Park Chan-wook’s new film "No Other Choice" is signaling a major debut, nearing 400,000 advance tickets for opening day in Korea.
As of Sept. 24, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) ticketing chart shows the title at No. 1 with a 53.9% share of presales and roughly 390,000 tickets booked.
The film has led both metrics for a full week ahead of release, building momentum off its opening-night screening and events at the Busan International Film Festival. Industry watchers are eyeing whether it can top "My Daughter Is a Zombie"s 430,000 opening-day benchmark.
"No Other Choice" is a crime thriller about Mansu (Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who thinks he’s got life figured out―until he’s abruptly laid off. Determined to protect his wife (Son Ye-jin), two kids, and the home they fought to buy, he wages a relentless personal battle to get rehired. The film bowed in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival to rave reviews from international critics, but ultimately left without a prize.
All eyes are on whether its domestic run can turn that awards disappointment into box-office triumph. The film opens nationwide in Korea today.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)