"Spirits' Homecoming," a South Korean film depicting the lives of women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II, surpassed 3 million viewers on the weekend, data showed Sunday.

The film drew 120,432 viewers Saturday, its 18th day since the release, to reach a little over 3.03 million, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

Directed by Cho Jung-lae, the movie follows women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during the war.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, suffered from the atrocity. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45.

The movie took its inspiration from a drawing titled "Burning Women," created by Kang Il-chul, one of the victims, during her therapy sessions based on testimonies from other victims.

Despite budget shortages and other initial difficulties, the film was completed 14 years after production began with the support and donations of more than 75,000 people.

"Spirits' Homecoming" has since opened in Los Angeles and Dallas.

Another film set during the Japanese colonial rule, "Dongju:

The Portrait of a Poet," surpassed 1 million viewers Saturday, after 24,421 flocked to theaters.

The film is based on the real lives of renowned poet Yoon Dong-ju and his cousin, Korean independence activist Song Mong-gyu, during the colonial era.

A new Disney animated film, "Zootopia," has dethroned "Spirits'

Homecoming" at the top of the box office after drawing 148,722 viewers on Saturday. (Yonhap)