Actor Han So-hee in a scene from “The Intern” / Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea
Korea’s box office is having one of its strongest years since the COVID-19 pandemic, but for now, it belongs to Hollywood.
As of Thursday, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has seen 6,390,094 admissions in Korea, according to data from the Korean Box Office Information System. Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which opened Aug. 5, saw 2,615,953 admissions and together, the two movies are dominating local screens.
The overwhelming presence of Hollywood blockbusters becomes even clearer when looking at Na Hong-jin’s “Hope,” which entered the summer lineup as one of the most anticipated Korean releases of the year.
The sci-fi thriller, which competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, has drawn 4,430,105 admissions to date, a disappointing result given the massive expectations for the film.
In a summer dominated by Hollywood blockbusters, even strong local titles were left struggling for screen space.
Korean distributors have read the room. Rather than compete head-on with two of the biggest global releases of the year, domestic studios have quietly reshuffled their autumn slates, pushing their most anticipated titles toward the Chuseok holiday slots in late September and beyond.
From left are actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho in a scene from “The Assassin(s)” / Courtesy of Hive Media Corp
The film drawing the most attention is “The Assassin(s),” directed by Hur Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho.
Set on Aug. 15, 1974, the film reconstructs the assassination of first lady Yuk Young-soo during a Liberation Day ceremony, an event that was broadcast live across the country at the time.
The production is backed by Hive Media Corp, which has built a reputation for politically charged modern history dramas including “12.12: The Day” and “The Man Standing Next.” The film is also set to have its world premiere in the Gala Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, before its domestic Chuseok release.
Actors Byun Yo-han, right, and Roh Jae-won in a scene from “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” / Courtesy of CJ ENM
Going up against it over the same holiday stretch will be “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub,” the final installment of Korea’s long-running casino thriller franchise.
The 2006 film “Tazza: The High Rollers,” the first installment of the franchise, was a massive box office hit, drawing 5.69 million moviegoers.
The upcoming entry to the Tazza franchise centers on a high-stakes revenge match. The plot follows Jang Tae-young (Byun Yo-han), who built an online casino empire, and his former close friend, Park Tae-young (Roh Jae-won), who took it all away from him.
Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee star in “The Intern,” a Korean remake of the 2015 Hollywood comedy, which is set for release on Sept. 16. Koo Kyo-hwan leads “Reawaken Man: The Red,” which is currently eyeing a late September release to capitalize on the string of national holidays from Chuseok to National Foundation Day on Oct. 3.
Actor Koo Kyo-hwan in a poster for movie “Reawaken Man: The Red” / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment
Concerns are growing that local titles will face cutthroat competition against one another over Chuseok, with movie distributors delaying their summer releases to avoid Hollywood blockbusters.
Actor Park Hae-il took a positive view of the situation during a press conference on Aug. 10 for his upcoming film “The Assassin(s).”
“It has been a while since we’ve had so many Korean films opening over the Chuseok holiday,” Park said. “With such a diverse spread on the table, I hope many moviegoers come to theaters.”
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