There are currently 19 movies in South Korea that have more than 10 million viewers, which is the 19 most top movies in the history of Korean cinema. But there are still some movies that are one step away from reaching the top of the "ten million" club, or with the hard power of the film, they can fully qualify for the "ten million" club, but the timing is not good, just a little bit.
This time, we will introduce the "quasi-ten million" films with Korean film viewers between 7 million and 10 million.
1. "The Prosecutor's Biography", the final number of viewers was 9.7 million 6695
Released in South Korea on February 3, 2016, the film is a crime comedy film directed by Lee Il-kyung and starring Hwang Jeong-min and Kang Dong-won. It was shown on 1,701 screens in the first weekend with 25,200 shows, ranking first in box office share and attendance. In the first week, the cumulative number of moviegoers exceeded 5 million, surpassing "Bandits" and second only to "Mingliang". The cumulative number of viewers in the two weeks of release reached 8.04 million. In particular, Huang Zhengmin had two "International Markets" and "Veterans" in 2015 that broke the "ten million".
The film tells the story of a prosecutor who has been wrongfully imprisoned and joins forces with Hua Meinan, a fraudster with nine criminal records, to exonerate himself in prison.
2. "Extreme Escape", the final number of viewers was 9.426051
The film was released in South Korea on July 31, 2019. It is a disaster comedy film written and directed by Li Shanggen, starring Cao Zhengyi and Lin Yun'er.
The film was not favored before it was released, because the director was a newcomer, and this was the first work. The heroine is Lin Yun'er of the "female emperor", although Lin Yun'er, as a member of the second-generation girl group "female emperor", has reached the peak in the song industry and idol world, and the influence it has not been surpassed so far, but as an actor, in addition to the "You Are My Destiny" that just debuted, other film and television works are a paste mess, and they are the "back pot man" of ratings. Participating in the film is still because the director watched Lin Yun'er's variety show "Xiaoli Family Homestay 2", and only then did lin Yun'er have the opportunity to play the heroine of the film for the first time in 12 years of her debut.
Only the male protagonist Cao Zhengyi is reassuring, and the production company has waited for more than a year in order to wait for Cao Zhengyi's schedule.
The movie that was not optimistic originally did not expect that as soon as it was released, the "big explosion" was completely a "dark horse". After the test screening of "Extreme Escape", with excellent expressiveness. Attracting a large number of moviegoers, the pre-sale box office successfully counterattacked the films released at the same time. On the first day of release, the record for the number of moviegoers on the first day was broken, and the movie has always become a hot topic of discussion, such as the brainwashed "DaDada" distress signal in the film, which also swept South Korea in an instant, increasing the intensity of publicity.
In particular, Lin Yun'er almost did not use a stand-in in the film, is recognized by the crew as the "king of physical strength", with his own diligence and "big explosion" of the film, more successful to let the public from an "actor" identity to look at her, and won the Korean film's highest honor Blue Dragon Award for best actress nomination.
3. "Snow Country Train", the final number of viewers was 9.34 million 9991
The film was released in South Korea on August 1, 2013. Directed by the famous Korean director Bong Joon-ho, with the famous Korean director Park Chan-wook as the producer, Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, and Ed Harris starring.
On the first day, the audience was 609,977 people, setting a new record for the highest box office of a single film in South Korea, and was later surpassed by "Mingliang". After 38 hours of release, the cumulative number of moviegoers exceeded 1 million. It is also Song Kanghao and Gao Yixing who play the father and daughter again in "The Monster of the Han River".
The film is a very early apocalyptic film, and the level of shooting and production is not exaggerated until now.
4. "Viewing", the final number of viewers was 9.134586
The film was released in South Korea on September 11, 2013. A Korean costume film directed by Han Jae-rim and starring Song Kang-ho, Kim Hye-so and Lee Jung-jae. It was the tenth highest grossing film in Korean film history in 2013. The film won several awards such as the Best Picture Award at the 50th Korean Film Grand Bell Awards.
The film is Song Kanghao's first costume role, Song Kanghao has become the first person in Korean film history because he starred in "Snow Country", "Defender" and "Guanxiang" in a single year.
In particular, As a supporting role "Shouyang Maharaja", Li Zhengzai, although he did not appear much, he was impressed by his superb acting skills and won the Best Supporting Actor of the Green Dragon Award.
5 "Pirates", the final number of viewers was 8.6666046
The film was released in South Korea on August 6, 2014. Directed by Lee Woo-hoon, written by Chun Sung-il, and starring Sun Yizhen, Kim Nam-yon, Lee Kyung-young and Liu Hae-jin, a costume action film.
It is the first marine adventure film in South Korea, known as the Korean version of "Pirates of the Caribbean". After 5 months of shooting at sea, Kim Nam-yo was also hospitalized due to excessive fatigue. Moreover, as the "first male supporting" Liu Haizhen in Korean movies, his performance in the movie is better than that of both male and female protagonists.
"Sun Xian'er" Sun Yizhen also won the 51st Korean Film Grand Bell Awards (Best Actress Award) for her wonderful performance in the film.
6, "Strange Her", the final number of viewers of 8656397
Released in South Korea on January 22, 2014, it is a Korean comedy film directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and starring Shin Eun-kyung and Luo Wenji.
The film grossed 8.65 million viewers, ranking second in South Korea at the 2014 film box office. It became the first local film to exceed 8 million viewers in 2014. Shen Enjing also broke his personal box office record again with the film (7.36 million for "Sunshine"). Director Huang Dong hyuk also switched from the heavy realistic theme of the previous film "The Melting Pot" to comedy, and he did not expect that the effect was still very good, showing his ability to control multiple types of films.
7, "National Representative", the final number of viewers of 8.487894
Released in South Korea on July 30, 2009, the film is a sports film written and directed by Kim Yong-hwa and starring Ha Jeong-woo and Kim Ki-seok. The film cost 11 billion won, breaking the record for the most expensive sports film in Korean film history. The deeds of the 5 runners in the film are based on real prototypes and are the pioneers of the Korean ski jumping sport. The real ski jumpers train while also working to pay for the expensive cost of clothing for training, and it is in this environment that they have repeatedly achieved good results in competitions.
The film won the Best Film at the 46th Baeksang Arts Awards in Korea. Ha Zhengyu also won the Best Actor award in the film category of the Baeksang Arts Awards.
7, "Dragon War", the final number of movies is 8.426973
This movie is a bit too much to draw into Korean local movies, but the film director is South Korean Shen Jionglai, the producer is Korean, a bunch of protagonists and supporting roles are old and beautiful, but in South Korea's highest-grossing but invincible "Monster" in South Korea finally won more than 100 theaters in the United States. That is, the special effects were seen at a high level at that time.
8, "Baldo Mountain", the final number of viewers is 8.249195
It was released in South Korea on December 19, 2019. It is an action disaster film directed by Lee Hae-joon and Kim Byung-suk, and starring Lee Byung-hyun, Ha Jeong-woo, and Ma Dong-seok.
The film is obviously taking the route of a special effects film, with the strong strength of the Korean film industry as the foundation, and the blessing of the special effects team of "Walking with God", the success of the film is not surprising. It is not only a disaster film, but also a combination of brother comedy, spying, car chases, gunfights and other elements, full of entertainment, and the audience is also quite popular.
What people did not expect was that the so-called "slap superman" "God - Ma Dongxi" turned out to be a geologist in the film. Lee Byung-hyun also won the Korean Film Grand Bell Award for Best Actor again for his film.
9, "Very Anchor", the final number of viewers is 8.245523
The film was released in South Korea on December 4, 2008. A Korean comedy film directed by Kang Kyung-chul and starring Cha Tae-hyun, Park Bao-young, Andong Seok-hyun. In particular, on June 19, 2009, at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival, "Very Anchor" won the Best Film Award.
The film sold more than expected, occupying the top spot at the weekend box office for four consecutive weeks, until the fifth week when it was squeezed out by "Frost Flower Shop". Park Baoying, as a newcomer, is also the first time to play a film actress, and it is also the film that made Park Baoying rise to the top as a newcomer, winning the Korean Film Blue Dragon Award for Best Newcomer Actress and Baeksang Best Newcomer, one step to the sky.
10 "Welcome to Dongmo Village", the final number of viewers was 8 million 8622
The film was released in South Korea on August 4, 2005 and is a South Korean film directed by Park Kwang-hyun and starring Shin Ha-kyun, Jung Jae-young, and Kang Hye-jeong. It tells the story of five soldiers from North and South Korea and a U.S. Air Force soldier from North and South Korea in 1950 who were exiled to Dongmo Village, an untouched village, where they met, interacted, and then fought together.
Winner of the 2005 box office title and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The first half of the film is light and humorous, and the second half is unusually tragic. From the direction of the plot, it can be said that the film is a reflection on the war in the main idea. In addition to reflecting on the war, another theme of the film is the unification of the Korean Peninsula. It should be said that it is based on the reflection on the war and the two issues of the reunification of the two Koreas that the film has an unprecedented influence.
11. "Help Together", the final number of viewers was 7.817446
The film was released in South Korea on January 18, 2017. An action film directed by Kim Sung-hoon, written by Hwang Joo-yoon and Park So-jin, and starring Hyun Bin, Liu Hae-jin, Kim Joo-hyuk, Lim Yoon-er and Lee Dong-hui. It is also the debut work of "female emperor" Lin Yun'er on the big screen in South Korea
The film was produced by JK Films and took 4 years to prepare. The film is Xuan Bin's return to the screen after three years after starring in "Reverse Scales". Xuan Bin practiced various kung fu hard before filming, including the high-level Russian military martial art Sistema. In the film, he does not have to stand-in to personally go to the battlefield and roll, and is competent for various difficult fight scenes. Hyun Bin and Kim Joo Hyuk received special training in the Korean dialect before filming began. It can be said that this film laid the foundation for Xuan Bin's 2019 "Forced Landing of Love".
Xuan Bin's previous situation of being questioned by his acting skills because of the popularity of this movie has disappeared, and his wonderful partner with Liu Haizhen has become a major factor in the success of the movie, and the wonderful confrontation between the two is one of the reasons why it is indispensable to watch.
In its first week of release, it exceeded 1 million viewers and ranked second in the box office list. The number of moviegoers exceeded 1 million in just 5 days, exceeded 2 million on the 10th day of release, exceeded 3 million on the 12th day, and successfully exceeded 4 million on the 13th day. In 2017, the Spring Festival took a three-day break, and the number of moviegoers reached 1.93 million. The film won the South Korean weekend box office in its second and third weeks of release, becoming the first film in South Korea to exceed 6 million viewers in 2017. On the 25th day of release, the number of viewers exceeded 7 million.
12. "Himalayas", the final number of viewers was 7.759473
The film was released in South Korea on December 16, 2015. A drama film directed by Lee Woo-hoon and starring Hwang Jeong-min and Jeong Woo and others. Based on a live-action event, the film tells the story of the legendary Korean mountaineer Yan Hongji who led a mountaineering expedition to the Himalayas to find the remains of the Korean mountaineers who were killed.
The lead actors and more than 70 crew members were able to go to Mont Blanc in France to shoot together. Although it exceeded the budget, it achieved better results and hoped to become a new milestone in Korean mountaineering films. In April 2015, "Himalaya" was completed in Mont Blanc, France, completing a five-month long march of filming.
On the first day of the film's release, it was viewed by 200,000 people in a single day, making it the most viewed film in the first week in the history of documentary films. On the fourth day, it exceeded 1 million moviegoers, which is the fastest record in the history of Korean cinema for the human drama genre. On the 12th day, it exceeded the 4 million moviegoer mark, creating the highest number of moviegoers on Christmas Day in Korean film history of 746,420.
13. "Secret Agent", the number of viewers is 7.487545
It was released in South Korea on September 7, 2016. A spy action film directed by Kim Ji-woon and starring Song Kang-ho, Kong Liu and Han Ji-min. The production and distribution is the domestic Warner. The film won the Best Work Award at the 36th Korea Film Critics Awards in 2016 and represented Korean films in the nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
The film is the second encounter between director Kim Ji-woon and Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hyun after an eight-year gap, and it is also the fourth cooperation between Lee Byung-hyun and director Kim Ji-yun. Although the role played by Li Bingxian this time is not heavy. Song Kanghao and Kong Liu were highly involved in the role when filming, and the two often discussed their opinions together.
14. "Final Weapon, Bow", the final number of viewers was 7.4666976
Released in South Korea on August 10, 2011, the film is a Korean costume action film directed by Kim Han-min and starring Park Hae-il, Moon Chae-won, and Yoo Seung-yong. Becoming the best-grossing film in South Korea in 2011, Park Hae-il won the Daejong Award and the Blue Dragon Award for Best Actor, and Moon Choi Won won the Daejong Award and the Blue Dragon Award for Best Female Newcomer.
The film is The first costume action film in South Korea with the theme of bows and arrows. In order to get close to the history of the Qing Dynasty, the crew also made special reference to a large number of Chinese Qing palace plays. In order to get closer to the real history, the crew also went to China to shoot.
15. "Sunshine Sister Tao", the final number of viewers was 7.328820
A Korean comedy film released on May 4, 2011, directed by Kang Kyung Chul and starring Shin Eun Kyung, Kang So-ra, min Hyo-rin and others.
The film became the highest-grossing film in South Korea in the first half of 2011. It was released in South Korea on May 4, 2011, and exceeded 6 million box office after only 60 days of premiere, and further exceeded 7 million box office 80 days later, and remained at the top of the box office for more than two consecutive months.
The young actors played in the film were all newcomers at that time, and Jiang Sula is now married and has children, which is considered to be out of the circle. Min Xiaolin has also married and had children with "Sun" Dong Yong Pei, and she is even far away from the circle. Chiegi continues to be active in the circle and has achieved good results. Shen Enjing has been participating in film and television works since he reached the top with "Strange Her". The most interesting thing is park zhenzhu, who has been starring in film and television works as a supporting role, and her performance is very brilliant, and the charm is still there.
16, Kim Lun-woo, Ha Jeong-woo, Liu Hae-jin, Kim Tae-ri participated
17. "Berlin", the final number of viewers was 7.166199
The film was released in South Korea on January 30, 2013. Directed by Yoo Seung-wan and starring Ha Jeong-woo, Han Seok-gyu, Yoo Seung-bum and Jeon Ji-hyun, a South Korean spy action film.
Jeon Ji-hyun specially postponed the wedding date to April for the film, and postponed the honeymoon trip for the newlyweds. Due to the two-month shooting period overseas, the crew missed Korean food very much, but fortunately Ha Zhengyu brought a pot and pickled kimchi by hand. Han Shigui also often makes fried sauce noodles for everyone.
During the filming of the explosion scene, Jeon Ji-hyun once had a small piece of flesh scratched his face by a fragment. She once thought she would "disfigure", but fortunately after treatment, she found that the injuries were very minor.
18. "Master", the final number of viewers was 7.147879
The film was released in South Korea on December 21, 2016. A South Korean crime action film written and directed by Cho Yee-seok and starring Lee Byung-hyun, Kang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin.
On the day of its premiere, the film attracted 393,247 visitors to the top of the box office of the day. On the morning of the second day of the release, the pre-sale rate reached 53%. The film attracted 918,000 viewers on Christmas Eve on December 24 alone, and the cumulative number of viewers exceeded the 2 million mark in the four days of release. This is the record for the shortest number of viewers in a South Korean film that premiered in December 2016.
19, "The Tunnel", the final number of viewers was 7.118592
The film was released in South Korea on August 10, 2016. Directed and written by Kim Sung-hoon and co-starring Ha Jeong-woo, Oh Dae-so, Bae Doo-na and others, a Korean drama disaster film. On the day of the premiere, it attracted 37.8942 viewers, and the first week of release won the weekly championship.
Since Ha Jeong-woo's role is inside the tunnel ruins, and Bae Doo-na and Oh Da-so mainly perform outside the ruins, when filming, the three of them have almost no chance to meet, and it is more prominent ha Jeong-woo's acting skills, which can basically be said to be a one-man show.
20. "The Insider", the final number of viewers was 7.071763
The film was released in South Korea on November 19, 2015. Directed by Wu Minhao, the crime film starring Lee Byung-hyun, Cho Seung-woo and Baek Yoon-sik. The dark side of the cruel social reality in "The Insiders" has resonated with the audience, but some viewers pointed out that because it is an adaptation of the comic, the director instead walks too much according to the content of the comic in the opening part, which is a bit dull, and only in the middle and later parts can see the interesting point. The male protagonist Li Bingxian has been questioned because of negative news, but the audience still said that his acting skills as an actor are still unquestionable.
This drama, along with another "Asura" by Hwang Jeong-min and Jeong Yu-sung, personally feels that they are the two best films made in South Korea on the dark side of reality.