Korea pix crash at B.O.

'300' slaughters local productions

By DARCY PAQUET

South Korea's usually strong market for local pics is having one of its worst months in recent memory, with homemade productions taking a pounding from "300."

The Zack Snyder-directed behemoth remained at No. 1 at the box office for a second week, having taken more than $13 million on 318 prints in its first 11 days.

Other imports are also faring well, with European co-production "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" debuting at No. 2 with $2.2 million on 232 prints; "The Number 23" landing at No. 3 with $1.4 million on 170; and "The Break-Up" opening at No. 5 with $910,000 on 150.

In a month with an unusually low number of local releases, only two Korean films cracked this week's top 10.

Cinema Service's critically acclaimed revenge thriller "Soo," by Korean-Japanese director Sai Yoichi, took only $940,000 on 244 screens in its first week, while Showbox's "Big Bang" has amassed a disappointing $2.3 million after 11 days on release.

The weak performances come as the local industry grapples with the after-effects of a 2006 production glut that many producers and investors believe has tipped the industry into a crisis.

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