K-pop's BTS First All-South Korean Act to Top US Singles Charts

BTS perform at the Jingle Ball 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (AFP)
BTS perform at the Jingle Ball 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (AFP)
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K-pop's BTS First All-South Korean Act to Top US Singles Charts

BTS perform at the Jingle Ball 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (AFP)
BTS perform at the Jingle Ball 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (AFP)

K-pop sensation BTS has become the first all-South Korean act to rule the top US singles chart, industry tracker Billboard announced Monday, with their English-language "Dynamite" hitting number one.

It is another milestone cementing the seven-member boy band's global dominance, coming hours after BTS beat American heavyweights including Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift to score the Best Pop award at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards.

The first BTS single sung completely in English, "Dynamite" was released August 21 and tallied 33.9 million US streams in just a week, with 300,000 units sold.

In securing the top spot, the song unseats Cardi B's raunchy hit "WAP" featuring fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion, a not-safe-for-work bop that held number one for two consecutive weeks.

BTS's achievement comes after it reached the Billboard Hot 100's fourth slot in March with its song "On."

Three of BTS' albums have hit number one on Billboard's album charts, but this is its first Hot 100 top single.

Billboard's all-genre Hot 100 blends US streaming, radio airplay and digital sales data to rank the top hits.

BTS is the first all-South Korean group -- comprised of J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Suga and V -- to reign over the chart.

South Korean soloist PSY reached number two for seven weeks in the fall of 2012 with his viral dance juggernaut "Gangnam Style."

The first Asian artist to top the chart was Japanese-born crooner Kyu Sakamoto, whose "Sukiyaki" held the ranking for three weeks in June 1963.

K-pop -- along with K-drama soap operas -- has been one of South Korea's most successful cultural exports.

A key component of the "Korean Wave" that has swept Asia and beyond over the last two decades, the K-pop industry is estimated to be worth some $5 billion.



‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
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‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)

Dinosaur fatigue may be a theme in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” but moviegoing audiences don’t seem to have that reservation. The newest installment in the “Jurassic World” franchise ruled the Fourth of July holiday box office with a global, five-day launch of $318.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Universal Pictures release, directed by Gareth Edwards, opened on Wednesday and earned $147.3 million in its first five days in 4,308 North American theaters. An estimated $91.5 million of that comes from the traditional “three day” weekend, which includes the Friday holiday, Saturday and projected Sunday ticket sales.

Internationally, it opened in 82 markets including China, adding $171 million to the opening total. According to the studio, $41.5 million of that came from China alone, where it played on 65,000 screens, 760 of which were IMAX. It's the country's biggest MPA (Motion Picture Association) opening of the year.

“Rebirth,” starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, is the fourth movie in the “Jurassic World” series and the seventh since Steven Spielberg’s original Michael Crichton adaptation stormed theaters in the summer of 1993. The new film received mixed reviews from critics, carrying a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, and B CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, The Associated Press reported.

Factors like the holiday weekend, inflation and post-COVID moviegoing realities make it difficult to fairly compare the “Rebirth” launch to the other films in the “Jurassic World” franchise, the first of which opened to $208 million domestically in 2015. The other two, “Fallen Kingdom” and “Dominion” opened to $148 million and $145 million respectively.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” introduced a new main cast to the series and brought back a familiar voice in “Jurassic Park” screenwriter David Koepp to guide the story about a dangerous hunt for dinosaur DNA (not for making dinosaurs this time, but for curing heart disease). It cost a reported $180 million net to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs.

The campaign was far reaching, including a global press tour, with stops everywhere from London to Seoul, integrated marketing across NBC Universal platforms and brand tie-ins with everything from Jeep and 7-11 to Johansson’s skincare line.

No major new films dared go up against the dinosaurs, who left last week’s champion, the Brad Pitt racing movie “F1,” in the dust. “F1” fell a modest 54% in its second weekend with $26.1 million, helping bring its domestic total to $109.5 million. It continues to play on IMAX screens with accounted for $7.6 million of the North American weekend ticket sales. Globally, it's nearing $300 million with a running total of $293.6 million.

Third place went to Universal's live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” which earned $11 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $224 million. Disney and Pixar's “Elio” landed in fourth place with $5.7 million. Globally, “Elio” has just crossed $96 million in three weekends.