The summer blockbuster “The Thieves” has become the most watched Korean movie. According to its distribution company Showbox, it garnered over 13,020,000 audience views, surpassing the past record of 13,019,000 held by The Host.
Directed by popular film director Choi Dong-hun and starring Kim Yun-suk and Kim Hae-su, the movie was deemed to be a box-office hit. On its first day it established a new record for highest opening views and 22 days later it became the fifth Korean movie to enter the ‘10 thousand club’.
The movie narrates the rocky alliance between the thieves involving past love affairs, nasty humor and bitter betrayal. As a well-made character movie, it successfully catches the attention of the audience during its 135 minute running time. “It was a great movie. I loved it though it would have been better if I could see Kim Su-Hyun(actor) a bit more !” said Minsu Kang, a senior at Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies.
Yet the remarkable journey to the title was tainted by strong criticism for the age-old monopolistic homogeneity of Korea’s film industry. Major distribution companies have long been accused of abusing their monopolistic power to dominate screens and deprive independent films of the opportunity to be viewed. Showbox, using its extensive capital and influence in the film industry, launched the film in 1092 screens. Subin Park, a senior at Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies, expressed her worries and said “companies with vast capital are threatening the diversity of the film industry.”
“Gwanghae: The Man who became King” is currently leading the charts in Korea. As of Oct. 2 it has accumulated over 8,000 audience views. The critics and movie associates are anticipating that the numbers will soon reach 10,000. If “Gwanghae” continues its success it will be the first time the 10 thousand club is open to more than two films released in the same year. However this isn’t all good news. In the midst of the film industries, massive commercial success of these large-scale films bury many low-budget films with artistic value, a pending problem that the film industry must mull over.
