Director Calls 10 Mil. Viewers a Good Start
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The movie "Silmido" is grabbing attention as it rushes to set new entertainment industry records for most fans put in the seats. 11 days after the film opened on Dec. 24, 3 million moviegoers nationwide had seen it; 15 days later, it broke through the 4 million mark.
This is no less than eight days fewer than the current all-time Korean record holder for most-seen movie, "Friends", which took a whole 23 days to reach the 4 million mark.
Optimists predict that with the pivotal Lunar New Year's vacation coming up and the movie already outperforming the Hollywood blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King", the movie is well on its way to setting a new box office record.
Scenes from "Silmido"
Kang Woo-suk, the director of "Silmido", is widely recognized as the more powerful man on Chungmu-ro, Korea's Hollywood. It's said that stock prices move with his every word.
A normally reserved man, even Kang couldn't help but smile with his movie taking not even 10 days to make W10 billion and shatter its break even point.
When asked about how many people he expected would see his film, he said that there was a lot of talk of 10 million people, but showing his confidence, he quickly added that with 4 million people after 15 days, the sky was the limit.
From "Isn't Happiness based on Merit", "Two Cops" I and II, and "Public Enemy" to his current hit "Silmido", everything Kang touches turns to gold. So what is the secret to the his "Midas Touch"?
Discussing the role of entertainment, he said that he doesn't like to use trickery. He said that he works closely with the camera directors in order not to kill the drama in his movies. His reward is for viewers to feel like that they are actually at the scene of the event. The realism of his movies can at times make viewers look away and female viewers cry, but it's the basis for his films' successes.
When "Lord of the Rings 3", which made fans flutter all over the world, inevitably landed upon Korean shores, "Silmido" had but a week to prepare for its release. Foreign reporters thought it rash and impossible to understand, but Kang Won anyway. In the Big Bang battle of the local and foreign giants, "Silmido" was sitting on the top of the box office mountain after two weeks.
In 2004, Kang plans to invest in and distribute around 20 movies. He stressed, however, that for people looking to make good movies, the door is wide open.
Robert Koehler
This is no less than eight days fewer than the current all-time Korean record holder for most-seen movie, "Friends", which took a whole 23 days to reach the 4 million mark.
Optimists predict that with the pivotal Lunar New Year's vacation coming up and the movie already outperforming the Hollywood blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King", the movie is well on its way to setting a new box office record.
Scenes from "Silmido"
Kang Woo-suk, the director of "Silmido", is widely recognized as the more powerful man on Chungmu-ro, Korea's Hollywood. It's said that stock prices move with his every word.
A normally reserved man, even Kang couldn't help but smile with his movie taking not even 10 days to make W10 billion and shatter its break even point.
When asked about how many people he expected would see his film, he said that there was a lot of talk of 10 million people, but showing his confidence, he quickly added that with 4 million people after 15 days, the sky was the limit.
From "Isn't Happiness based on Merit", "Two Cops" I and II, and "Public Enemy" to his current hit "Silmido", everything Kang touches turns to gold. So what is the secret to the his "Midas Touch"?
Discussing the role of entertainment, he said that he doesn't like to use trickery. He said that he works closely with the camera directors in order not to kill the drama in his movies. His reward is for viewers to feel like that they are actually at the scene of the event. The realism of his movies can at times make viewers look away and female viewers cry, but it's the basis for his films' successes.
When "Lord of the Rings 3", which made fans flutter all over the world, inevitably landed upon Korean shores, "Silmido" had but a week to prepare for its release. Foreign reporters thought it rash and impossible to understand, but Kang Won anyway. In the Big Bang battle of the local and foreign giants, "Silmido" was sitting on the top of the box office mountain after two weeks.
In 2004, Kang plans to invest in and distribute around 20 movies. He stressed, however, that for people looking to make good movies, the door is wide open.
Robert Koehler
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