Haeundae Hits 7-Million-Viewer Mark
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Local summer blockbuster ``Haeundae,'' directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, has been seen by 7 million viewers in 18 days since its premiere July 22.
The film is expected to break the 10-million-viewer mark soon with its present pace. Currently, only four domestic movies ― ``Silmido'' (2003), ``Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War'' (2004), ``King and the Clown'' (2005) and ``The Host'' (2006) ― have drawn more than 10 million viewers.
``Haeundae'' attracted 180,000 viewers on opening day and reached 1 million viewers July 25, four days after its release.
The film has continued to draw an average 300,000 viewers a day during the weekdays and 500,000 viewers a day on the weekends. If the film reaches the 10-million-viewer mark, it will be the fifth film to do so, three years after ``The Host,'' the last film to do so.
The movie's popularity is attributed to the wide range of audience members it appeals to, from teens to the middle-aged, due to its comical and emotional scenes.
The movie, billed as the nation's first disaster film, was directed by Yoon Je-kyoon who is known for his sex comedy ``Sex Is Zero'' and the feel-good romantic comedy, ``Miracle on 1st Street."
The film is set in Busan, the nation's second-largest city, which is about to be hit by a tsunami and focuses on the story of a group of protagonists ― seaside-eatery proprietor Man-sik (Sul Kyoung-gu) and girlfriend Yeon-heui (Ha Ji-won); his coast-guard brother and his sultry counterpart; and a divorced couple, one of whom is a workaholic ocean geologist (Park Joong-hoon) and the other a political adviser (Uhm Jung-hwa).
Although the drama deals with a natural disaster, the story touches on complications in love caused by relatives, class differences and human relations.
The $13 million production by CJ Entertainment, one of the most expensive in Korea, is now showing on 869 screens nationwide.
``Haeundae'' shows Hollywood-caliber visual effects placed in a richly localized setting for the Korean audience by Hans Uhlig, the computer graphics expert for the film, also known for his work in ``The Perfect Storm'' and ``The Day After Tomorrow.''