Andy Weir's novel "Project Hail Mary," which had already drawn attention with news of its film adaptation, climbed to the No. 1 spot on Kyobo Bookstore's overall bestseller ranking for the fourth week of March, coinciding with the movie's theatrical release.
The warm reception at the box office carried over to bookstores, propelling the title up five places in a single week. Female readers in their 30s accounted for the largest share of buyers at 26.6%, and the purchasing share among readers in their 20s also rose. Alongside "Project Hail Mary," Weir's other works in his so-called "space trilogy" — "Artemis" and "The Martian" — also attracted interest, ranking No. 9 and No. 10, respectively, in the foreign fiction category.
Buddhism-related titles are also gaining attention in the humanities and self-help categories. "Living by the Buddha's Words," a self-help book that applies the Buddha's teachings to modern life, climbed eight places from the previous week to reach No. 10 on the overall list. In the humanities category, "The Reinterpreted Words of the Buddha" maintained its steady popularity, holding at No. 9.