'The Assassin(s)' for Chuseok?

As a relay of holidays including Chuseok, National Foundation Day, and Hangeul Day approaches, cracks are beginning to show in the box office dominance of "The Odyssey". "The Odyssey" has begun a downward trend after surpassing 10 million cumulative moviegoers, and Korean films targeting the Chuseok holiday are gearing up to compete for the throne.

The first runner was "The Intern", which was released on the 16th. "The Intern" overtook the slowing "The Odyssey" to become the Korean film that claimed the top spot at the box office for the first time in 42 days. However, it is showing signs of struggling, gathering daily audiences in the 60,000 range on its first day and the 40,000 range on the second day.

Looking at advance ticket booking figures, we can predict this Chuseok box office landscape. "The Assassin(s)", set to be released on the 23rd, has chased "The Odyssey", which has been firmly holding the top spot, right down to its heels in terms of reservation rate and ticket sales. On the 18th, "The Odyssey" ranked first with a 22.3% reservation rate and 129,000 advance tickets sold, while "The Assassin(s)" climbed to second place with a 17.2% reservation rate and 100,000 advance tickets sold.

As "The Odyssey" enters its 7th week since release and begins a downward trend, while "The Assassin(s)" is raising its reservation rate due to expectations for a new release, rankings are very likely to flip next week.

However, given that nearly 20 million moviegoers flocked to just two films this summer, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey", it remains to be seen how enthusiastically audiences will respond to the new releases coming out during the Chuseok holiday. Among the new releases, "The Assassin(s)" is showing the most prominence, while reservation figures for "The Intern", "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub", and "REAWAKEN MAN: THE RED" are falling short of expectations.

"The Assassin(s)" tells the story of tracking the suspicions and mastermind behind the assassination of the First Lady that shocked the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1974. It was directed by Hur Jin-ho, who made "One Fine Spring Day" and "The Last Princess", and stars Yoo Hai-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Minho.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)