Hitman 2 has taken over the Lunar New Year holiday box office, beating out fierce competition and becoming the surprise winner with over 1.5 million viewers!

According to the Korean Film Council's network on January 31, Hitman 2 brought in 251,515 viewers just on the previous day, continuing its four-day reign at the top of the box office. With a total of 1,518,017 viewers so far, the action-packed comedy has solidified its place as one of the biggest films of the season.

The film tells the story of Jun, a hit screenwriter whose fame quickly fades and leads him to become a "brain-dead writer." After a terrorist attack based on his webtoon, Jun gets falsely accused of being the culprit, and the story takes off from there. Not only is it the first movie of 2025 to hit 1 million viewers, but it’s also holding its own against tough competition, making Hitman 2 the box office favorite among new releases.

Lead actor Kwon Sang Woo even made headlines with an emotional gesture during a stage greeting for the film. Kneeling down, he desperately pleaded, “I’m really desperate. I want to beat The Black Nuns and Secret,” which caught the attention of fans and the media.

While Hitman 2 dominated, Dark Nuns—starring Song Hye Kyo and Jeon Yeo Bin—ranked second at the box office with 143,962 viewers, bringing its total to 1,186,521. The film, a thriller with a mysterious twist, still managed to impress audiences.

Coming in at third place is Secret, which brought in 56,798 viewers, adding to its total of 191,803. The fantasy romance, featuring an intriguing story about hidden time secrets, has captured the curiosity of moviegoers, and it topped the reservation rates for the day.

Meanwhile, Harbin continues its strong performance, with 44,920 viewers and a cumulative 4.8 million viewers. It remains to be seen if it will break the 5 million mark. Other films such as Pokémon the Movie: AG – Mew and the Wave Hero Lucario and Substance also made an appearance on the list.

The total number of theatergoers on that day reached an impressive 590,817, marking a successful holiday box office season.

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Top actress Son Ye Jin made a huge real estate move by building a brand-new commercial property in one of Seoul’s busiest areas—but shockingly, the building has been sitting empty for over six months!

According to a report by News1 on March 9, Son Ye Jin purchased an old two-story commercial building near Gangnam Station in 2022 and transformed it into a modern five-story structure by June last year. However, despite the prime location, the building hasn’t secured any tenants yet!

In August 2022, the actress spent 22.4 billion KRW to buy the 277.7㎡ (about 84-pyeong) property near Gangnam Station (Line 2). She immediately began reconstruction, and now, the new building spans five floors above ground plus a basement level, covering a total 724㎡ (219 pyeong).

To fund the project, Son Ye Jin reportedly took out a 15 billion KRW loan, with the building’s maximum bond amount reaching 18 billion KRW.

Even though Gangnam Station is one of the busiest areas in Seoul, real estate experts say the high rental prices are making it hard to find tenants.

For example, the second floor rent is around 300,000 KRW per 3.3㎡ (one pyeong). That means a 30-pyeong space would cost about 9 million KRW per month, plus an additional 1 million KRW in management fees!

Because of these steep rental costs, industry insiders believe potential tenants are hesitant to move in, causing delays in leasing out the space.

With the building sitting empty for months, many are wondering if Son Ye Jin will adjust the rent to attract businesses. Will she strike a deal soon and turn this investment into a huge success, or will the property remain vacant even longer? Stay tuned!

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