'The Roundup' expected to become 1st movie since pandemic to hit 10-million mark

A poster for the movie “The Roundup” is seen at a cinema in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Dong Sun-hwa

The crime action movie, “The Roundup,” has attracted 9 million theatergoers as of Monday, showing a sign of revival for the pandemic-hit film industry.

According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the 106-minute flick accumulated an audience of 9.03 million on Monday morning, 20 days after its premiere.

“The Roundup” is projected to reach the milestone of 10 million cinemagoers within a few days, becoming the first movie to achieve the feat since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. The last Korean film that drew more than 10 million people was the 2019 Oscar-winning black comedy, “Parasite,” starring Song Kang-ho.

“We did not think our movie would receive this much love and support after the pandemic,” the cast members said in a statement. “We are truly thankful and hope our film can help more people relieve their stress this summer.”

“The Roundup” is the sequel to the 2017 hit, “The Outlaws.” It follows police officer Ma Seok-do ― played by actor Ma Dong-suk ― who heads to Vietnam to catch an infamous serial killer named Kang Hae-sang ― played by Son Suk-ku. Ma, also known by his English name Don Lee, is the star of the Marvel film, “Eternals” (2021).

“The Roundup” has been dominating the local box office since its premiere on May 18, except on a single day ― June 1 ― when “Jurassic World Dominion” was released. The Hollywood film is also drawing a good number of moviegoers, surpassing 2 million viewers on Monday, the sixth day since its release.