Uncut version of ‘Inside Men’ opens in No. 2 spot

“Inside Men: The Original,” the uncut version of Woo Min-ho’s hit political thriller, started off strong in second place during the first weekend of January, which included the New Year holiday.

The director’s cut, which is 50 minutes longer than the original release, opened on the last day of December with 671,309 ticket admissions, bringing in 5.7 billion won ($4.8 million).

The added footage mostly focuses on revealing the back stories of political hoodlum Ahn Sang-gu (Lee Byung-hun), aspiring prosecutor Woo Jang-hoon (Cho Seung-woo) and powerful editorial chief Lee Kang-hee (Baek Yoon-sik), which adds another layer to the main characters.

Its original film has so far attracted seven million moviegoers, earning 56.6 billion won.

Lee Seok-hoon’s adventure drama “The Himalayas” remained at the top for the third consecutive week, pulling its three-week total to 6.4 million tickets sold, which roughly translates to 49.5 billion won.

“Sherlock: The Abominable Bride,” the 115-minute special episode of BBC’s megahit crime drama series, opened on the big screen in Korea with 664,479 tickets sold. Directed by Douglas Mackinnon, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman once again shine as the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson.

The visually spectacular period drama “The Magician,” which centers on a love story between magician Hwan-hui (Yoo Seung-ho) and pure-hearted princess Cheong-myeong (Go A-ra) during the Joseon era (1392-1910), opened in fifth place with 287,757 attendees, making 2.3 billion won.

Meanwhile, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” dropped down to fourth place, adding 381,298 ticket admissions to bring its three-week total to a little more than 3 million. So far, the seventh installment in the legendary space saga directed by J.J. Abrams has made 27.1 billion won in Korean theaters.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]

KOREA BOX OFFICE

1. The Himalayas

2. Inside Men: The Original

3. Sherlock: The Abominable Bride