hankyoreh

the day the film passed the 10 million-viewer mark. (by Kim Sung-kwang

By Hong Seok-jae, cinema correspondent

On Jan. 19 - only 33 days after its release - The Attorney passed the 10 million viewer mark, making it the 10th film released in South Korea to be seen 10 million times or more. Though it hasn’t hit the mark set by Avatar (13.62 million tickets), which holds the South Korean box office record, The Attorney is now the ninth most popular Korean film of all time.

How could The Attorney have sold more than 10 million tickets? While the film was highly anticipated, it created controversy even before its release because it’s based on the early years of the late former president Roh Moo-hyun.

In a number of respects, the film relied on the formula of other 10 million-viewer blockbusters. It followed the strategy of such films, drawing in droves of middle-aged men, who are apt to bring along two or three family members with them to the theater. This formula worked for historical dramas Masquerade and The King and the Clown and ideological action flicks Silmido and Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, along with last year’s Miracle in Cell No. 7.

Other ways in which the film is similar to other 10 million-viewer hits is that it sought the 15-and-up rating, which maximizes the potential age range of viewers while still attracting adults, and that it used emotional impact and action scenes to attract repeat viewings and create word of mouth.

On the other hand, The Attorney is the first 10 million-viewer film to select a real person from recent history as its protagonist. Unlike previous blockbusters - which dealt with natural disaters (Haeundae), the power of good (Miracle in Cell No. 7), entertainment (The Thieves), and historical figures too old to stir up debate (The King and the Clown) - The Attorney features a figure who remains the focus of intense political and social controversy.

Before its release, many observers were doubtful about whether the film would succeed. Not only that, but established directors declined to participate in the film, forcing screenwriter Yang Woo-seok to direct the film himself despite his lack of experience in that role.

But it was the film’s extreme daring that propelled it to the 10 million-viewer mark. Most critics believe that The Attorney has been able to enjoy an unexpected degree of success because it presented the life of an actual person from the 1980s that appealed to viewers from multiple generations. While middle-aged Koreans of today were able to relate to the figure of attorney Song Woo-seok, younger generations found the film’s message to be relevant to the present. The film depicts the torture of the son and daughter of an ordinary restaurant owner, suggesting that historical tragedies such as these must never happen again. According to ticket reservation statistics provided by the ticket website Yes 24, as accessed on Jan. 19, 51% of buyers were in their 30s and 40s, and 41.7% were in their teens and 20s.

Other analysts attribute the film’s popularity to the fact that the film offers viewers a figure who corresponds to the “how are you nowadays?” phenomenon that started in 2013. The outstanding acting of the cast - featuring Song Kang-ho, Kwak Do-won, Kim Yeong-ae, and Yim Si-wan - also played a part.

In a phone call with the Hankyoreh on Sunday, film director Yang said, “Rather than how many people gave the film their patronage, I would like The Attorney to be remembered as a film that gave people a chance to reflect on history and society. I would like it to have significance for the future by creating an opportunity for more films of this kind to be produced.”

The Attorney is setting all kinds of records. Song Kang-ho became the second actor to star in two films that broke the 10 million mark, including The Host, after Sol Kyung-gu from Silmido and Haeundae. Since Aug. 2013, Song has drawn 28 million people to the box office with the films Snowpiercer, The Face Reader, and The Attorney . Depending on how ticket sales turn out, the three films could achieve a total of 30 million views, which would be an unprecedented achievement.

Yang, who had never directed even a short film before The Attorney, became the first director to reach 10 million viewers with his first film. In addition, investor and distributor New released 10 million-viewer films for two years in a row after Miracle in Cell No. 7 in 2013, while the South Korean film world found itself with a 10 million-viewer film for the third year in a row beginning with The Thieves in 2012 (12.98 million tickets sold).

The Attorney passed the 10-million visitor mark after 33 days in theaters, one week faster than Avatar, which currently holds the Korean record for most tickets sold. While it is being edged aside by Disney animation Frozen, The Attorney continues to be shown on around 600 screens in South Korea - more than 10% of the country’s theater capacity - in the fifth week since its release, leading to cautious predictions that it may set the all-time record.

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