Choi Woo-shik and Jang Hye-jin’s film 'Number One' opened at No. 3 on its first day at the Korean box office.
According to the Korean Film Council’s box office tally on the 12th, 'Number One' drew 17,232 moviegoers nationwide on Feb. 11, its release day. 'Humint,' which opened the same day, topped the chart with 116,749 admissions, while the title that opened a week earlier attracted 86,924 to place second.
'Number One' follows Ha-min (Choi Woo-shik), who suddenly starts seeing a number that drops by one every time he eats his mom’s cooking―until he learns that when it hits zero, his mother, Eun-sil (Jang Hye-jin), will die. Determined to protect her, he fights against time. The film is based on the Japanese novel titled “You Have 328 More Chances to Eat Your Mother’s Home-Cooked Meals.” It’s directed by Kim Tae-yong, with Choi and Jang portraying a mother?son duo.
With a production budget of 4 billion won, 'Number One' is a lower-budget release compared to rivals 'HUMINT' (23.5 billion won) and 'The King's Warden' (10.5 billion won). While those films spotlight multi-top-star casts, Choi Woo-shik and Jang Hye-jin have been carrying the promo push for 'Number One.'
Positioned as a feel-good, heart-tugging family film for the Lunar New Year frame, 'Number One' faces an uphill climb against bigger titles in scale, casting, and distribution muscle. All eyes are on whether strong word of mouth can win over family audiences across the four-day holiday.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)