‘The Assassin(s)’ leads Korean film reservations ahead of release

With nearly a month left until its release, the film 'The Assassin(s)' is emerging as a major contender for the Chuseok holiday season, climbing to the top of the Korean film reservation rankings. Based on the assassination of the First Lady during the Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974, the film is rapidly drawing interest due to the combination of director Hur Jin-ho and stars Yoo Hae Jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing system, 'The Assassin(s)' held the number one spot for Korean film reservations as of 2:00 PM on the 29th. At that time, the total reservation rate was 3.8%, a notable achievement given that there are approximately four weeks remaining until its September 23 release. It is particularly noteworthy that the film showed the sharpest rise in reservations among Korean titles while competing with Hollywood blockbusters currently dominating theaters, such as 'The Odyssey' and 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day.'

The most significant characteristic of 'The Assassin(s)' is that while it uses a real event from modern Korean history as its starting point, it does not stop at simple historical reenactment or factual recording. The film centers on the assassination of the First Lady that occurred during the Liberation Day ceremony held at the National Theater in Seoul on August 15, 1974, and is structured as a mystery drama that tracks the hidden layers of the incident by combining historical records with cinematic imagination.

In actual history, Moon Se-gwang, a second-generation Korean resident in Japan, fired shots aimed at President Park Chung-hee, resulting in the death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo. 'The Assassin(s)' focuses its narrative not on the well-known outcome of the incident, but on the suspicions surrounding the event, the concealed clues, and the process of characters attempting to uncover the truth. This approach creates tension at the boundary between historical fact and fictional reconstruction.

The film features three distinct perspectives on the incident. Yoo Hae Jin plays Cheolgu, a detective digging into the reality of the case; Park Hae-il plays Jaehwan, a social affairs editor documenting the era; and Lee Min-ho plays Youngil, a rookie reporter who witnessed the scene. The structure follows these three individuals—positioned within investigative agencies, the press, and as an eyewitness—as they track a single incident to reach the truth.

Director Hur Jin-ho is also a major factor driving expectations. Having delicately captured human emotions and the sentiments of the times in works such as 'Christmas in August,' 'One Fine Spring Day,' and 'The Last Princess,' Hur is now expanding his scope into the mystery genre where personal emotions and historical events intersect. The fact that he is reuniting with Park Hae-il, his collaborator on 'The Last Princess,' is further fueling interest in the film.

The pedigree of the production company, Hive Media Corp., also provides insight into the film's direction. Having cinematically reconstructed the political upheavals and power structures of modern Korean history through 'The Man Standing Next' and '12.12: The Day,' the company is now unravelling the shocking 1974 incident through a mystery pursuit drama. This follows a recent trend in Korean cinema of adapting historical events through popular genre frameworks.

International interest is already building. 'The Assassin(s)' has been officially invited to the Gala Section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival this September. The festival highlighted Hur's direction and the acting prowess of Yoo, Park, and Lee as key points of anticipation. The fact that the film will premiere at an international festival before its domestic release is also driving significant buzz.

However, leading reservations does not immediately guarantee box office success. Actual performance will depend on audience reception, word of mouth, and the release timing and scale of competing films. Nevertheless, rising to the top among Korean films four weeks before release indicates that 'The Assassin(s)' is currently the fastest-growing title targeting the Chuseok peak season.

The ultimate success of the film will depend on how it blends its mystery structure, the star power of its cast, and Hur's signature restrained direction. If the film can move beyond mere reenactment to ask, "What remains behind the history we believe we know?", it has the potential to secure both commercial success and critical acclaim.

Whether 'The Assassin(s)' can maintain its momentum at the box office will ultimately depend on the audience. How the film translates the 1974 tragedy into a modern cinematic language, and how the investigations by Yoo, Park, and Lee conclude, will be the key highlights of the Chuseok season. The film is set to release on September 23.