'Avatar 3' tops 3 million admissions as 'Zootopia 2' surpasses 7 million

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SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- Hollywood blockbuster film "Avatar: Fire and Ash," widely referred to as "Avatar 3," has surpassed 3 million moviegoers and is expected to maintain its No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend.

According to the Korea Film Council on Friday, "Avatar 3" drew about 640,000 viewers on Christmas Day, accounting for 50.6 percent of ticket sales and ranking first at the domestic box office. Since its release on Dec. 17, the film has remained atop the charts, with cumulative admissions reaching about 3.138 million as of 7 a.m.

Disney animation "Zootopia 2" slipped to second place following the release of "Avatar 3" but continues to attract audiences steadily. It drew about 431,000 viewers on Wednesday, pushing its cumulative total to 7.03 million. The film became the first domestic release this year to surpass both 6 million and 7 million admissions.

The Japanese novel-based film "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight" ranked third, drawing about 115,000 viewers for an 8.0 percent share.

Animated features "Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Gorgeous! Scorching Kasukabe Dancers" and "Pororo the Movie: Sweet Castle Adventure" placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, "Avatar 3" dominated advance reservations with a 61.9 percent share, with about 519,000 tickets booked. "Zootopia 2" followed with a 12.0 percent reservation rate, while Korean melodramas "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight" and "What If We" ranked third and fourth.

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