NATIONAL
A documentary film about the l ate President Roh Moo-hyun is creating sensations at local box offices by attracting over 590,000 moviegoers in only four days after its release last Thursday. “Our President,” directed by Lee Chang-jae, recorded attendance
A documentary film about the late President Roh Moo-hyun is causing a sensation at local box offices by attracting over 590,000 moviegoers in only four days after its release last Thursday.
According to the Korean Film Commission, “Our President,” directed by Lee Chang-jae, has been seen by 596,237 people, with 209,773 of that on Sunday alone.
Our President is currently ranked No. 2 at the box office following “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” starring Johnny Depp.
The performance of the film about former President Roh is exceptional for a documentary.
It took 600 million won ($535,618) to make and it has already passed its break-even point by getting an audience of 200,000 by the third day.
This is unprecedented compared to the most successful Korean documentary “My Love, Don’t Cross That River” that reached 200,000 in 11 days after its opening in 2014.
The movie on the late President Roh was screened in 762 theaters, reaching a 38 percent occupancy rate, which is higher than that of the latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel with 33.9 percent. The documentary depicts the drama of how Roh became the most popular candidate f rom being the least favorite, one with a 2 percent support rating at the beginning of the 2002 presidential election.
Thirty nine political figures appear in interviews, portraying the late president as a humane person. They include incumbent President Moon Jae-in, former Minister of Health and Welfare Rhyu Si-min and Ahn Hee-jung, governor of South Chungcheong Province — who were all once close aides to Roh.
“From the first week, we are witnessing many watching the movie in groups or revisiting to watch the film again,” a film distributor said to the local press.
It is yet to be seen whether “Our President” will beat the record of “My Love, Don’t Cross That River” that attracted 4.8 million moviegoers. Several highly anticipated films, such as “Wonder Woman” and “Warriors of the Dawn,” are set for release on Wednesday.
The real-time ticket sales rate for this week put “Wonder Woman” at the top with 25.7 percent, followed by “Warriors of the Dawn” with 18.5 percent and “Pirates of the Caribbean” with 18.3 percent. “Our President” is ranked at fourth with 12 percent