‘Chainsaw Man’ Movie Slices to No. 1 at korean Box Office, Overtaking Domestic Blockbusters
Seoul, South Korea – October 13, 2025 – The Japanese action-fantasy film based on the popular manga ‘Chainsaw Man’ has surged to the top of the South Korean box office, drawing 133,838 viewers on Saturday, October 12th. The film’s debut performance unseated both the action thriller ‘Boss’ and director Park Chan-wook’s ‘I Can’t Help It,’ signaling a strong appetite for the unique and intense world of ‘Chainsaw Man’ among Korean audiences.
The film centers on ‘Denji,’ a young man who merges with a chainsaw devil, and ‘Reger,’ a human raised as a weapon, navigating a world overrun by devils. A key draw for audiences is the climactic battle between ‘Reger’ as the ‘Bomb Demon’ and ‘Denji’ as the ‘Chainsaw Demon,’ presented on a scale exceeding the TV series with enhanced visuals designed for the cinematic experience. The film explores themes of humanity versus devilishness, and the complex relationship between ‘Denji’ and the enigmatic ‘Makima,’ who controls the devil Hunter branch.
‘Boss’ followed in second place with 90,263 viewers, bringing it’s cumulative audience to 2,036,589. ‘I Can’t Help It’ ranked third,attracting 54,704 viewers and accumulating a total of 2,630,447 viewers.
The success of ‘Chainsaw Man’ highlights the growing popularity of Japanese manga and anime adaptations in the Korean film market. The movie’s release is expected to further fuel interest in the source material and potentially pave the way for more international genre films to find success in the region.
Kim Ye-rang, Hankyung.com reporter yesrang@hankyung.com
