The fall cinema scene has been in a slump for some time. Following the release of ‘Veteran 2’, subsequent films have failed to meet expectations, causing a loss of momentum in the industry.
According to the Korean Film Council, the total audience in October was 6,278,054, slightly more than half of September’s 1,015,373, marking the lowest record of the year. October and November are traditionally considered off-seasons for cinemas, as the number of moviegoers tends to decrease after the Chuseok holiday until the end of the year. A variety of films such as ‘Love In The Big City’, ‘Ordinary Family’, ‘Don’t Touch Dirty Money’, and ‘You Will Die in 6 Hours’ have been released but have failed to break even.
In particular, ‘Amazon Hwalmyungsoo’, which was the last film released in October, garnered attention for the reunion of actors Ryu SeungRyong and Jin SunKyu but has been struggling due to its clichéd storyline and unfavorable comparisons to previous works. As of the 8th, it has only accumulated 447,786 viewers.
Earlier this year, films like ‘Excavation’, ‘The Outlaws 4’, ‘Handsome Guys’, ‘Escape’, ‘Pilot’, and ‘Veteran 2’ surpassed the break-even point and revitalized cinemas, but after ‘Veteran 2’, audience interest waned. Despite being an occult thriller, ‘Excavation’ attracted 11,911,000 viewers, and ‘The Outlaws 4’ surpassed 10 million viewers, achieving the first-ever ‘triple ten million’ milestone in Korean cinema.
Nevertheless, new anticipated releases are on the horizon for November. ‘Hear Me’, starring Hong Kyung and Noh YoonSeo, has maintained its position at the top of the box office since its release on the 6th. ‘Sahoel’, opening on the 14th, is gaining attention for the collaboration of Park ShinYang and Lee MinKi. Additionally, ‘Hidden Face’, marking the reunion of Song SeungHeon and director Kim DaeWoo after 10 years, will be released on the 20th.
December holds even more promising works. ‘One Win’, starring Song KangHo and Park JungMin, will be released on the 4th, and on the same day, ‘Firefighter’, a film based on the real-life 2001 Hongje-dong fire disaster, is drawing attention. On the 11th, ‘Large Family’, starring Lee SeungGi, will premiere.
It is anticipated whether these new releases can bring fresh vitality to the stagnant cinema scene. The box office results for this fall and winter are eagerly awaited to see if warm energy can be rekindled in theaters.
