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"Punch" VS "A Reason to Live" - Why did Yoo Ah-in laugh and Song Hye-kyo cry?

Song Hye-kyo's movie "A Reason to Live" is on the verge of disappearing. The accumulated number of admissions as of today November 9th is 58,877, showing very slow progress.

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This movie was greatly looked forward to as it was being directed by Lee Jeong-hyang, who returned nine years after the 4 million-plus admission box office hit "The Way Home" and the cast included Song Hye-kyo. However, as soon as it came out, it was ignored by audiences and isn't showing any signs of doing better even after two weeks in release.

"A Reason to Live" digs through the hidden side of forgiveness. Was it because of the heavy concept? "A Reason to Live" went through difficulties from the beginning. Distributed by Lotte Entertainment, the number of theaters showing the movie is decreasingonly two weeks after its release.

As the number of screens for "A Reason to Live" drops to 92, it is actually facing the end. On the other hand, "Punch", which was released almost at the same time, maintains 722 screens and is progressing better everyday. It looks like they were no match from the beginning.

As "A Reason to Live" is doing so badly, some have given Song Hye-kyo embarrassing titles. However, this only means that they are ignoring the unpleasant truth hidden within the pitiful results of "A Reason to Live". In other words, it's because it is a movie they can't watch even if they wanted to.

Currently "A Reason to Live" is only available in 14 theaters in Seoul. "Punch" has 160 theaters. When two people walk into a cinema, it is very likely that they will choose to watch "Punch". The less chance a movie has to be seen, the lesser the results.

Movies with low grades are taken down from theaters. In the end, the poor result of "A Reason to Live" is not because of the actress or the director but the system of distributing. The gap between rich and poor is the reality of movies today.

Of course, "A Reason to Live" wasn't a commercial movie that could've gathered many people. However, the sad turnout of the movie isn't Song Hye-kyo or director Lee Jeong-yang's fault. The responsibility lies in the system of distribution that takes the right to choose a movie away from the audience.

What's sadder is that Song Hye-kyo will be evaluated for this when she had done so well in a long time. She has already succeeded with the performance she gave in this movie. It's admirable that she was so brave to do this despite her stardom.

There is no movie that will survive in this multi-plex system where the stronger ones take the lead. It is known that "A Reason to Live" has risen in ticketing rates on the November 7th thanks to word of mouth. However, there aren't enough theaters to watch the movie. There is a dark truth to the poor grade of "A Reason to Live".

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