A Japanese animated film based on a popular basketball comic series has become a hit in South Korea. "The First Slam Dunk" has attracted audiences of more than 2.5 million people since its release on January 4.

The film was written and directed by Inoue Takehiko, the author of the "Slam Dunk" comic books.

As of Thursday, the movie was at the top of South Korea's box-office rankings for two weeks in a row. It has become the third most-watched Japanese animated film in the country.

The manga series enjoyed popularity among schoolchildren of all ages after it was first published in South Korea in the 1990s.

An estimated nearly 70 percent of those seeing the movie are people in their 30s and 40s who read the original. But the number of viewers in their 20s and younger is also said to be increasing.

A woman in her 20s said she saw the film three times. She said it helped her to relate to people from older generations with whom she usually does not talk much.

The popularity of the movie has helped boost the sales of the original comic series and other related products. About 600,000 copies of the repackaged version of the comics have been sold since the release of the film.

Some culture critics in the country say the film is winning the hearts of younger generations at a time of uncertainty. They say they sympathize with the characters of the movie who never give up.