'Pure Love' Delivers Disappointing Box-Office Results

"Pure Love" (Unforgettable) delivered disappointing ticket returns placing the retro coming-of-age film in eighth place in the Korean box office. 

According to statistics released by KOFIC, "Pure Love" yielded $460,768 in its premiere week. 

The highly-anticipated project starring EXO's D.O. (Do Kyungsoo) and teen actress, Kim So Hyun was defeated by "Spirits' Homecoming," a supernatural film centered on the experience of young Korean girls who were forced to become comfort women (a used term for kidnapped sex slaves). 

The film is a culmination of 10 years of dedication by director Cho Jung Rae, who was inspired by the plights of comfort women who were thrust into sexual servitude of Japanese soldiers, during World War II. 

The crowd-funded movie strikes a chord with Koreans who continue to mourn and honor the tribulations of comfort women.

"Spirits' Homecoming" racked up $4.8 million in box office returns, trumping Hollywood productions "Deadpool" and "Zootopia," to the top spot. 

The hyper-violent comic flick, "Deadpool," placed second with $3.4 million, followed by the animated film, "Zootopia," which racked up $2.5 million.

"Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet" came in fourth with $1.2 million in tickets, followed by "The Violent Prosecutor." 

"Likes for Likes" experienced a ticketing drop with $618,341, but the overall gross of the film demonstrates the potential for innovative romantic comedies. 

"Pure Love" was not the only romantic melodrama to deliver lackluster returns. "A Man and A Woman," starring Jeon Do Yeon and Gong Yoo placed seventh with $564,000. 

The top 10 movies in the Korean weekly box office were rounded out by "The 5th Wave" and the Academy Award-winning film, "Spotlight."