Image to help understand the article
A Fast Start at the Korean Box Office
The Korean historical thriller “Assassin(s)” surpassed 1 million admissions four days after opening, maintaining the No. 1 position at the domestic box office throughout its first four days.
According to the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking system, the movie drew 432,303 moviegoers on the 26th, raising its cumulative total to 1,305,628. An earlier count at 7 a.m. that day put the total at 1,057,760, while distributor Hive Media Corp. separately announced that admissions had passed 1.05 million.
The pace was comparable to that of two other releases this year, “Odyssey” and “12.12: The Day,” in reaching the 1 million mark. “Assassin(s)” also posted a 47.5% seat occupancy rate on the 25th, the highest among Korean films, and led advance ticket sales for seven consecutive days.
“Tazza: Song of Beelzebub” ranked second on the 26th after adding 214,866 admissions for a cumulative 663,108. Audience indicators for “Assassin(s)” included a 94% score on theater chain CGV’s Golden Egg index and a 9.1 rating at Lotte Cinema. The film also includes one post-credits scene.
A Real-Life Tragedy Reimagined
The story begins with the Aug. 15, 1974, assassination of South Korean first lady Yuk Young-soo during a Liberation Day ceremony at the National Theater in Seoul. Liberation Day commemorates Korea’s release from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.
Rather than presenting the established account as settled history, the film asks whether the publicly known version of the killing may differ from what actually happened. It uses fictional reconstruction to explore suspicions surrounding the attack and the forces that may have been behind it.
Yoo Hae-jin plays a detective named Cheol-gu, while Park Hae-il portrays Jae-hwan, the city desk editor at a newspaper. Lee Min-ho plays rookie reporter Young-il, and Shim Eun-kyung also appears in the cast. The film is directed by Hur Jin-ho, known for “Christmas in August” and “One Fine Spring Day.”
International Festival Invitations
Beyond its domestic box office run, “Assassin(s)” was selected for a gala presentation at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. It also received invitations from film festivals in Singapore, Rio de Janeiro and Hawaii, as well as the Korean Film Festival in Paris.
Comments
Post a Comment