Silmido Attracts 10 Million Moviegoers
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By Kim Tae-jong
"Silmido", a film depicting an aborted government scheme to assassinate North Korea's leader in the late 1960s, on Thursday reached the 10-million-viewer mark for the first time in the Korean film history.
The movie, which opened Dec. 24 last year, took 58 days to reach the figure, which means that about one third of the nation's population 15 and older have seen the movie.
It drew eight million viewers Jan. 29, grabbing a larger audience than the widely successful fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." It finally broke the local box-office record of 8.2 million Jan. 31, which was set by the Korean film "Chingu (Friend)" in 2001.
The film is based on the lives of the secret agents of the special "Unit 684" established to assassinate former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in the late 1960s.
Due to the movie, the fate of the secret commando group is being reexamined. The Defense Ministry has recently verified that seven men, who went missing in Okchon, North Chungchong Province 36 years ago, were recruited as members of the "Silmido" project.
The domestic success of the blockbuster movie has led the film to future openings in Japan scheduled to screen on 200 screens in August or September with an agreement that it would receive a minimum guarantee of $3 million and take 50 percent of the profits from the screenings in Japan.
"Silmido" is showing on about 220 screens across the country, and will continue drawing moviegoers alongside another local blockbuster movie "Taegukgi," which depicts two brothers' experience during the Korean War (1950-1953). The film "Taegukgi," which opened Feb. 6, attracted more than 5 million moviegoers as of Feb. 17. Openings in Japan are scheduled for the summer.
"Silmido", a film depicting an aborted government scheme to assassinate North Korea's leader in the late 1960s, on Thursday reached the 10-million-viewer mark for the first time in the Korean film history.
The movie, which opened Dec. 24 last year, took 58 days to reach the figure, which means that about one third of the nation's population 15 and older have seen the movie.
It drew eight million viewers Jan. 29, grabbing a larger audience than the widely successful fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." It finally broke the local box-office record of 8.2 million Jan. 31, which was set by the Korean film "Chingu (Friend)" in 2001.
The film is based on the lives of the secret agents of the special "Unit 684" established to assassinate former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in the late 1960s.
Due to the movie, the fate of the secret commando group is being reexamined. The Defense Ministry has recently verified that seven men, who went missing in Okchon, North Chungchong Province 36 years ago, were recruited as members of the "Silmido" project.
The domestic success of the blockbuster movie has led the film to future openings in Japan scheduled to screen on 200 screens in August or September with an agreement that it would receive a minimum guarantee of $3 million and take 50 percent of the profits from the screenings in Japan.
"Silmido" is showing on about 220 screens across the country, and will continue drawing moviegoers alongside another local blockbuster movie "Taegukgi," which depicts two brothers' experience during the Korean War (1950-1953). The film "Taegukgi," which opened Feb. 6, attracted more than 5 million moviegoers as of Feb. 17. Openings in Japan are scheduled for the summer.
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