Director Hur Jin-ho, who helmed the film "The Assassin(s)", has voiced frustration over facing difficulties promoting the movie for unknown reasons.
Appearing on the YouTube program "Maebul Show" on the afternoon of October 28, Director Hur Jin-ho was asked by host Choi Wook, "The situation is serious. With the film brought to its knees by indiscriminate attacks that lack any rationality, isn't it struggling to stay in theaters?" Hur responded, "Rather than struggling to stay in theaters... it is still being screened right now."
He went on to state, "Normally, films carry out promotions that help audiences watch the movie, known as ticket promotions, around their fourth or fifth week of release, but 'The Assassin(s)' is unable to do so in theaters." When asked if he was facing external pressure, he claimed, "I cannot tell whether it is external pressure, but running promotions like that requires the movie poster to appear on the theater website's advertising banners, and perhaps they feel burdened having 'The Assassin(s)' appear there... It is unusual for a Korean film. 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' is currently running its seventh ticket promotion, but for 'The Assassin(s)', it ended after just two rounds, and nothing further is being accepted."
"The Assassin(s)" was released on September 23 during the Chuseok holiday. However, starting from its opening weekend, it became embroiled in controversies over alleged historical distortion spearheaded by political circles, taking a heavy blow at the box office. Just as Director Hur Jin-ho stated, ticket promotions for "The Assassin(s)" were carried out only up to the second round. In contrast, "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub", which opened on the same day, carried out up to seven rounds of ticket promotions (totaling roughly 80,000 tickets), even though it trailed far behind "The Assassin(s)" in both cumulative attendance and reservation rates.
The exact reason ticket promotions for "The Assassin(s)" were limited to just two rounds remains unclear. An official from a multiplex chain explained, "Ticket promotions are conducted in consultation between theaters and distributors. They do not happen simply because a distributor asks for them; theaters assess market demand before proceeding. In the case of 'The Assassin(s)', it has entered its sixth week since release. New films are arriving in theaters every week. Ticket promotions are decided by the programming and marketing teams based on the specific circumstances of each release."
Despite missing out on the benefits of extended ticket promotions, "The Assassin(s)", which opened on September 23, drew 3.4 million moviegoers, the largest audience among the four Korean films released during the same period. It took the top box office spot among Chuseok releases and attracted the fourth-largest audience among all Korean films released this year.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)