'The Assassin(s)': Promotions Halted Amid Controversy, but Box Office Success Continues Toward 2 Million Viewers

As controversy grows, external promotional schedules are decreasing, but the audience heading to theaters is actually continuing. The film 'The Assassin(s)', which has been embroiled in a historical distortion controversy, is maintaining its number one spot at the box office and is on the verge of surpassing 2 million cumulative viewers. This is an interesting trend in that the debates surrounding the work and the actual box office performance do not necessarily move in the same direction.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie ticket sales, 'The Assassin(s)' rose to the top of the box office on the 2nd, drawing 68,460 people in a single day. The cumulative number of viewers is 1,890,416. Since its release on the 23rd of last month, it has held the number one spot for five consecutive days, briefly losing the top position to 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' and 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island' before reclaiming the throne. It is also noteworthy that even after more than 10 days since its release, it is maintaining a daily audience of around 60,000.

What is interesting is that the box office success and the promotional atmosphere are moving in opposite directions. 'The Assassin(s)', which uses the 1974 shooting incident of First Lady Yuk Young-soo as its subject matter, has been swept up in debates regarding the boundary between historical facts and cinematic interpretation since its release. Debates have continued over how much should be viewed as imagination in the process of reconstructing a real-life event into a cinematic narrative, and how to convey the distinction between historical facts and dramatic hypotheses to the audience. The production team has maintained the position that the work is not intended to designate a specific person as the mastermind behind the incident or to deny or distort existing historical facts.

As the controversy spread, scheduled promotional schedules were repeatedly canceled. The production company Hive Media Corp canceled the stage greetings scheduled from October 3rd to 5th, and decided not to attend the opening ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival or hold outdoor stage greetings. The talk program that Lee Min-ho was scheduled to participate in was also canceled. It is essentially a case where the typical post-release promotion route, where actors and production staff meet the audience directly to explain and promote the work, has been reduced.

However, a completely different scene is unfolding in the theater industry. While competing closely with rival films by attracting 50,000 to 60,000 viewers even on weekdays, it is steadily maintaining its lead at the box office. As of the morning of the 3rd, the number of reserved viewers was also tallied at approximately 96,000, raising expectations for surpassing 2 million viewers ahead of the National Foundation Day holiday. While this can be seen as a part of 'controversial interest' where the buzz from the early stages of release leads to actual viewing, caution is needed before concluding that the controversy itself is the direct cause of the box office success.

The 2nd place 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island' and 3rd place 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' also chased behind, recording 64,030 and 60,240 viewers respectively, but 'The Assassin(s)' held the top spot by a narrow margin. Since the gap in daily viewers with competing works is not large, the possibility of ranking changes during the holiday period remains, but so far, apart from the official exposure being reduced due to the controversy, it appears that interest in the work itself is leading to theaters.

This is also an interesting point in terms of the perspective on the film's success. Evaluations occurring online and actual ticket purchases do not necessarily coincide. While the pros and cons debates regarding historical subject matter, reactions surrounding the cast, and the cancellation of various promotional schedules can increase online buzz, the final act of an audience member entering a theater is a separate consumption choice.

Ultimately, the most peculiar scene currently shown by 'The Assassin(s)' is that while official promotion for the film is shrinking, the box office success of the film itself is not stopping. As the debate surrounding the historical event continues, the National Foundation Day holiday is expected to become a major turning point. Attention is focused on whether 'The Assassin(s)' can move beyond the controversy and cross the milestone of 2 million cumulative viewers.