If you’re wondering what everyone in South Korea is watching during the Chuseok holiday season, look no further! Director Hur Jin-ho’s pulse-pounding new mystery thriller, The Assassins (암살자들), is officially ruling the Korean box office with an iron fist.
According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the film pulled in an impressive 432,341 viewers on September 26 alone, bringing its total cumulative attendance to a whopping 1,305,666 theatergoers—reaching the coveted 1-million milestone in just 4 days! As of September 27, it holds the #1 spot in overall reservation rates for an 8th consecutive day, dominating the daily box office four days in a row.
What Is The Assassins About?
The film takes a deep dive into one of modern South Korean history’s most shocking chapters: the August 15, 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee, which tragically resulted in the death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo.
Instead of a dry historical recap, The Assassins layers rich, cinematic fiction over historical facts, weaving a tense, edge-of-your-seat mystery that tracks the shady conspiracy and mastermind hidden behind the trigger. Brought to life by an elite powerhouse cast featuring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho, the chemistry and sheer acting masterclass have audiences completely hooked.
Master Directors Stunned: Park Chan-wook & Kim Sung-soo Give High Praise
It’s not just everyday moviegoers going crazy for it—South Korea’s heavyweight legendary directors are singing its praises from the rooftops:
- Kim Sung-soo (Director of 2023’s box-office monster ‘12.12: The Day’):“An overwhelmingly high-quality film! Intense immersion! Outstanding actors! Perfect direction! Unpredictable twists and tension! A truly fantastic movie has arrived right when we needed it most.”
- Park Chan-wook (Auteur behind ‘Decision to Leave’ and ‘Oldboy’):“Watching how brilliant minds filled in the blanks of an unsolved historical mystery, I repeatedly gasped in admiration thinking, ‘This is so cleverly planned, so smart!’ I was genuinely shocked—it felt like I was watching classic, tension-soaked scenes straight out of a Brian De Palma film.”
Audience Reactions
Moviegoers are filling social media and ticketing platforms with rave reviews:
- “The acting from Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho is pure art. My immersion wasn’t broken for a single second during the entire runtime!”
- “Trying to piece together the clues made it so much fun to watch with my family over Chuseok. Highly recommended!”
With its mix of real-life historical intrigue, A-list star power, and a thumbs-up from master filmmakers like Park Chan-wook, The Assassins is shaping up to be the next big Korean cinematic sensation you’ll definitely want to keep on your radar!
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