Comedy Remake Becomes Sleeper Hit

The comedy "Luck.Key" starring Yoo Hae-jin is proving an unexpected autumn hit, in the face of all conventional wisdom.

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Audiences will hit the 5 million mark by this weekend although the film scored barely lukewarm reviews.

One strong point is that the film does not try to be screamingly funny but seems comfortable eliciting gentle smiles.

The story, a remake of the 2012 Japanese hit "Key of Life" by Kenji Uchida, is about a cold-blooded killer who turns into a man next door after losing his memory but unknowingly applies the skills from his past occupation to the things he does in his new workplace, like cleaning.

"People seem to find that funny in a comfortable way", says critic Kang Yu-jeong.

There may also be a backlash at work against the clunking epics of the last few months.

"People didn't expect much of the film, so when they saw it they were satisfied and gave it good reviews", says Kim Hyung-ho, another critic. "Autumn is the low season for movies, and couples rather than families account for the majority of moviegoers this time of year. They may just be choosing a comedy because there are no melodramas this fall".