'Spring fever' takes on a whole new meaning this week as hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the theaters to see G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Was it for the action or was it to see actor Lee Byung Hun?

The second movie in the G.I. Joe series topped weekend box office sales in both the US and South Korea which is not altogether very surprising. But what was a bit more shocking was the impressive abs on the Korean actor. G.I. Joe drew in thousands of women adding to the total of $41.3 million in sales over the opening weekend.

The American action flick lead the market share in Korean theaters where it was shown on 761 across the country. Approximately 43% of total revenue was from movie sequel, vastly outselling any domestic films.

Korea has a thriving film industry in its own right, but generally speaking, foreign movies tend to do alright in the Korean theaters. Especially as the popularity of the Busan International Film Festival grows, ticket sales for non-Korean movies have seen a steady increase, with more people willing to get in the theaters and read subtitles.

But there are definitely certain types of major foreign movie releases that do better in South Korea than others - with action flicks being at the top of that list. It is far more common in the US for film makers to have the huge budgets, time, and space required to shoot outrageously over-the-top blockbusters - and worldwide, they seems to have cornered that market.

Another reason for the immense popularity of a foreign film in Korea is, as with G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the presence of a Korean actor.

While Lee Byung Hun had a fairly short time on screen, support for a fellow countryman was certainly reflected in the ticket sales over the weekend. The same was true of the first G.I. Joe movie (also featuring Lee in the same role) and the 2009 American-made martial arts film, Ninja Assassin, which starred singer-actor Rain (Jung Ji Hoon).

There is no doubt that Hollywood films are easy to market the world over, but it is nice to see the addition of some Korean touches. And this counts for both on and off the screen. Not just the actors, but Korean writers and directors are getting a lot of attention in the US nowadays, probably most famously director Park Chan-wook.

Oldboy, Park's most internationally popular film, found an immense cult following in the United States after its release in 2003 and has now been remade for American audiences by the talented director Spike Lee. Chan-wook Park also made his American directorial debut last month with the thriller Stoker, starring Nicole Kidman.

As the film industry continues to globalize, we can expect to see more and more Korean-American crossovers, as the popularity of hallyu stars continues to rise around the world.