'Wonka' continues its 13-day streak atop the box office

The origin story of the fabled candymaker dominated ticket sales over the new year weekend.

Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka in ″Wonka″ (2023) [WARNER BROS]

“Wonka” (2023) satisfied moviegoers’ sweet tooths over the Seollal holiday, beating spies, scammers and founding president Syngman Rhee to continue its 13-day streak on top of Korea's box office rankings.

The film surpassed 1.8 million in ticket sales since its release on Jan. 31 as of Monday, with 750,490 moviegoers watching it over the four-day new year break, as shown by the Korea Box Office Information System (Kobis) on Tuesday.

Action film “Citizen of a Kind” and comedy “Dog Days” trailed behind in second and third place, respectively, until “The Birth of Korea,” a documentary on Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, caught up to third place on Sunday.

As of Monday, “Citizen of a Kind” had recorded over 1.48 million in total ticket sales, while “The Birth of Korea” had 329,948.

“Wonka,” a live-action musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” follows titular character Willy Wonka's early days as a chocolatier. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Wonka and a star-studded ensemble cast including Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant.

The movie received more attention in Korea after word spread that Korean cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon, known for his work with director Park Chan-wook, shot it.

"Dune: Part Two," "Exhuma," and "aespa: MY First page," will also hit local theaters in February.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]