《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
‘The First Slam Dunk’ lands in China after Japan and Korea
Exceeded 10 million viewers in just 5 days of release, box office increased by 400 million yuan
Why is it only popular in Korea, China, and Japan?
‘The First Slam Dunk’ lands in China after Japan and Korea
Exceeded 10 million viewers in just 5 days of release, box office increased by 400 million yuan
Why is it only popular in Korea, China, and Japan?
《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Like an insert scene that magnifies important points in a movie, TenAsia reporter Kang Min-kyung focuses on issues in the film industry. Let’s take a closer look at the front and back of the hot topic from a three-dimensional perspective.
The basketball movie 'The First Slam Dunk', based on a Japanese cartoon, was released in China following Japan and Korea. It attracted 500,000 viewers from the first day of release, and recorded a cumulative audience of 400 million within 5 days of release. But why was it a ‘big hit’ only in Korea, China, and Japan?
'The First Slam Dunk' is a movie that depicts the dreams, passion, and never-ending challenges of the five members of the Buksan High School basketball team who dream of winning the national championship. Starting with its release in Japan on December 3rd last year, it met audiences in Korea on January 4th this year, Hong Kong on January 12th, Vietnam on April 14th, and China on April 20th.
On the first day of its release in China, 'The First Slam Dunk' was a so-called jackpot. According to Maoyen Professional Edition data, it exceeded 20 million yuan (about 3.9 billion won) and mobilized 500,000 viewers. This is a record that surpassed 'Avatar: Path of Water' in the Chinese film market over the past three years. It ranked second after ‘Fast and Furious: The Ultimate’. Within 5 days of its release, the cumulative number of viewers exceeded 10 million, and the box office exceeded 400 million yuan (approximately KRW 77.1 billion).
The main audience for ‘The First Slam Dunk’ in China were male audiences born in the 1980s. 'Slam Dunk', the original work of 'The First Slam Dunk', began serialization in Japan in Weekly Shonen Jump with issue 42 in 1990 and ended with issue 27 in 1996. In China, it was adapted and introduced as an animation in 1995, and ended in 1996 with the phrase “See you at the national competition.” ‘The First Slam Dunk’ brought back childhood memories to audiences in Korea, China, and Japan.
Chinese audiences also waited for ‘The First Slam Dunk’. The original author, Takehiko Inoue, also expressed his thoughts about the film being released in China through social media. However, an appeal was posted on ‘The First Slam Dunk’ official Weibo (Chinese social media) to refrain from illegal filming. Illegal filming and copying have been rampant in China for years. ‘The First Slam Dunk’ could not be avoided either. Despite the issue of illegal filming, the popularity of ‘The First Slam Dunk’ is soaring.
‘The First Slam Dunk’, which has not been released in North America, is showing strength in the Asian film market. Fandoms were formed in Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, etc. Among them, only in Korea, China, and Japan is the craze for 'jungkkeema (the important thing is an unbreakable mind)' spreading. Aside from recalling childhood memories, which is a common feature, why is ‘The First Slam Dunk’ such a big hit only in the Korean, Chinese, and Japanese markets?
Japan has been called an animation powerhouse since the past, and created a fan base with ‘Slam Dunk.’ Korea and China, which are part of the East Asian region with similar cultures to Japan, were also affected. In particular, China allowed Wang Zizhi, Yao Ming, and Lee Jianlian to play in the NBA (National Basketball Association), the home of basketball. This may be because, compared to baseball and soccer, which are popular sports in Korea and Japan, basketball was the only sport where players went overseas and achieved success.
An official in the film industry said, “Due to the nature of the IP called ‘Slam Dunk,’ it is natural that East Asian fandom, who consumed comic books in the 90s, becomes willing to watch the theatrical version.” He added, "In the case of North America, when the comic book 'Slam Dunk' was a hit, it did not reach consumers unfamiliar with Asian culture, and since it took a long time for the movie to come out after the comic book, it may not be familiar to young audiences these days either." .
This official said, "In the end, unlike the fact that 'The First Slam Dunk' is welcomed by Korean, Chinese, and Japanese audiences as 'Slam Dunk is back after 20 years,' it is highly likely that it will be perceived as a new animation that they have seen for the first time in their lives." explained. However, he said, “Looking at the fact that the recently released theatrical versions of ‘Demon Slayer’ and ‘Jujutsuken’, which were released in North America, achieved significant scores, we can confirm that the IP can be expanded into a theatrical version based on hit animations.”
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr