"Sword" surpasses "Heaven" in advance ticket sales

Korean film "The Sword with No Name" may make more noise on the box office than chart topper "Closer to Heaven" this week, according to a press release which shows that the historical drama surpassed the former leader in advance ticket sales on Tuesday.

The real-time ticket reservation rate for "Sword" stood at 22.1 percent on the Korea Film Council's electronic network, compared to advance sales for "Heaven" which stood at 21.44 percent.

"Sword" had remained a spot behind "Heaven" in ticket reservations and position on the box office since the simultaneous release of both films on September 24.

"Heaven", starring Kim Myung-min and Ha Ji-won, is about a couple and their family's struggle with Lou Gehrig's disease.

The historical pic starring Su Ae and Cho Seung-woo is based on the true story of the Joseon Kingdom Empress Myeongseong who was stabbed to death by a band of Japanese as her forward-thinking came to be considered obstacles to the then-imperial Japan's annexation plans.

Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr