'The Assassin(s)' claims Chuseok box office crown as admissions top 1.3 mil.
Actor Lee Min-ho in a scene from "The Assassin(s)" / Courtesy of Hive Media Corp
The Chuseok holiday box office has found its clear winner. Director Hur Jin-ho's historical thriller "The Assassin(s)" held the top spot for four consecutive days since its Sept. 23 release, drawing 432,341 admissions on Saturday alone to garner a total of over 1.3 million, according to data from the Korean Film Council.
“The Assassin(s)” has also topped advance ticket sales for eight straight days as of Sunday morning. That streak began well before its theatrical premiere and has not been challenged by any other Chuseok title, including the casino crime sequel "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub." Opening on the same day, the "Tazza" sequel attracted 663,140 viewers through Saturday to take a distant second place.
Starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, "The Assassin(s)" reimagines the investigation into the 1974 shooting that killed first lady Yuk Young-soo.
The story follows courageous journalists and detectives who risk their careers and safety to expose the truth behind the attack.
Crossing the 1 million admissions milestone just four days after release, the film is on track to join the elite group of holiday blockbusters that hit 10 million total views. Earlier this year, "The King's Warden," which also starred Yoo, set a high benchmark by drawing 16.9 million viewers after its February release.
Another highlight of the movie is the impressive lineup of special appearances by top-tier actors.
Park Jeong-min plays the suspect accused of shooting the first lady, delivering a pivotal performance that drives the narrative forward. Jung Woo-sung adds weight to the story as the chairman of a major conglomerate and the older brother of Lee’s character, a rookie reporter named Young-il. Shim Eun-kyung joins as a helpful ally assisting Young-il, while Oh Jung-se makes a surprise appearance as a key figure holding audio recordings from the shooting scene, bringing lighthearted relief.
This year, local distributors clustered their big releases around the Chuseok holiday even more aggressively to avoid Christopher Nolan's blockbuster "The Odyssey." Following his 2014 hit "Interstellar," which drew over 10 million viewers in Korea, "The Odyssey" still held third place at the box office with 11.69 million total admissions as of Saturday. That figure marks Nolan's highest-grossing movie ever in Korea. IMAX screens showing the epic film remained nearly sold out throughout the Chuseok break, proving its sustained popularity among moviegoers seeking a larger viewing format.
Whether "The Assassin(s)" can maintain its box office sales after the four-day Chuseok holiday ends on Monday remains to be seen because holiday hits don’t always keep their momentum into the following weekend.