The film "REAWAKEN MAN: THE RED" is showing signs of an early exit from the box office after recording figures bordering on an unprecedented disaster.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated box office tracking network on October 15, "REAWAKEN MAN: THE RED" drew 3,274 moviegoers on October 14, placing tenth at the box office. Its cumulative audience stands at 314,343.

In its third week of release, not only did the daily audience collapse below the 10,000 mark, but it plummeted into the 3,000 range. With the film's break-even point set at approximately 4 million moviegoers, investor and distributor Lotte Entertainment is poised to incur massive losses.

"REAWAKEN MAN: THE RED" is a major production with an estimated budget of 20 billion won. However, compared to its grand scale, it received an unusually low level of attention both before and after its theatrical debut. Production kicked off in June 2023 and wrapped filming in November of that year. Taking over three years to hit the big screen, unfavorable rumors surrounding the project also surfaced along the way.

Audience reactions following its release were similarly disappointing. Alongside criticism that it failed to capture the charm of the original webtoon of the same name, harsh reviews poured in lambasting the CGI as crude, especially considering the massive production budget.

The box office draw of Koo Kyo-hwan, who took the helm as the sole lead, also fell short of expectations. Although he had enjoyed strong momentum this year with consecutive box office hits in "Once We Were Us" and "COLONY," the scorecard for "REAWAKEN MAN: THE RED" resulted in showing that his individual competitiveness as a lead has yet to hit its stride.

Promotions were also insufficient. The film lacked a promotional budget commensurate with its scale as well as active supporting campaigns. Among the four Korean films released during the Chuseok holiday season ("The Intern," "The Assassin(s)," and "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub"), it opened in theaters last, and despite relatively low awareness and preference among audiences, promotional efforts remained passive. Stage greetings by the cast were held only through the second weekend.

"REAWAKEN MAN: THE RED" was produced by Yong Film, which has delivered sensory and stylish cinematic works such as "The Beauty Inside," "The Handmaiden," and "Believer." In this latest release, however, the production house's distinctive identity, discernment, and flair were completely absent.

Consequently, the film appears headed toward logging the weakest performance among the four Korean releases targeting this year's Chuseok box office. Yet, buried under the historical distortion controversy surrounding its competitor "The Assassin(s)," even this historic catastrophe is going largely unnoticed. For "REAWAKEN MAN: THE RED," that may be the only silver lining.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)