Director Bong Joon Ho’s latest film, Mickey 17, has made a strong debut in North America, securing the No. 1 spot at the box office.

According to Box Office Mojo, Mickey 17 grossed $19.1 million (approximately 277 billion KRW) over its opening weekend across 3,807 theaters in North America. This marks the first time a Korean director's film has debuted at the top of the North American box office, further solidifying Bong’s reputation as a global filmmaker.

The film has also performed well internationally, grossing a total of $53.3 million (approximately 773 billion KRW) worldwide as of its opening weekend. South Korea recorded the second-largest box office earnings after North America, generating $9 million in its first week. The film surpassed 2 million cumulative admissions in Korea as of March 9. In Europe, Mickey 17 received a strong reception, earning $2.9 million in France and $2.7 million in the UK.

Industry analysts had projected the film’s North American opening to reach up to $20 million. However, some media outlets have raised concerns about whether Mickey 17 will be able to recover its production budget.

With a reported budget of $118 million (approximately 1.71 trillion KRW), Variety estimated that the film would need to generate between $275 million and $300 million globally during its theatrical run to break even.

Mickey 17 follows the story of a disposable worker named Mickey (played by Robert Pattinson), who is repeatedly printed with a new body each time he dies while performing dangerous tasks. The plot unfolds as Mickey 17 faces his 17th life-threatening situation, only to find that Mickey 18 has already been printed, leading to an existential dilemma.

Meanwhile, the second spot at the North American box office went to Captain America: Brave New World, followed by Last Breath, The Monkey, and Paddington in Peru rounding out the top five.

Sayart / Sharon Jung, guhuijeong784@gmail.com