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The film 'Seoul Spring,' depicting the December 12 military coup, surpassed 10 million viewers 33 days after its release.
On the 24th, distributor Plus M Entertainment announced that 'Seoul Spring' (directed by Kim Seong-su) recorded a cumulative audience of 10,060,533, becoming the second '10 million viewer film' of the year.
The film attracted 1 million viewers by the 4th day, 2 million by the 6th day, 3 million by the 10th day, 4 million by the 12th day, 5 million by the 14th day, 6 million by the 18th day, 7 million by the 20th day, 8 million by the 25th day, 9 million by the 27th day, and surpassed 10 million viewers on the 33rd day.
'Seoul Spring,' released at the end of May, became the second 10 million viewer film following 'The Outlaws 3' (directed by Lee Sang-yong), which surpassed 10 million viewers in early July. It is the 31st film among all releases and the 22nd Korean film to reach this milestone.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the third film to reach 10 million viewers following 'The Outlaws 2,' 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022), and 'The Outlaws 3.' It is the only single film, not part of a series, to achieve this.
Released on the 22nd of last month, 'Seoul Spring' portrays the tense nine hours aimed at preventing the new military faction's rebellion that occurred in Seoul in December 1979. It was inspired by the December 12 military coup.
The film gained popularity as viewers participated in 'heart rate challenges' and 'anger challenges,' where they recorded their heart rates and stress levels before and after watching and posted them on social media platforms. This trend sparked interest in modern history among the 20s and 30s generations. It has been praised for revitalizing the Korean film industry, which had been stagnant, through steady word of mouth.
At the press conference for the movie 'Spring in Seoul,' the attendees are posing for a photo. (From left) Director Kim Seong-su, actors Kim Seong-gyun, Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min, Lee Seong-min. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The film was directed by Kim Seong-su, who also directed 'Beat' (1997), 'No Sun' (1999), 'Cold Eyes' (2013), and 'Asura' (2016). This is Kim's first film to reach 10 million viewers.
Actor Hwang Jung-min plays Jeon Du-hwan, inspired by Chun Doo-hwan, and Jung Woo-sung portrays Lee Tae-shin, the commander of the Capital Security Command. Park Hae-joon, Lee Sung-min, and Kim Sung-kyun also appear. This is Hwang Jung-min's third 10 million viewer film following 'Ode to My Father' (2014) and 'Veteran' (2015). For Jung Woo-sung, this is his first 10 million viewer film since his debut in 1994.
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