2.29 Million Audience in Four Days Box Office No.1
‘Anti-Japanese Occult’ Draws Young Generation’s Interest
“Script Completely Revised After COVID-19 Outbreak”
Director Jang Jae-hyun's occult film "Pamyo" has exploded in popularity. It drew about 1.96 million viewers during its opening weekend, signaling a box office hit. It is analyzed that the director's clever choice to embed a clear message of "anti-Japanese" sentiment resonated with audiences.
According to the Korea Film Council's integrated box office data on the 26th, "Pamyo" (directed by Jang Jae-hyun) attracted 1,963,558 viewers over the three days from the 23rd to the 25th, securing the number one spot at the box office. It recorded a revenue share of 76.5%. The film, which premiered on the 22nd, surpassed 1 million viewers in three days and 2 million in four days, accumulating a total audience of 2,299,710. At this pace, with a production cost of 14 billion KRW, it is expected to surpass the break-even point of 3.3 million viewers.
"Pamyo" is an occult mystery film depicting strange events that befall a geomancer, mortician, and shaman who relocate suspicious graves for a large sum of money. Actor Choi Min-sik takes on the occult genre for the first time, joined by Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Go-eun, and Lee Do-hyun among others. The film is directed by Jang Jae-hyun, who previously helmed "The Priests" (2015) and "Svaha: The Sixth Finger" (2019).
Director Jang is praised for opening new horizons by portraying original worlds with Catholic exorcism rituals and cult religion themes in an appealing occult genre in his previous works. In "Pamyo," he blends the historical pain of the Japanese colonial period and issues of past reckoning with folk beliefs and superstitions within the occult genre. The clear "anti-Japanese" message appears to have sparked interest among younger generations. It also became a hot topic online that the main characters' names?Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik), Go Young-geun (Yoo Hae-jin), Lee Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun), Yoon Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), Oh Gwang-sim (Kim Sun-young), and Park Ja-hye (Kim Ji-an)?are the same as those of independence activists.
The director's smart decision to significantly revise the script after the COVID-19 pandemic proved effective. In an interview before the release, Director Jang said, "'Pamyo' was originally prepared as a horror film, but the COVID-19 pandemic began. I went to the theater every day and saw funny European films being released. So I changed the plot. I wanted to make a bold film instead of a gloomy one. If it had been made as a horror film, the protagonist would have been a different character."
During the same period, "Wonka," starring Timoth?e Chalamet, attracted 279,145 viewers and ranked second. Released on the 31st of last month, it has accumulated 2,970,347 viewers. Timoth?e Chalamet's foreign film "Dune: Part 2" is also set to open on the 28th. As of 9:30 AM that day, it was leading real-time reservation rates at 46.8%. The third place went to the political documentary film "The Founding War," which added 112,616 viewers, bringing its total to 966,274.
Ranked fourth is "Demon Slayer: The Miracle of the Connection and Joint Training," fifth is "Picnic," sixth is "Bread Barber Shop: Celeb in Bakery Town," and seventh is "Sound of Freedom." The total number of moviegoers over the weekend was recorded at 2,565,433.
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