“The Thieves” has outperformed “The King and the Clown” to become the second most popular Korean film ever shown at home, according to an industry tally.

“The Thieves” has attracted 12.31 million viewers as of 5 p.m. Thursday, breaking a record set by the all-time No. 2 Korean film “The King and the Clown” (12 million) in 2005, Mediaplex Co., the distributor of the latest film said on Friday.

Directed by Choe Dong-hoon, who is known for “Tazza: the High Rollers” and “The Big Swindle,” the new heist film features 10 Korean and Chinese thieves teaming up to steal a valuable diamond necklace at a Macau casino.

“The Thieves” broke the 10 million mark in audience numbers on its 22nd day since opening on July 25. It also broke audience records of box-office hits “Silmido,” (11.08 million) “Haeundae” (11.45 million) and “Taegukgi” (11.74 million) this month.

The popularity of “The Thieves” has continued in the film’s sixth week since opening, drawing more than 50,000 moviegoers a day, Mediaplex said.

The company expects, if this popularity continues, the new movie may beat the No. 1 Korean film “The Host” (13.01 million) and Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar,” which sits on top of local box-office sales with 13.35 million viewers. 

(Yonhap News)