Cumulative Audience of 800,000... Breaks Even
Following Baby Shark and Pororo, Overseas Release
The native animation film 'Sarang-ui Hatchuping' is gaining popularity at summer theaters. The movie was released on the 7th and surpassed the break-even point (500,000 viewers) by attracting a cumulative audience of 540,000 in just 9 days. This means it has recovered production costs and made a profit at the box office.
According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticket sales system on the 28th, 'Sarang-ui Hatchuping' attracted 5,645 viewers the previous day, reaching a cumulative audience of 801,045 and total revenue of 7.2448 billion KRW within 20 days of release. This places the film fifth in animation box office hits this year, following 'Inside Out 2' (8.77 million viewers), 'Kung Fu Panda 4' (1.77 million viewers), 'Despicable Me 4' (1.53 million viewers), and 'Wish' (1.4 million viewers).
The power of Hatchuping was tremendous. With the 2024 Paris Olympics taking place from late July to early August, new film releases avoided that period and were launched around mid-August. In this fiercely competitive theater market, 'Sarang-ui Hatchuping,' as a flagship title, steadily attracted audiences, and even saw scalped tickets appear for screenings that included Hatchuping's stage greetings. In less than a month, it easily surpassed the break-even point and is now aiming for the 1 million viewer milestone.
Including revenue from the in-theater merchandise shops, which parents and child audiences never miss, the generated income is expected to increase further. The film is also scheduled to be released soon in China and Japan. The industry is watching closely to see if it will become a global character like Baby Shark or Pororo.
'Sarang-ui Hatchuping' is a film that covers the beginning of the 2020 TV series 'Catch! Tinyping.' There are 137 Tinyping characters, including Dalkkomping, Angdaeping, Ahyuping, Musheoping, Ddokddokping, and Hwanaping. The movie was made into a theatrical version focusing on the popular Tinyping character Hatchuping. It tells the story of Princess Romi and Hatchuping as they search for their destined soulmate. Although the narrative is simple, following how they became best friends, it deeply expresses emotions to help viewers immerse themselves. Hatchuping is characterized by large eyes that children love.
'Sarang-ui Hatchuping' clearly demonstrated that the era of dismissing animation as 'domestic' or 'for children' is over. Hatchuping successfully attracted both child and adult audiences to theaters. Online, there are numerous reviews from viewers in their 20s and 30s saying, "I went to show it to my niece/nephew but ended up crying myself," indicating high satisfaction among adult viewers as well.
The film's director, Kim Suhoon, is also the CEO of SAMG Entertainment, which owns the intellectual property (IP) of the original TV series 'Catch! Tinyping.' Director Kim said, "While planning Hatchuping, we focused on expressing emotions deeply with a simple theme that satisfies both children and adults." Considering the response that "even adults cry a lot" was a decisive factor from the planning stage.
SAMG recorded cumulative sales of about 49.6 billion KRW and an operating loss of about 9.6 billion KRW in the first half of the year. Although losses continue, expectations for improved performance are growing as the profits from 'Sarang-ui Hatchuping' will be reflected in the financial statements for the second half. CEO Kim expressed optimism, saying, "Performance will improve with new IP launches and global sales expansion."
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