While the U.S. is still waiting to open cinemas as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep across the country, the long awaited sequel to Train to Busan is doing huge numbers in the Asian theatrical markets. The South Korean zombie sequel takes place four years after the original and marks the after effects of the outbreak. It's the first tentpole movie to open in Asia since the beginning of the health crisis, meaning folks were ready for something new to experience in the theater. Directed by Yeon Sang-Ho, the movie is a direct sequel to Train to Busan and may end up spawning more movies if its success continues to rake in huge box office numbers.
The movie earned over $2.4 million in its home territory, brought in another $800,000 in Taiwan, and brought in $106,000 in Singapore where it sold 15,200 tickets. This was the highest opening day receipts ever for Singapore and in Taiwan it oversold the opening day receipts for the first film in the series.
While most areas that have reopened theaters are still running re-releases of older films, the Asian markets have mostly opened their doors to patrons in many areas. Peninsula also opened in Malaysia on Thursday and will be released in Thailand and Vietnam this coming week.
-CG