Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Korean film 'Search Out' takes back local box office amid coronavirus void
Thriller movie “Search Out” topped the local box office on Wednesday, becoming the first local film to dominate the chart since February. Courtesy of Storm Pictures Korea
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee Gyu-lee
South Korean movie “Search Out” topped the local box office on its opening day Wednesday, becoming the first local film to soar on the chart since February.
The thriller film saw over 5,100 ticket sales, earning 47 million won ($38,300).
Action comedy “Guns Akimbo,” starring Daniel Radcliffe, was a close second on the same opening day with about 5,000 ticket sales.
When coronavirus cases began spiking in Korea in February, distributors decided not to release many local films, fearing they would screen in empty theaters as people started to avoid crowded places.
This left crime film “Beasts Clawing at Straws,” released on Feb. 19, as the last local film to top the box office, before it slipped down the chart a week after its premiere.
Directed by newcomer Kwak Jung, “Search Out” revolves around social media influencer Joon-hyuk (Kim Sung-cheol) who finds traces of cyberbullying that led to his neighbor's suicide.
He teams up with his friend Sung-min (Lee Si-eon) and hacker Nu-ri (Heo Ga-yoon) to untangle the mystery behind the deadly game that involved the neighbor's death.