The Korean film “암살자(들)” crossed 3 million cumulative admissions on October 12, its 20th day of release, according to the Korea Film Council’s integrated box office data.
The film, which dramatizes the August 15, 1974 assassination incident targeting the first lady and the pursuit of its mysteries and masterminds, became the fifth Korean film of 2026 to reach the 3-million mark, a TV Report article via Naver’s entertainment wire reported on October 14.
The numbers kept climbing. On October 13, the film drew 32,851 viewers in a single day, bringing its total to 3,057,418. It has now entered the Top 5 Korean box office rankings for 2026. Remarkably, it has held the No. 1 spot at the weekly box office for three consecutive weeks and topped the daily charts for 15 days.
Unusually, its audience grew instead of fading: the third week (October 5-11) brought in 758,587 viewers, up about 90,000 from the second week’s 667,698. Naver audience ratings rose from 8.0 to 8.8 points. Viewers praised the film’s immersion, with one calling it “the best film I watched this year.”
The heat has drawn controversy too. At the October 7 National Assembly audit, lawmakers questioned its 12-and-up rating, and bullet-shaped promotional goods drew criticism for monetizing a real tragedy. The production team said on September 28 that the film was not made to newly confirm or deny historical conclusions.
“암살자(들)” is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
