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“Assassins” tops Korean holiday box office amid historical-dispute fallout
Versión 2: New in this version: Hankook Ilbo reported about 50 conservative group members protested outside Yoo Hae-jin’s Seongbuk home, director Hur Jin-ho and the cast cancelled their Busan International Film Festival appearances, the People Power Party sought a screening ban and a Singapore festival withdrawal, and business outlets reported cast-video comment sections were restricted; reports also differ on holiday admissions (590,000 vs 520,000).
En breve
The South Korean film “Assassins” drew more than 590,000 admissions over the Oct. 2–5 National Foundation Day holiday and has reached about 2.41 million admissions since its Sept. 23 release, according to cinema ticketing data. It faces continuing controversy over its treatment of the Aug. 15, 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, and criticism has spread to lead actor Yoo Hae-jin, with boycott calls and an Oct. 4 protest outside his home. The culture minister and film industry groups urged that criticism of the work be kept separate from pressure on individuals.
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“Assassins,” directed by Hur Jin-ho, stayed at the top of South Korea’s box office over the Oct. 2–5 National Foundation Day holiday, drawing more than 590,000 admissions, according to the integrated cinema ticketing network cited by Yonhap and Maeil Business. Chosun Ilbo reported 178,853 admissions on Oct. 5 alone, first in box office and seat sales rate, and put cumulative admissions at 2,412,816 as of 7 a.m. on Oct. 6. Hankook Ilbo reported 2.41 million cumulative admissions, said the film ranked first in seat sales rate over Oct. 3–5 when it drew 520,000 admissions — a figure that differs from the 590,000 reported by Yonhap and Maeil Business for Oct. 2–5 — and put the industry break-even estimate at about 3.7 million admissions. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The film deals with the Aug. 15, 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo and has faced continuing controversy over its handling of historical events, with criticism raised in political circles and by some conservative groups, Yonhap and Maeil Business reported. The dispute spread to lead actor Yoo Hae-jin: Yonhap and Maeil Business reported boycott calls against companies using him as an advertising model and demands to replace him, and Hankook Ilbo reported about 50 conservative group members protested outside his home in Seoul’s Seongbuk district on Oct. 4. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Yoo’s agency, named by Maeil Business as VAST Entertainment, said on Oct. 5 it views any infringement of his private life, threats to his safety or damage to his reputation as very serious and would respond strongly. Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young wrote on social media the same day that “evaluation of a film is free, but threatening a creator’s safety is the destruction of democracy,” and asked for strict law enforcement against illegal acts outside the actor’s home, Yonhap and Maeil Business reported. The film industry group Yeonghwain Yeondae, made up of 19 organizations, said criticism of a work and pressure on an individual must be clearly separated. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported that the main opposition People Power Party demanded the film be banned and its profits recovered, and decided to ask the Singapore International Film Festival, opening on the 21st, to withdraw “Assassins” as its opening film. The same outlet reported director Hur Jin-ho and the cast cancelled all Busan International Film Festival attendance for safety reasons; Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Min-ho had been due at the opening ceremony that day, and other events were also cancelled. Korea Economic Daily reported that Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jae-jung said “it is not the film that distorted history, it is politics that distorted the film,” and party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young called the cancellation of the film’s Busan premiere and festival events an “unfortunate result.” [ 3 , 5 ]
Other holiday releases followed: “Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid’s Island” sold about 536,000 tickets and has about 736,000 admissions in total; “Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” 395,000; “Odyssey” 169,000; and “Revival Man: The Red” 151,000, Yonhap and Maeil Business reported. Yonhap said “Odyssey” passed 12 million admissions as of Oct. 5. Separately, Newsis and Korea Economic Daily reported that comment sections on videos featuring “Assassins” cast members were restricted or disabled. [ 1 , 4 , 8 , 9 ]
Por qué importa
The case shows a box office hit continuing to sell tickets while a dispute over how it portrays a politically sensitive period moves from film criticism to pressure on an individual actor, drawing in a government minister, a parliamentary committee and the opposition party. How authorities handle the protest outside the actor’s home, and whether audiences keep buying tickets, will shape how the Korean film industry deals with politically charged historical material.
Datos clave
- “Assassins,” directed by Hur Jin-ho, was first at the South Korean box office over the Oct. 2–5 National Foundation Day holiday with more than 590,000 admissions, according to Yonhap and Maeil Business. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reported cumulative admissions of 2,412,816 as of 7 a.m. on Oct. 6; Hankook Ilbo put the total at 2.41 million. [ 5 , 6 ]
- The film deals with the Aug. 15, 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo and has drawn controversy over its historical treatment. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- On Oct. 4, about 50 conservative group members held a protest outside lead actor Yoo Hae-jin’s home in Seoul’s Seongbuk district, Hankook Ilbo reported; Yonhap and Maeil Business also reported a protest that day. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young said on Oct. 5 that evaluating a film is free but threatening a creator’s safety destroys democracy, and asked for strict law enforcement. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Yoo Hae-jin’s agency said it views any infringement of his private life, threats to his safety or damage to his reputation as very serious and would respond strongly. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The animated “Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid’s Island” was second over the holiday with about 536,000 admissions, according to Yonhap and Maeil Business. [ 1 , 4 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- “Assassins” topped the South Korean box office over the Oct. 2–5 National Foundation Day holiday with more than 590,000 admissions and about 2.412 million cumulative admissions since its Sept. 23 release. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The film deals with the Aug. 15, 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo and has drawn continuing controversy over its handling of historical events, raised in political circles and among some conservative groups. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Criticism extended to lead actor Yoo Hae-jin: there were boycott calls against companies using him as an advertising model and demands to replace him, and on Oct. 4 a protest was held outside his home. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young said on Oct. 5 that evaluating a film is free but threatening a creator’s safety is a destruction of democracy, and asked authorities for strict law enforcement over illegal acts outside the actor’s residence. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Yoo Hae-jin’s agency said it views any act that infringes his private life, threatens his safety or damages his reputation as very serious and announced a strong response. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The film industry group Yeonghwain Yeondae said criticism of a work and pressure on an individual must be clearly separated. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- Whether the film drew 590,000 admissions from Oct. 2–5, as Yonhap and Maeil Business reported, or 520,000 from Oct. 3–5, as Hankook Ilbo and a Maeil Business summary reported. The documents use different date ranges and figures without reconciling them.
- Whether the film distorts historical facts. The documents report that the accusation has been made and that the film’s backers and some politicians reject it; they do not resolve the question.
- How many people took part in the protest outside Yoo Hae-jin’s home and where it took place. Hankook Ilbo reported about 50 people and a Seongbuk district location; Yonhap and Maeil Business mentioned a protest without those details.
- Whether police have opened an investigation or taken any action over the protest and online threats. The minister is reported to have requested strict law enforcement, but no document says whether any action followed.
- Statements by Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jae-jung and party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young, People Power Party demands, the cancelled Busan International Film Festival appearances, the letter to the Singapore International Film Festival, the break-even estimate and the comment restrictions. These appear in single outlets or in headline form only, so they are single-source in these documents.
- Whether the controversy is boosting ticket sales, as one headline asks. One outlet raises the question in its headline but the documents provide no comparison of sales before and after the dispute began.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- “Assassins” opens in South Korean cinemas; it has drawn about 2.412 million admissions by Oct. 5. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Democratic Party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young calls the cancellation of the film’s Busan premiere and Busan International Film Festival events an “unfortunate result” and voices strong regret over threats to cast and crew, according to Korea Economic Daily. [ 3 ]
- Members of conservative groups hold a protest outside lead actor Yoo Hae-jin’s home. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young says on social media that evaluating a film is free but threatening a creator’s safety destroys democracy and asks for strict law enforcement; Yoo Hae-jin’s agency announces a strong response; the film industry group issues its statement. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Yonhap reports the film took the four-day holiday box office with more than 590,000 admissions and a cumulative 2.412 million. [ 1 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports 178,853 admissions on Oct. 5, first in both box office and seat sales rate. [ 2 ]
- Korea Economic Daily reports on the controversy, the boycott movement and political reaction. [ 3 ]
- Maeil Business reports the film passed 2.41 million cumulative admissions despite the dispute. [ 4 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports director and cast cancelled Busan International Film Festival attendance for safety reasons, and that about 50 conservative group members protested outside Yoo Hae-jin’s Seongbuk home on Oct. 4. [ 5 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports cumulative admissions of 2,412,816 as of 7 a.m. [ 6 ]
- Maeil Business reports the film drew 520,000 admissions over the holiday. [ 7 ]
- Newsis reports in its headline that comments were limited on videos featuring Lee Min-ho and Ryu Hye-young amid the controversy, while the film stayed first at the holiday box office. [ 8 ]
- Korea Economic Daily reports in its headline that comment sections were stopped on videos featuring “Assassins” cast members. [ 9 ]