[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] Korean films made their presence felt at the box office even during the short Chuseok holiday. After being overshadowed by major foreign blockbusters during the summer peak season, Korean films have reemerged as the center of box office success since September, raising expectations for a recovery in the theater industry in the second half of the year.

During this year’s Chuseok holiday season, four Korean films—*The Intern*, *The Assassin(s)*, *Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub* (*Tazza 4*), and *Possible Love*—were released in quick succession, with *The Assassin(s)* and *Tazza 4* taking the top two spots at the holiday box office. Unlike the summer peak season, which was dominated by foreign films such as “Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: A Brand New Day,” Korean films are making their presence felt in September’s box office, both in terms of the number of releases and box office performance.
◇Korean Films Succeed Despite Short Holiday… “The Assassin(s)” and “Tazza 4” Lead
According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network on the 28th, “The Assassin(s)” took the top spot at the box office, drawing 1,407,634 viewers over the four days of the Chuseok holiday from the 24th to the 27th. Since its release on the 23rd, it has maintained the top spot for five consecutive days, recording a cumulative audience of 1,566,220.
This is particularly noteworthy given that this year’s Chuseok holiday spanned only four days, including the weekend. Without capitalizing on a long holiday, the film surpassed 1 million viewers in just four days after its release and maintained the top spot throughout the holiday, attracting audiences faster than any other new release.
“The Assassin(s)” is a crime drama inspired by the 1974 assassination attempt on the First Lady, which follows the investigation into the suspicions and the masterminds behind the incident. It stars Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho, and was directed by Hur Jin-ho. After showing strong performance in pre-release ticket sales, the film maintained its lead at the box office and dominated the Chuseok movie scene.
“The Assassin(s)” took second place. During the same period, it drew 704,484 viewers, bringing its cumulative total to 833,031. It is noteworthy that the film consistently attracted audiences throughout the holiday period despite the restriction of being rated “No Minors Allowed.”
In particular, as of the 21st—two days before its release—*Tazza 4* recorded 76,526 advance tickets sold, setting the highest advance ticket sales record ever for an R-rated film at that point in time. It is assessed that the film continued to garner positive audience reactions after its release, successfully capturing demand primarily from adult viewers.
“Tazza 4” tells the story of Jang Tae-young (played by Byun Yo-han), who has made a fortune in the online casino business, and his namesake Park Tae-young (played by Noh Jae-won), who took everything from him, as they meet again on the global gambling scene to face off in a showdown for revenge. The fact that it is the final installment in the “Tazza” series, which has spanned 20 years, also drew the attention of existing fans.

◇ Korean Films Perform Well Amid “Odyssey’s” Long-Running Success… Will They Shift the Mood in the Second Half of the Year?
Four Korean films hit the Chuseok market this year, broadening the range of genres and audience demographics. “The Intern,” starring Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee, drew 261,474 viewers over the four-day holiday, while Director Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” also attracted 93,778 viewers.
While new Korean films took the lead, the long-running foreign film “The Odyssey” added 371,319 viewers over the four-day holiday, bringing its cumulative total to over 11.69 million. The Marvel re-release “Avengers: Endgame Encore” also drew 86,449 viewers. Even as foreign films continued to dominate, several Korean films simultaneously attracted audiences, demonstrating their presence in the market.
In particular, this summer’s box office was dominated by major foreign films such as “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” In contrast to last year’s long Chuseok holiday, when only one Korean film—*The Boss*—was released, four Korean films were released in quick succession this year, diving headfirst into the competition during the holiday peak season. Rather than relying on a single hit, multiple Korean films were positioned in the market simultaneously; while they shared the audience, they still achieved a certain level of box office success.
The key question is whether this surge in theater-goers will be limited to a one-time holiday spike or whether it will continue beyond September. A film industry insider stated, “It is encouraging that, following the recent success of foreign films, audiences continued to visit theaters during the Chuseok holiday and chose from a variety of Korean films. However, since this holiday was short—only four days—we’ll have to wait and see whether this was merely a temporary peak-season effect or if individual films will achieve long-term box office success sufficient to surpass their break-even points.”