South Korean Box Office Movie “Veteran” Ranks As The 6th Most Successful Movie Of All Time In Korean Cinema According To The Korean Film Council
On Sunday, the Korean Film Council announced that the action-packed crime movie "Veteran" was seen by a total of 12.73 million moviegoers since its release in South Korea on Aug. 7, making it the sixth most successful movie in Korean cinema's history.
Chosun Media reports Monday that "Veteran", which is produced by CJ Entertainment, has moved ahead of espionage action movie "Assassination". It was released two weeks earlier than "Veteran" and has drawn in 12.68 million viewers as of Saturday. If "Veteran" continues its current pace, it may just move another step higher to move past the 2013 family melodrama comedy movie "Miracle in Cell No. 7," which gained 12.81 million viewers.
CJ Entertainment's "Veteran" was directed by Ryoo Seung Wan, who is also the CEO of production company Filmmaker R&K. The South Korean entertainment company has also distributed some of the most successful movies of all time in Korean cinema, such as "Haeundae" (10th), "Masquerade" (eighth), "Ode To My Father" (second) and "Roaring Currents" (first).
"Veteran" tells the story of a seasoned detective named Seo Do Cheol, played by Hwang Jun Min, who is working on a high-profile case. In the course of his investigation, Seo encounters an arrogant millionaire named Jo Tae Oh, played by Yoo Ah In, who always escapes Seo and his team through his wealth and connections as the third-generation heir to a corrupt and powerful conglomerate called Sunjin Group.
The movie has earned a total of $82.8 million by mid-September and was shown at the 40th Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 10 to 20. The movie also premiered in 46 theatres across North America on Sept. 18 with a special pre-screening in Los Angeles on Sept. 16 for officers of the Los Angeles Police Department and their families. Other regions that can will soon be able to view the movie in local cinemas include Indonesia (Sept. 23), Hong Kong and Australia (Oct. 1), Thailand (Dec. 10) and Japan (Dec. 12).