'There are many empty seats' EXO Suho, musical 'Mozart!' box office failure

The musical 'Mozart!', starring EXO's Suho, was virtually unsuccessful at the box office. Even though a popular idol has appeared, there are almost half of the empty seats on weekdays as well as on weekends. The formula itself in the musical industry, which was aiming for box office success as an idol with ticket power, is collapsing.

According to Interpark on the 14th, the musical 'Mozart!', which has been performing at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, Seoul since the 15th of last month, has more than hundreds of seats left for the performance on the 15th and 16th, the weekend. Popular idol Suho is also in a situation where empty seats are overflowing even for nearby weekday or weekend performances. In fact, the evaluation of the musical industry is that it is a box office failure.

In the case of the Suho performance, about 300 seats out of 1030 seats on the first floor are empty as of 8:00 pm on the 14th at 2:30 pm on the 19th, the closest casting date. Some of the rest is presumed to be owned by the agency. This means that the actual number of paid tickets sold would have been less. The second floor is virtually empty, leaving empty seats.

Since it was a midday performance on weekdays, it is difficult to say that tickets were not sold out. For Suho's earliest weekend performance, Saturday, July 29th at 7:30 pm, nearly half of the 1st floor is available for reservation at the same time. The industry’s assessment is that the fact that the Saturday evening performance, which is prime time, has sold this much with about two weeks left, is more than a failure at the box office.

<Saturday the 29th at 7:30 pm Ticket status. As of 8 p.m. on the 14th, Source: Interpark>

Reasons for box office failure include the fact that it is the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which is highly criticized for its sound problems, and that musical fans did not feel the need to re-watch as 'Mozart!' But above all else, most of the voices point out the main actor's skill problems. Fans point out that if the lead actor was a top-class musical actor like Hong Kwang-ho, the same result would have been achieved.

In fact, on the 26th of last month, a live viewer commented in the review section of Interpark, "The lead actor is really bad at singing. I've seen idol musicals a few times, and it's the worst. Isn't that a nuisance? It's such a waste to pay 170,000 won for a VIP seat." also left The main numbers that Suho showed at the press call last June were vocalizations, breathing, and acting, but it was difficult to see them as proper leading actors. In some high notes, the sound was flat (b) without being able to sound accurately at all. These are all areas that are difficult to improve in the short term.

The high ticket prices also played a role. VIP seats are 170,000 won, R seats are 140,000 won, and S seats are 110,000 won. Since the proportion of VIP seats and R seats is high, in fact, you have to pay at least 280,000 won to see two people in a slightly decent seat. The high ticket price also reflects the cost of casting idols.

Even though the situation is like this, Suho, the lead actor, is busy blaming others. Suho recently posted 'Mozart!' on the fan communication platform Dear You Bubble. He expressed his feelings about the criticism that followed the highlight demonstration. He said, “Even if I make a small mistake, it is mentally difficult because I am drawn to be ridiculed and belittled like this.” He called musical fans' evaluation of himself mocking and belittling. There was no attitude of reflection on the lack of skills. It was only self-justification, excuses, and whining at the fans.

An official from the musical industry said, “I paid a high casting fee and brought an idol, but if this was a box office failure, the production company, EMK Musical Company, would have suffered considerable losses.” The production company's complacent attitude to chase it made it a box office failure."

On YouTube, etc., videos of students taking musical exams to pass the musical department are often uploaded. Even for first-year students, their breathing, acting, and vocalization are often as good as those of professional actors. If you compare only the videos, you can say that they are far superior to idols. There are countless actors who have these skills and devoted their all to build up their skills, but can't stand as a proper lead on the stage. These are the people who want to fill with their voices even if it is not the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, but a small theater in the basement of Daehangno. Whether you are an ordinary actor or an idol, you should look back at least once to see if you are stepping on their dreams before you stand on stage with your hasty skills.

Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr