Crime-noir “Asura: The City of Madness” topped the local weekend box office, drawing some 826,655 admissions Oct. 1-2, according to the Korean Film Council.

The film has sold over 1.8 million tickets since its opening Wednesday, when it broke the record for best-selling rated “R” movie on its opening day.

The bloody thriller, starring a handful of Korean cinema’s A-listers including Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min and Kwak Do-won, tells the story of the political underworld and its corrupt players. Mayor Park Sung-bae, played by Hwang, commissions cop Han Do-kyung, played by Jung, to cover up his illegal dealings, while prosecutor Kim Cha-in, played by Kwak, employs his own brand of ruthlessness to chase out the criminals.

“Asura” was penned and helmed by filmmaker Kim Sung-su, known for his gritty portrayal of gangsters and masculinity in previous works like “Beat” (1997) and “City of the Rising Sun” (1999). It was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)