While controversies surrounding the film 'The Assassins' continue, enthusiasm among moviegoers shows no signs of cooling down.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticket computer network statistics on October 6, 'The Assassins' maintained its number-one spot at the box office by drawing 590,853 viewers nationwide from October 2 to 5, which marked the National Foundation Day holiday. Its cumulative audience now stands at 2,412,804. Released on September 23 last month, 'The Assassins' claimed the top spot at the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks and drew the largest number of viewers during the National Foundation Day holiday, serving as its second consecutive holiday season following Chuseok.

In its second week of release, 'The Assassins' briefly yielded the top spot for a day to 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' and for two days to the new animation 'Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of the Mermaid Island', but reclaimed the top position starting Sunday and the National Foundation Day alternative holiday.

Notably, on Sunday and Monday when it recaptured the top spot, its number of screenings was approximately 180 and 400 fewer, respectively, than its competitor 'Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of the Mermaid Island'. It also maintained the highest seat occupancy rate among all screening films at 37.6%.

'The Assassins' became embroiled in a historical distortion controversy as it raised suspicions and questions surrounding the shooting of former First Lady Yuk Young-su, the subject matter of the movie. Some members of the People Power Party have argued that the film distorts facts as if former President Park Chung-hee were behind the assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-su, claiming this constitutes defamation of the deceased.

In response, they have demanded that director Hur Jin-ho, who helmed the film, attend the parliamentary audit as a witness or reference, while also calling for a ban on the film's screening and the retrieval of its profits. Furthermore, the People Power Party decided to send a letter signed by all of its lawmakers to the organizers of the Singapore International Film Festival, which opens on October 21, requesting the cancellation of 'The Assassins' as the opening film.

The controversy surrounding the film has also affected its cast members. On October 4, about 50 members of a conservative group even held a rally in front of actor Yoo Hae-jin's home, denouncing the production company and the actors. In response, Yoo Hae-jin's agency stated, "We view the creation and distribution of false information regarding our affiliated actor, malicious personal attacks and insults, as well as any acts that infringe upon the actor's personal privacy, threaten personal safety, or defame character, with the utmost gravity." The agency added, "We are continuously collecting related posts and materials, and plan to take all possible measures to protect the rights, interests, and safety of our actor from such illegal acts."

As the controversy surrounding the movie has escalated into collective actions by political circles and conservative groups, public interest in the work has instead been on an upward trend. During the first week of its release, controversies merely seemed to be spreading, but as the disputes prolonged across various fronts, an atmosphere of "deciding after seeing the movie firsthand" has formed, translating into actual movie-going behavior.



(Photo: Yonhap News) (Reported by Kim Ji-hye, SBS Entertainment News)