Box Office Success of Korean Films This Summer Reveals Contours
The release of four highly anticipated Korean films this summer has shed light on the parameters of box office success in the industry.
‘Smuggling’ directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and ‘Concrete Utopia’ directed by Um Tae-hwa are cruising to success, while ‘Unofficial Operation’ by Kim Seong-hoon and ‘The Moon’ by Kim Yong-hwa have encountered setbacks.
This summer, with the convergence of blockbuster movies with production costs exceeding 20 billion won per episode, concerns among theatergoers that only two out of the four films will survive, like last year, are becoming a reality.
‘Smuggling’ Sets the Bar High
Among the four masterpieces, ‘Smuggling’, released last month on the 26th, caught attention first.
As of the 13th, the film has already accumulated an audience of 4,194,000. With a production cost of 17.5 billion won and a break-even point of around 4 million viewers, ‘Smuggling’ is considered a successful venture.
Starring Kim Hye-soo, Yeom Jeong-ah, Jo In-seong, Park Jung-min, Go Min-si, and Kim Jong-soo, ‘Smuggling’ combines an engaging storyline with thrilling action sequences, effectively capturing the attention and meeting the expectations of summer moviegoers.
The captivating ocean scenes and exhilarating underwater action provide a momentary escape from the scorching summer heat. The film’s portrayal of a 1970s fishing village and nostalgic soundtrack add an extra touch of retro appeal.
‘Concrete Utopia’ Emerges as a Promising Contender
‘Concrete Utopia’, the latest release, is off to a promising start.
Since its release on the 9th, the film has surpassed ‘Smuggling’ and claimed the top spot at the box office, reaching over 1 million viewers within the first four days. The cumulative audience as of the previous day was 1,118,000. With a production cost of 22 billion won and a break-even point of 3.8 million viewers, ‘Concrete Utopia’ benefits from its overseas sales revenue.
The film’s strength lies in the impressive performance of Lee Byung-Hun. Playing the role of Yeong-tak, a resident of the last remaining imperial apartment damaged by an earthquake, Lee Byung-Hun excellently portrays the transformation of an ordinary person in a life-threatening situation.
‘Unofficial Operation’ and ‘The Moon’ Struggle to Gain Traction
Despite being released a week earlier than ‘Concrete Utopia’, ‘Unofficial Operation’ has only attracted a cumulative audience of 933,000, raising concerns about its box office success.
This buddy film, starring Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon, receives positive evaluations for its fast-paced action sequences, including thrilling car chases. CGV’s Golden Egg Index, reflecting actual viewer evaluations, has also reached 95%, the highest among the four films.
However, the film’s failure to meet expectations is attributed to its similarity in storyline to previous films, such as “Mogadishu” (2021) or “Negotiations” (2023), lacking a fresh impression.
Meanwhile, ‘The Moon’ has performed even worse, with a cumulative audience of only 465,000 since its release on the same day as ‘Unofficial Operation’ on the 2nd.
The film offers visually stunning scenes of the universe and moon, reminiscent of Hollywood productions. However, it has received negative feedback due to certain elements that create a feeling of being part of the “new wave”.
Given the high production costs, ‘The Moon’ aims to reach a break-even point of 6.4 million viewers, while ‘Unofficial Operation’ also targets over 6 million viewers.
Expert Opinions and Future Prospects
Anticipated by many as a revival of Korean films in theaters, following the success of ‘Criminal City 3’ surpassing 10 million viewers, industry experts advise cautious optimism.
Film critic Jung Ji-wook states, “If ‘Concrete Utopia’ succeeds alongside ‘Smuggling’, it can be considered a strong summer for Korean films.”
Upcoming releases like director Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, director Lee Han’s ‘Sweet Sea: 7510’, and director Jung Woo-sung’s ‘Guardian’, set to debut on the 15th, can further change the landscape of the cinema.
Kim Hyung-ho, a film market analyst, anticipates that films with distinct genre characteristics will continue to perform well this summer.
Source: Federation
With the release of all four Korean films, selected as the most anticipated films in the theater this summer, the contours of box office success are also revealed.
Director Ryoo Seung-wan’s ‘Smuggling’ and Um Tae-hwa’s ‘Concrete Utopia’ are cruising, but Kim Seong-hoon’s ‘Unofficial Operation’ and Kim Yong-hwa’s ‘The Moon’ have turned red.
As blockbuster movies with production costs of over 20 billion won per episode come together, theatergoers’ worries that only two out of four movies will survive like last year are becoming a reality.
Among the four masterpieces, the first thing I laughed at was ‘Smuggling’, which was released on the 26th of last month.
According to the integrated computer network for movie theater tickets on the 13th, the film recorded a cumulative audience of 4,194,000 until the previous day. The break-even point of ‘smuggling’, which invested 17.5 billion won in production, is around 4 million people, so it is a successful ‘surplus business’.
Starring Kim Hye-soo, Yeom Jeong-ah, Jo In-seong, Park Jung-min, Go Min-si, and Kim Jong-soo, the box office success of ‘Smuggling’ is all about maximizing the entertainment factor by adding cool and cool. exciting action to a solid story. It is evaluated that it has all the elements to meet the needs of the audience that visits the theater in the hot summer.
The sea that fills the screen and cool underwater action will make you forget about the sweltering heat even for a moment. The scenes of a fishing village that cover the atmosphere of the 1970s, the seasonal background of this film, and old hits including ‘Coastal Pier’ also evoke a ‘retro’ (retro) sensibility.
The latest release ‘Concrete Utopia’ is also off to a good start.
With the release on the 9th, the film surpassed ‘Smuggling’ and rose to the top of the box office, and surpassed 1 million a day before the fourth day of its release. The cumulative number of viewers up to the previous day was 1,118,000. The break-even point for ‘Concrete Utopia’, which costs 22 billion won, is 3.8 million people. Although the cost of production is higher than ‘Smuggling’, the reason why the break-even point is low is because overseas sales revenue is reflected.
Starring Lee Byung-Hun, Park Seo-Jun, and Park Bo-Young, the strength of this film is Lee Byung-Hun’s lively performance.
Playing Yeong-tak, a resident of the only remaining imperial apartment in Seoul damaged by the earthquake, he impressively portrayed the process of an ordinary person changing dramatically in a situation where survival was at stake.
Although ‘Operation Unofficial’ was released a week earlier than ‘Concrete Utopia’, the number of cumulative audiences was only 933,000, giving red flags to its box office success.
A buddy film starring Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon, this film is being evaluated for its pace and the realism of the action including car chases. CGV’s Golden Egg Index, which reflects actual visitor evaluations, is also 95%, the highest among the four masterpieces.
However, it is interpreted that the reason why the results do not meet the expectations is that the material itself, which is the story of the escape of the Koreans from a distant place, is similar to “Mogadishu” (2021) or “Negotiations” (2023) and did not give a new impression.
The performance of ‘The Moon’ is even lower. The cumulative number of audiences for this film, released at the same time as ‘Unofficial Operation’ on the 2nd, remains at 465,000.
Not only did the universe and moon scene emerge with a sense of realism similar to a Hollywood film, but the action with the moon in the background is thrilling, but there are negative reactions to elements that can feel them as one. new wave
The break-even point of ‘The Moon’ is 6.4 million people, and ‘Unofficial Operation’ is also aiming for more than 6 million people. This is because production costs are high. This means that if you fail to make a transition, you will have to bear significant losses.
Many people predicted that Korean films, which had been sluggish in theaters this year, would regain their vitality with the 4th summer blockbuster after maintaining their pride with ‘Criminal City 3’ becoming a 10 million film, then also comments.
However, experts say we need to wait a little longer.
Film critic Jung Ji-wook said, “If ‘Concrete Utopia’ also succeeds in a situation where ‘Smuggling’ has performed well, Korean films this summer can be considered to be doing well.”
On the 15th, director Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, director Lee Han’s ‘Sweet Sea: 7510’, and director Jung Woo-sung’s ‘Guardian’ will be released at the same time, and the composition of the theater area can also change.
Kim Hyung-ho, a film market analyst, said, “Films with different genre characteristics seem to be doing well this summer as well.”
source = federation
#Summer #theater #district #midterm #ratings.. #films #risk #breaking
