October 5 during the Golden Week holiday period, the film has maintained its position at the top of the chart despite competition from other established releases.
The film’s earlier performance helps explain the significance of its continued run. Resident Evil collected approximately $40.6 million during its Chinese opening weekend, reported as the strongest opening for a horror film in the market in two years. By the end of its second full weekend, it had added another $9.3 million, taking its cumulative Chinese gross to $55.8 million and setting a new franchise benchmark in the territory.
The film’s performance in China also contributed to its earlier worldwide box-office milestone of $320 million. During that reporting period, it surpassed the approximately $270 million worldwide gross of Weapons, another film directed by Cregger, becoming the highest-grossing film of his career at that stage. This worldwide milestone relates to an earlier reporting period and is separate from the latest weekend’s Chinese earnings.
China’s wider weekend chart saw Traces of Justice take second place with $4.7 million, bringing its cumulative collection to approximately $92.4 million. Mr. & Mrs. Pardon ranked third with $2.6 million, followed by Once Upon a Time in the Middle East with $800,000. All Wishes Come True! completed the top five with $600,000.
In South Korea, Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island continued to lead the weekend chart with approximately $2.5 million. The film remained ahead of The Assassin(s), which collected $520,822. Paradise Lost followed with $502,962, while Clayface secured fourth place with $388,947. Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub completed the top five with $371,743.
The animated film’s continued lead follows a close contest earlier in October, when it narrowly finished ahead of The Assassin(s). The supplied figures put their respective collections at approximately $3.13 million and $3.03 million for that weekend. However, figures displayed by the Korean Film Council showed a difference of just 122 admissions, illustrating how closely the two films competed during that period.
The earlier weekend also marked an important milestone for Chiikawa the Movie. Within 12 days of release, it had collected nearly $9.9 million and sold approximately 1.28 million tickets in South Korea. Its audience has since grown beyond 2.24 million admissions, according to the latest figures cited in the supplied material.
The latest results give both films distinct positions in Asia’s theatrical market. Resident Evil has translated a strong opening in China into a sustained run, while Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island has maintained its hold on South Korean audiences amid competition from local and international releases. Their performances demonstrate the different ways films can sustain theatrical momentum across markets and genres.
The rankings below reflect the weekend figures supplied for this update. Totals may differ across tracking services because of reporting windows, exchange rates and subsequent adjustments to revenue or admissions.
China Weekend Box Office: October 23–25
- Resident Evil — $5.6 million
- Traces of Justice — $4.7 million
- Mr. & Mrs. Pardon — $2.6 million
- Once Upon a Time in the Middle East — $800,000
- All Wishes Come True! — $600,000
South Korea Weekend Box Office: October 23–25
- Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island — $2.5 million
- The Assassin(s) — $520,822
- Paradise Lost — $502,962
- Clayface — $388,947
- Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub — $371,743