The film "The Assassins" recorded its hottest box office run during September and October, a period marked by considerable controversy.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing computer network, "The Assassins" drew 1,766,839 viewers in September and 1,665,928 viewers in October, ranking first in the Korean film box office and second in the overall box office for two consecutive months.

In particular, after its release on September 23, it climbed to the top of the monthly South Korean film box office in just 8 days, and maintained the top spot through October as well, demonstrating extraordinary box office power. It also played a leading role in driving the success of South Korean cinema, recording overwhelming theater revenue market shares of 40.3% in September and 44.7% in October.

This is also a meaningful achievement built upon the records steadily accumulated since its release. Following its mobilization of 1.5 million viewers within just 5 days of its opening week, "The Assassins" displayed exceptional late-stage momentum by surpassing 3 million viewers in 20 days of its release heading into October, ranking in the Top 4 box office hits for South Korean films in 2026, and holding the No. 1 spot in weekly and weekend box offices for South Korean films for 5 consecutive weeks up to its 5th week.

Furthermore, on October 29 (Thursday), it surpassed a cumulative audience of 3.4 million, achieving the valuable milestone of breaking even.

"The Assassins" depicts the tracking of suspicions and behind-the-scenes forces regarding the first lady assassination attempt that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. However, right from its opening week, red lights flickered at the box office due to attacks from the political sphere claiming historical distortion. Yet, personal attacks from politicians and protests by far-right civic groups ironically stimulated audience curiosity about the film, sparking a sentiment of wanting to "see it with my own eyes and judge." Bolstered by this, "The Assassins" managed to achieve the highest box office performance among South Korean films released during the two turbulent months marked by controversy.

The box office records of "The Assassins" are even more meaningful in that they were created through a combination of solid cinematic quality and the voluntary choices of the audience. The meticulous directing of director Hur Jin-ho, a highly engaging tracking narrative, and the dense, passionate performances of actors including Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho won the support of the audience.

In addition, following its selection as the runner-up for the People's Choice Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, it has been consecutively invited to prominent global film festivals including the 28th Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, the 37th Singapore International Film Festival, the 21st Paris Korean Film Festival, the 46th Hawaii International Film Festival, and the 29th Philadelphia Film Festival, gaining recognition for its cinematic quality on the global stage as well. Notably, after being selected as the opening film for the Singapore International Film Festival and the Paris Korean Film Festival, it proved intense interest from overseas audiences at the Paris Korean Film Festival by selling out all seats within 3 minutes of ticket opening.

"The Assassins" has mobilized 3.46 million viewers nationwide to date. It is challenging to surpass 3.5 million viewers this weekend.

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