Both of this week's new releases in the nine-major-cities chart opened strongly, with Something's Gotta Give recording a $41,935 average on 17 screens and Bong Joon-ho's Memories Of Murder, $40,909 on two.

Something's Gotta Give was boosted by its raft of awards, particularly the Oscar Best Actress nomination for Diane Keaton. It also appeals to the middle-aged female demographic that made Callas Forever last year's longest-running art house hit.

Meanwhile, Memories Of Murder, a box office smash in Korea last year, is profiting from an intensive publicity campaign by distributor Cinequanon that includes posters throughout the Tokyo subway system. It is also riding a wave of interest in everything Korean that built momentum with last year's World Cup, co-hosted by Korea and Japan, with Korean films being a particular beneficiary