'The Assassins,' Amid Historical Distortion Controversy, Surpasses 2 Million Viewers

Maintaining a Top Spot in Reservation Rates

The film "The Assassins," which deals with the incident involving Yoo Gyeong-Soo and has sparked controversy over historical distortion, has surpassed 2 million viewers.

Promotional poster for "Assassin(s)" displayed at a movie theater in Seoul. Yonhap News Agency

According to the distributor Hive Media Corp., "The Assassins" surpassed a cumulative audience of 2 million as of the afternoon of October 3, on the 11th day since its release.

The movie is based on the 1974 incident in which Moon Se-gwang, a Korean-Japanese man, attempted to assassinate President Park Chung Hee, resulting in Yoo Gyeong-Soo being fatally shot.

Directed by Heo Jin-ho, the film follows the investigation into the truth behind the incident by police officer Cheol-gu (played by Yoo Hae-jin), newspaper social affairs chief Jae-hwan (Park Hae-il), and rookie reporter Yeong-il (Lee Minho).

Since its release on September 23, the film attracted about 1.407 million viewers during the Chuseok holiday period (September 24-27), securing the number one spot at the box office.

However, controversy erupted over claims that the film distorted historical facts, particularly scenes suggesting that the Korea Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) may have been behind the incident. As a result, "The Assassins" ceded the daily box office top spot to "Tazza: Song of the Belsebub" on September 28.

Nevertheless, in October the movie regained the number one position and continues to attract audiences. It also remains near the top in ticket reservation rates. As of 4:00 p.m. on this day, the movie's reservation rate stood at 16.9% (with approximately 84,000 tickets reserved), ranking second after the animation "Chiikawa: The Secret of the Merman Island" (25.7%).

On the other hand, controversy surrounding the film continues to grow. Advertising videos featuring Yoo Hae-jin as a model for a fast-food brand and a securities firm's YouTube channel received protest comments, leading to the disabling of comment features. The production company Hive Media Corp. has canceled events related to the film, such as the outdoor stage greeting at the Busan International Film Festival.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.