Shim Hyung-rae's monster film "D-War'' is still the top box office draw as it enters the third week of its release. According to the Korean Box Office Information System (www.kobis.or.kr), which is overseen by the Korean Film Council, "D-War," for the weekend of Aug. 10-12, sold 1,143,676 tickets, outselling the second place film "May 18" by nearly twice the number of tickets.

The legendary Korean serpent Imoogi is about to become a full dragon. Shim Hyung-rae's new sci-fi flick "D-War" attracted 417,298 moviegoers on its opening day Wednesday, the film's distributor Showbox said. It's the highest first-day figure for Korean films this year, and close to the 449,500 recorded by "The Host," the biggest Korean hit so far. But perhaps more noteworthy than the numbers is director Shim's comeback. He's back in the spotlight despite being called an imposter following the flop of his 1999 movie "Yonggary."

The staggering Korean film industry, with production levels plummeting and international sales down, glows with a ray of hope as two domestic blockbusters are shining through.

Comedian-turned-director Shim Hyung-rae's computer graphic venture ``D-War'' is drawing in a storm of audiences. Just four days since the dragon war movie was released Aug. 1, more than 2.2 million people have seen it across 690 screens, according to the film's distributor Showbox.

The legendary Korean serpent Imoogi is about to become a full dragon. Shim Hyung-rae's new sci-fi flick "D-War" attracted 417,298 moviegoers on its opening day Wednesday, the film's distributor Showbox said. It's the highest first-day figure for Korean films this year, and close to the 449,500 recorded by "The Host," the biggest Korean hit so far. But perhaps more noteworthy than the numbers is director Shim's comeback. He's back in the spotlight despite being called an imposter following the flop of his 1999 movie "Yonggary."

Either with concerned curiosity or bemused indifference, many watchful eyes observed the release of ``D-War,'' the latest work by Shim Hyung-rae.

``D-War'' is hailed as a great Korean cinematic triumph -- for its groundbreaking computer graphics created by domestic talent, and for the largest ever release abroad. But the dragon war movie had also been subject to ridicule as being the reckless ambition of one funny man.