This Lunar New Year holiday, theaters are set to heat up with a three-way battle of Korean films: ‘The Nuns’, ‘Hitman 2’, and ‘Secret.’ These three highly anticipated films of various genres are targeting the Lunar New Year holiday, which is longer than ever, and will be hitting theaters with an interval of 2-3 days. Each of the three films uses womance, bromance, and romance as their weapons.‘The Nuns’, which will be released on the 24th, is already threatening its competitors by taking the top spot in advance ticket sales. This is a spin-off of the 2015 film ‘The Priests’, starring Kim Yun-seok and Kang Dong-won, which attracted 5.44 million moviegoers. It tells the story of nuns trying to save a boy possessed by a powerful evil spirit.

In particular, the film‘s unique setting, in which nuns who are not permitted to exorcise demons according to Catholic doctrine embark on a forbidden ritual, is stimulating interest, and expectations are highest for the fresh chemistry between the lead actors Song Hye-kyo and Jeon Yeo-bin.

On the 22nd, the comic action film ‘Hitman 2’, which features a standout bromance, will be released in theaters first. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, ‘Hitman’ succeeded in attracting 2.4 million viewers and becoming a ‘box office hit’, and five years later, Kwon Sang-woo, Jung Joon-ho, and Lee Yi-kyung, who starred in the first film, have reunited for a sequel.

Kwon Sang-woo plays Jun, a webtoon writer who started out as an assassin for the National Intelligence Service, while Jung Joon-ho and Lee Yi-kyung play the roles of NIS Director Cheon Deok-gyu and current agent Cheol, respectively. Kwon Sang-woo leads the play with an action focus, while Jung Joon-ho and Lee Yi-kyung are in charge of refreshing laughter with their fantastic comedic combo.

On the 27th, ‘Secret That Can’t Be Told’, which captures the excitement of innocent first love on the screen, will meet audiences. A remake of the Taiwanese film of the same name starring Jay Chou, Do Kyung-soo plays Yoo Jun, a music student who falls for Jung-ah, a girl with many secrets whom he meets in an old practice room on his first day of school, and Won Jin-ah plays Jung-ah, a girl with many secrets. Immediately after the trailer was released, reactions poured in online such as, “The two actors‘ ‘drawing styles’ are so similar that it’s even more exciting.”

Director Seo Yoo-min expressed his satisfaction with the acting of Do Kyung-soo, who he had in mind since writing the script, and Won Jin-ah, who 100% brought out the charm of a strong yet delicate character, saying, “The actors are very close in real life, and that good atmosphere even led to synergy in their acting.”


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.