The ten-day Chuseok holiday ended with a bang at the South Korea box office as The Fortress (남한산성) scored a close win over surprise hit The Outlaws (범죄도시) over the four-day weekend that also included the Hangul Day holiday.

Between Friday and Monday, period epic The Fortress earned an additional ₩13.2 billion (US$11.6 million) from 1.63 million admissions. Since opening last Tuesday, the CJ Entertainment release has earned ₩26.7 billion (US$23.4 million) from 3.25 million admissions.

Directed by Huang Dong-hyuk, the big-budget 1600s-set period epic stars Park Hae-il as a king who hides in a mountain fortress while his kingdom under attack by the Qing Dynasty. Lee Byung-hun and Kim Yun-seok co-star advisors who clash over the king’s next step.

The Fortress held a solid lead during most of the week. However, local auctioneer The Outlaws continued to gain steam even as grosses for the other Chuseok releases began to fall.

By Sunday, The Outlaws took the top of the box office. Between Friday and Monday, the Kang Yoon-sung film earned ₩13.1 billion (US$11.4 million) from 1.53 million admissions. After seven days on release, the Megabox and Kiwi Media Group release has made ₩18.5 billion (US$16.2 million) from 2.21 million admissions. It is expected to surpass Anarchist From Colony (박열) this week as Megabox’s highest grossing release this year.

Ma Dong-seok (pictured above) stars as a detective in Seoul’s Chinatown who takes on a ruthless gangster from China who aims to take the neighborhood by force while two local gangs fight in a turf battle.

Since opening on Tuesday, the two films have taken an average market share of 59.2%.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle took a week-on-week drop of 59%, adding ₩7.54 billion (US$6.59 million) from 859,000 admissions between Friday and Monday. The 20th Century Fox Korea release has earned ₩37.7 billion (US$33 million) from 4.54 million admissions after 13 days on release.

Local dramedy I Can Speak (아이 캔 스피크) remained in fourth place, adding ₩4.6 billion (US$4.03 million) from 575,000 admissions between Friday and Monday. Directed by Kim Hyun-seok (C’est si bon 쎄시봉), the Lotte Entertainment release has earned ₩23.4 billion (US$20.5 million) from 2.98 million admissions.

Showbox’s RV: Resurrected Victims (희생부활자) and sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049 open this weekend.