‘The Last Princess’ dethrones ‘Operation Chromite’ at box office

SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) — A South Korean film about the ill-fated life of Korea’s last princess took the top spot on last weekend’s box-office chart, data showed Monday.

“The Last Princess,” starring Son Ye-jin in the titular role, drew more than 1.16 million viewers to some 961 cinemas nationwide, accounting for 24 percent of total ticket sales from Aug. 5-7, according to the computerized box-office figures from the Korean Film Council.

A still from “The Last Princess”

The film follows the dramatic life of Deokhye, the last princess of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), as she is forced to leave her motherland during Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

In second place was “Operation Chromite,” which tells the story of the famous Incheon landing during the 1950-53 Korean War. Starring Lee Jung-jae, Lee Bum-soo and Hollywood star Liam Neeson, the movie took the No. 1 spot in its opening weekend the previous week.

A week earlier, “Train to Busan” topped the chart in its opening weekend. The zombie action flick came in at fifth place last weekend but passed the 10 million viewer mark on Sunday, becoming the first film this year and the 18th film in the country’s box-office history to reach the milestone.

The American superhero movie “Suicide Squad” took third place, trailed by the animation “The Secret Life of Pets.”

“Jason Bourne,” starring Matt Damon, ranked sixth with an accumulated audience number of more than 2.35 million. It has surpassed ticket sales for “Bourne Ultimatum,” an earlier edition of the franchise.

A still from “Train to Busan”