Moviegoers in South Korea have helped propel Marvel Studio’s Black Panther to the top of the global box office rankings.
The film took $25.3m (£18m) in Korean cinemas during its opening week – more than anywhere outside the US.
Key action scenes were filmed in the port city of Busan, and that is believed to have driven its popularity.
Black Panther has received rave reviews around the globe and earned $361m on its opening weekend.
It is the first Marvel superhero film with a predominantly black cast and is expected to smash box office records.
‘Unrealistic traffic’
One car chase scene, shot in Busan’s Gwangalli Beach area, involved 150 cars and more than 700 people, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Other filming locations around Busan included Marine City, Gwangandaegyo Bridge and Jagalchi fish market.
However on social media, much of the more humorous reaction from Koreans referred to the film’s failure to capture the reality of Busan’s crowded roads or nightlife.
“It’s very unrealistic how there is no traffic congestion at all. I was Busan until just a few days ago and Busan’s roads are quite crowded. And there isn’t such a hip club at Jagalchi Market.” wrote wrote Twitter user @tjwjdddms (in Korean).
During filming last year, director Ryan Coogler described Busan as “a place full of energy, where modern architecture and traditional buildings create great harmony against the backdrop of a beautiful beach”.
Stars of the film including Chadwick Boseman and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, came to Seoul earlier this month or Black Panther’s Asian premiere.
The movie also features Alexis Rhee, a US actress of Korean descent who has also appeared in films including the 2004 blockbuster Crash.
According to entertainment publication, Variety, the second and third biggest international markets for the movie’s debut, behind South Korea, are so far the UK/Ireland and Mexico.
Through to Sunday, Black Panther took in $24.8m in the UK/Ireland, and $9.6m in Mexico.
The film has proved popular across other Asian nations, beating the entire run of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie in Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand, Variety said.
The Black Panther first entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016, in Captain America: Civil War.
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