Director Yeon Sang-ho's new film 'COLONY' has surpassed a 50% pre-sale rate just one day before its release.
According to the Korean Film Council's pre-sale data on the 20th, 'COLONY' signaled a green light for box office success, recording a 53.2% pre-sale rate and 206,000 tickets sold as of this morning.
While 'Michael' currently holds the number one spot at the box office, its daily audience numbers have stalled in the 30,000 range, raising expectations for 'COLONY' to debut at number one on its release day.
'COLONY' is a film about survivors isolated inside a building sealed off due to an unidentified infection outbreak, as they face infected individuals evolving in unpredictable ways. The film stars Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-been, and Kim Shin-rock.
This is a major Korean film release after quite some time. 'COLONY' had a production budget of approximately 20 billion KRW, with a break-even point of about 4 million viewers. The film has generated significant buzz after being invited to the Midnight Screenings section of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival. It received an enthusiastic response from domestic and international media following its world premiere in Cannes on the 15th. As it is being released shortly after its Cannes screening, attention is focused on whether it will benefit from the "Cannes effect."
Director Yeon Sang-ho is a master of the zombie genre. He wrote a legendary success story with the 2016 film 'Train to Busan,' which drew over 10 million viewers. Returning to his signature zombie genre about six years after 2020's 'Peninsula,' the film is receiving high expectations from audiences.
'COLONY' will be released in theaters nationwide on the 21st.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)