Korean movies are not dead! Following ‘12.12: THE DAY’, ‘Noryang’, theaters are hot at the end of the year.

Expectations are gathering for the theater district, which will become lively for the first time in a long time.

The movie '12.12: THE DAY' (directed by Kim Seong-su), which was released on the 22nd of last month, has never missed the top spot at the box office and has already attracted 7.7 million viewers. It is expected to exceed 9 million viewers in the fourth weekend of its release.

'12.12: THE DAY' is expected to become the second movie to reach 10 million viewers this year, following 'Crime City 3', the only movie to reach 10 million viewers. '12.12: THE DAY', which ranked second in box office hits this year, recovered Korean film sales by 70% in November compared to pre-coronavirus levels. In fact, the once quiet theater district is bustling with life after the release of '12.12: THE DAY'.

What is encouraging is that the box office success of ‘12.12: THE DAY’ has not yet subsided. As time passes after release, the number of audiences tends to gradually decrease, but '12.12: THE DAY' is still a box office hit, being chosen by many audiences. Accordingly, there are predictions that after surpassing 9 million this weekend, the number may reach 10 million.

The movie 'Noryang: Deadly Sea' (director Kim Han-min, hereinafter referred to as 'Noryang'), which will be released on the 20th, will take the baton and continue the excitement. As of the morning of the 15th, 'Noryang' is approaching 130,000 tickets in advance. This is a faster trend than the movies ‘Roaring Currents’ and ‘Hansan: Rise of the Dragon’. In the case of ‘Spring in Seoul’, advance sales exceeded 100,000 tickets two days before its release.

Since the advance reservation volume is a number that directly reflects the audience's expectations for the movie, following 'Spring in Seoul', 'Noryang' is also expected to emerge as a 'hot' blockbuster that is heating up theaters. 'Noryang' depicts Admiral Yi Sun-sin's final battle to completely annihilate the Japanese army trying to retreat from Joseon, seven years after the outbreak of the Japanese invasions of Korea.

Actor Kim Yun-seok portrays Yi Sun-sin in his own unique way. In addition, Baek Yoon-sik, Jeong Jae-young, Heo Jun-ho, Kim Seong-gyu, Lee Kyu-hyung, Lee Moo-saeng, Choi Deok-moon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Park Myung-hoon, Park Hoon, and Moon Jeong-hee fill the screen. ‘Noryang’ is director Kim’s last film following ‘Roaring Currents’ (2014) and ‘Hansan: Emergence of the Dragon’ (2022). It will be released on the 20th.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr