[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Assassin(s), a film embroiled in a controversy over historical distortion, surpassed 2 million moviegoers just 11 days after its release.
According to distributor TPS Company and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC)'s integrated ticketing system on the 3rd, Assassin(s) surpassed 2 million cumulative moviegoers that afternoon. After opening on the 23rd of last month, it surpassed 1 million moviegoers in four days and reached the 2 million mark on its 11th day.
With this milestone, Assassin(s) became the ninth film released this year to attract more than 2 million moviegoers.
Assassin(s) is based on the shooting of Yuk Young-soo on August 15, 1974. The film follows an investigation into the suspicions surrounding the incident and those behind it, which occurred when Mun Se-gwang, a Korean resident of Japan, attempted to shoot President Park Chung Hee, but Yuk Young-soo was struck by a bullet and killed.
Hur Jin-ho, who directed Christmas in August, was at the helm, with Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Minho among the cast. The film portrays police officer Cheol-gu, played by Yoo Hae-jin; Jae-hwan, the head of a newspaper's social affairs desk, played by Park Hae-il; and rookie reporter Young-il, played by Lee Minho, as they pursue the truth behind the incident.
The film enjoyed a strong start at the box office. From the 24th to the 27th of last month, during the Chuseok holiday, Assassin(s) drew approximately 1.407 million moviegoers, surpassing Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub and The Odyssey to take the top spot at the box office.
However, the box-office success was accompanied by controversy over historical distortion. Political figures and others criticized the film for distorting actual history, particularly over scenes suggesting that the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) might have been behind the incident. After the controversy intensified, the film also lost the No. 1 spot at the daily box office to Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub on the 28th of last month.
It returned to the top of the box office this month and continued attracting audiences, ultimately surpassing 2 million moviegoers 11 days after its release. As of 4 p.m. that day, it also ranked second in advance bookings behind Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island, with a 16.9% advance-booking rate and approximately 84,000 advance-booked viewers.
The backlash surrounding the film spread beyond theaters. Some brands and securities firms featuring lead actor Yoo Hae-jin in their advertising on YouTube received a stream of protest comments related to the film, and the comment sections on those videos were eventually restricted. Some film-related events were also canceled.
The production team rejected the criticism that the film distorted history. In a statement released on the 28th of last month, it said, "This film was not made to establish a new, specific historical conclusion or to deny or distort established facts."
It added, "The film does not identify any particular person as being behind the incident, nor does it present the hypotheses and dramatic settings depicted in the film as historical facts."
As Assassin(s) surpasses 2 million moviegoers amid intense backlash over the controversy surrounding historical distortion and protests targeting its cast, attention is focused on how far its box-office success will continue.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
