Director Hur Jin-ho’s Assassination Feature Crosses 2 Million Box Office Admissions in 11 Days
Director Hur Jin-ho’s film Assassins surpassed 2 million cumulative moviegoers on the afternoon of the 3rd, reaching the milestone just 11 days after its theatrical release. The milestone comes despite cast members halting promotional stage greetings amid political controversy surrounding the project.
The Bottom Line
- Box Office Pace: Assassins cleared the 2 million admission mark by 2:35 PM on the 3rd, becoming the sixth Korean film to cross the threshold this year.
- Controversy and Promotion: Lead actors suspended their promotional schedules and stage greetings following intense public debate and historical distortion accusations.
- Financial Scrutiny: Lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised investment pressure points regarding state-backed bank funding allocated to the production company.
Box Office Standing Among Korean Releases
The feature crossed the 2 million viewer threshold on its eleventh day in theaters, securing its place in the current box office hierarchy. According to production company Hive Media Corp, Assassins is the sixth domestic release to cross 2 million admissions this year.
The front-runner remains The Man Who Lives with the King with 16.92 million ticket sales. It is followed by Colony at 5.95 million, Hope at 4.58 million, Salmokji at 3.24 million, and What If Us at 2.47 million.
| Film Title | Cumulative Admissions |
|---|---|
| The Man Who Lives with the King | 16.92 million |
| Colony | 5.95 million |
| Hope | 4.58 million |
| Salmokji | 3.24 million |
| What If Us | 2.47 million |
| Assassins | 2.00 million+ |
Historical Premise and Political Backlash
The film uses the August 15, 1974 assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-su as its narrative foundation. Official historical investigations concluded that Mun Se-gang, acting under directives from North Korea and Chongryon, carried out the shooting.
However, the film suggests the presence of co-conspirators and implies that the incident may have been staged by the Park Chung-hee regime to deflect political pressure stemming from the Kim Dae-jung kidnapping incident. Conservative critics argue that the storyline damages the former president’s and his family’s reputation and mirrors North Korean propaganda points.
Investment Scrutiny Raised by Lawmaker
Political opposition intensified on the 30th of last month when People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised questions regarding state-backed financial investments in the project. He stated that the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) and the Korea Development Bank (KDB) directed substantial capital into the production.
According to Joo, IBK invested 2 billion won directly while KDB provided 400 million won through fund participation. Furthermore, production company Hive Media Corp received 14.25 billion won from IBK-backed funds and 14 billion won from KDB-backed funds.
He called for a thorough investigation into whether the government intervened in the financing.
State Banks Issue Official Denials
Both financial institutions issued statements on the 3rd denying any external pressure or government intervention in the investment process. IBK stated that its investment in Assassins followed standard procedures through an internal dedicated screening department.
“The suspicion that investment was decided through external requests or abnormal channels is untrue,” IBK stated. Meanwhile, KDB clarified that the investment entity was an independent fund managed by asset management firm S Company rather than the bank itself.
