The film "Revival Man: The Red" is nearing its exit from the box office with performance figures close to a historic disaster.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing computer network on the 15th, "Revival Man: The Red" drew 3,274 viewers on the 14th, ranking 10th at the box office. Its cumulative audience stands at 314,343.

In its third week of release, not only did the daily audience count break below the 10,000 mark, but it even plummeted to the 3,000 range. Given that the film's break-even point is approximately 4 million viewers, the investment distributor Lotte Entertainment is facing massive losses.

"Revival Man: The Red" is a blockbuster production with a budget of roughly 20 billion won. However, compared to its scale, it received unusually little attention before and after its release. Filming began in June 2023 and wrapped up in November of the same year. It took over three years to hit theaters, which even sparked unfavorable rumors about the film.

The reaction after its release was no different. Criticism poured in that it failed to capture the charm of the original webtoon of the same name, alongside harsh reviews panning the computer graphics as crude considering the large-scale production budget.

Koo Kyo-hwan's ticket power as a solo lead also fell short of expectations. Although he showed positive momentum this year with back-to-back box office successes in "If Only" and "Colony," the scorecard for "Revival Man" proved that the actor's individual competitiveness has yet to hit its stride.

Promotion was also inadequate. Promotional budgets and corresponding activities tailored to the film's scale were not properly supported. Among the four Korean films released during the Chuseok season ("The Intern," "Assassins," "The Batter: Beelzebub's Song"), it was released last and had relatively low awareness and preference, yet promotions remained passive. Furthermore, the actors only held stage greetings through the weekend of the second week.

"Revival Man: The Red" was produced by Yong Film, a company known for presenting sensual and sophisticated films such as "The Beauty Inside," "The Handmaiden," and "Believer." However, this particular work failed entirely to manifest the production company's distinct identity, discernment, and aesthetic sense.

As a result, it is expected to record the lowest performance among the four Korean films released targeting this Chuseok season. Nevertheless, buried under the historical distortion controversy surrounding its competitor "Assassins," even this historic disaster is failing to attract attention. This serves as the only silver lining for "Revival Man."


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