SEOUL -- Serial murder pic "The Chaser" is kicking up a storm at
the South Korean box office, rising 23% in its second weekend to take
the No.1 slot with $4.7 million.

The modestly budgeted debut film by Na Hong-jin has won broad support
from local critics, and local auds have started to follow suit. Pic
has now grossed $11.8 million in ten days and has widened its release
to 505 screens, almost a quarter of the nation's total.

The unexpected success of the film, which features no big-name stars, has
helped to re-inject some life into the Korean film industry after a
moribund 2007.

Another unexpected hit from January, handball drama "Forever the
Moment", recently passed the $27 million mark. The two films
have helped Korean cinema to maintain a 60% market share in the year
to date.

Meanwhile "Jumper" is also enjoying a strong run, having grossed $8.8
million in ten days. The Hayden Christensen starrer dropped 43% in
its second weekend.

Japanese film "L: Change the World", a spin-off of the popular
"Death Note" series, took $1.0 million in its first week.
Although a step down from the other "Death Note" films,
this still placed it significantly ahead of Oscar contenders
"Atonement" ($600,000), "Juno" ($210,000), and
"No Country for Old Men" ($89,000) which also opened this
weekend.

Mexican-Spanish horror film "The Orphanage" also took $178,000 in its
second weekend to bring its total to $1.1 million.

"Once Upon a Time in Corea" remained the strongest among a string of
local films released ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays. Pic has
now grossed $10.4 million.