'Along with the Gods' tops box office

The poster of the movie “Along with the Gods”/ Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

By Oh Young-jin

“Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds,” a comic webtoon-based fantasy film directed by Kim Yong-hwa, has topped the box office after its release on 1,505 screens Dec. 20.

The film, starring Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon, attracted 6.07 million people over nine days to Dec. 28. According to the Korean Film Council, on Dec. 29 alone, 375,000 people saw the movie.

It is the story of the death of an ordinary man named Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun) and Gang-rim (Ha Jung-woo), the head grim reaper, who escorts Ja-hong to the afterlife, where he has to represent him in seven trials in 49 days to decide whether he should go to heaven or hell.

Second in the box office was “1987: When the Day Comes.” It is showing on 1,233 screens and drawing 221,300 moviegoers daily. The historical film is directed by Jang Joon-hwan and stars Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Tae-ri, Park Hee-soon and Lee Hee-joon.

It is about the death by torture of student activist Park Jong-chul during the June 1987 Democracy Movement, which the government of strongman Chun Doo-hwan tried to cover up but failed, leading to massive protests and to the end of his reign.

“Steel Rain,” a spy action thriller about a coup plot in North Korea, drew 56,555 daily for third place. A total of 3.72 million people have seen it since its debut Dec. 14.