[Sportschosun Reporter Jo Ji-young] The mystery thriller 'Assassin(s)' (directed by Hur Jin-ho and produced by Hive Media) surpassed 1 million moviegoers in just four days, becoming the Chuseok holiday box-office king. The crime film 'TAZZA: The Song of Beelzebub' (hereinafter 'TAZZA 4'; directed by Choi Kook-hee and produced by SidusHQ) also continued its strong run alongside 'Assassin(s)'.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated box-office network, 'Assassin(s)' ranked No. 1 at the overall opening-week box office, drawing 1,546,615 moviegoers as of 7 a.m. on the 28th. During the same period, 'TAZZA 4' retained second place with 833,031 moviegoers.
'Assassin(s)' dramatizes the shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo at the 29th Liberation Day ceremony held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Aug. 15, 1974, during President Park Chung-hee's commemorative address. The film follows the suspicions surrounding the shooting that shocked South Korea and traces those behind it. Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho star in the film, which was directed by Hur Jin-ho, who helmed 'Christmas in August,' 'One Fine Spring Day' and 'The Last Princess.'
After surpassing 1 million cumulative moviegoers in just four days and topping the opening-week box office, 'Assassin(s)' has continued its strong run and set a record by surpassing the opening-week score of 'The King's Warden.' With audiences continuing to choose 'Assassin(s)' from the moment it was released, attention is focused on what kind of performance the film will achieve next.
Actual moviegoers have also responded enthusiastically. As praise continues to spread for the film's highly immersive story, which holds viewers' attention throughout its runtime, the stellar performances by Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, and its visuals and music that capture the texture of the era, interest is mounting in the next step for 'Assassin(s)', which topped the opening-week box office.
'TAZZA 4,' which solidified a two-horse race with 'Assassin(s)' over the Chuseok holiday, has recorded high daily seat sales despite the handicap of its adults-only rating since its release on the 23rd. Its advance-booking rate had ranked lower than those of competing films before release, but the gap was offset by strong on-site ticket sales, demonstrating that positive word of mouth was spreading among actual moviegoers. On the third day of the holiday, the film filled more than half of approximately 400,000 seats, recording a remarkable 52.9% seat sales rate and showing in numbers how adult audiences rallied around it. Analysts say that even on the final day of the holiday, when the market typically shrinks sharply, the film recorded a lower drop rate and a higher seat sales rate than competing films released around the same time, gaining momentum through word of mouth.
'TAZZA 4,' which had been considered something of an underdog before its release, proved that it was actually the joker once the cards were on the table. It currently has a 93% CGV Golden Egg Index rating.
Reporter Jo Ji-young soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
