'12.12: The Day' becomes second film this year to hit 10M

Movies

Published: 24 Dec. 2023, 08:59 Updated: 25 Dec. 2023, 14:00

'12.12: The Day' becomes second film this year to hit 10M

A scene from ″12.12: The Day″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]

Historical film “12.12: The Day” surpassed 10 million cumulative viewers Sunday, becoming the second film this year to hit the milestone after “The Roundup: No Way Out” and the 22nd domestically produced film to ever achieve the feat.

“12.12: The Day” peaked at 10 million ticket sales on Sunday morning, 33 days after its release, according to distributor Plus M Entertainment, based on data from the integrated computer network for ticket sales of the Korean Film Council.

The film is the first non-franchise movie to garner 10 million viewers since 2019’s “Parasite” and the first non-franchise film since the Covid-19 pandemic to make the breakthrough. All other films between “Parasite” and “12.12: The Day” that have gained 10 million viewers have been sequels or follow-ups to previous works, such as “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022).

The main poster for ″12.12: The Day″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]

“12.12: The Day” follow nine hours during the historic day of Dec. 12, 1979, when a military coup d’état is about to break out in Seoul. Actors Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung play fictional versions of former president Chun Doo Hwan and a military leader who opposes him, respectively.

The film is directed by Kim Sung-su, who is known for films such as “Beat” (1997),” “Musa” (2001) and “Asura: The City of Madness” (2016).

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]