'Mission: Impossible 8' becomes biggest-hit in 1st half

▲ A poster of "Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning" is seen in this image provided by Lotte Entertainment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

   SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning" has become the most-viewed film released in South Korea this year, its distributor Lotte Entertainment said Monday.

   As of Monday morning, the eighth installment of the blockbuster franchise, which opened on May 17, had attracted a cumulative audience of 3.378 million. It narrowly surpassed the 3.377 million admissions for the year's previous box office leader, the Korean crime-action film "Yadang: The Snitch."

   The achievement was supported by a promotional visit from Cruise in May, who is highly popular with Korean audiences.

   The latest installment's performance, however, marks a downturn for the highly successful franchise. 

   The current tally is unlikely to beat its immediate predecessor, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One," which drew 4.02 million viewers.

   It also represents the lowest attendance for the series since the Korean Film Council began tracking data in 2004, trailing 5.12 million viewers for "Mission: Impossible III" (2006), 7.5 million for "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" (2011), 6.12 million for "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" (2015) and 6.58 million for "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout" (2018).

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