"The Concubine" heats up local box office with 1st win, edges out "MIB III"

Poster to "The Concubine" [All That Cinema]

Korean film "The Concubine" pleased the audience by dominating the local box office over the weekend, edging out the two-week winner "Men in Black III."

On Monday, Korea Box Office Information System (KOBIS) showed that "The Concubine," starring Cho Yeo-jung, Kim Dong-wook and Kim Min-joon, made an impressive debut at No. 1 with 522,386 tickets sold from June 8 to 10.

Helmed by director Kim Dae-seung, "The Concubine," released on June 6, has been stirring up the pot with its explicit nude scenes of Cho.

The erotic thriller, which has already began creating media hype even before the release, follows the story of Hwa-yeon (Cho) who offers herself to become the royal concubine in order to escape from poverty.

Upon entering the palace, she catches the eye of King Sungwon Daegon (Kim Dong-wook) and Kwon-yoo (Kim Min-joon). While is put at the center of a love triangle, concubine Hwa-yeon struggles to deal with the moral probity of the palace.

Following behind the winner is Dreamworks' animated pic "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," voiced by Hollywood big names Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith and Chris Rock.

The threequel to "Madagascar," climbed up six spots from No. 8 the weekend before and attracted 355,046 moviegoers last weekend.

"All About My Wife," actress Lim Soo-jung and actor Lee Sun-kyun's romantic comedy, was pushed down a rung from last weekend to the third place with 299,079 admits.

Meanwhile, famed director Ridley Scott's sci-fi picture "Prometheus" and "Men in Black III" claimed the No. 4 and No. 5 spot, respectively.

Other movies in the top ten include "Runway Cop," "Don't Click," "Snow White and the Huntsman," "The Avengers" and "The Taste of Money."

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