While Korean films that had been receiving favorable reviews from both critics and audiences in October are showing disappointing results one after another with lower-than-expected moviegoers, ‘Amazon Hwalmyeongsu’, which was released in theaters on October 30, lost the top spot at the box office to ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ (Venom 3) after only three days of release. Amidst this, Korean films are very nervous as Hollywood blockbusters are preparing to release one after another this month.

Hollywood hero film ‘Venom 3’, which had been at the top of the box office since its release on the 23rd of last month, fell to second place when ‘Amazon Hwalmyeongsu’, starring Ryu Seung-ryong, was released on October 30, but it showed its strength by reclaiming the top spot on the 1st of this month, three days later. To continue the momentum of ‘Venom 3’, a number of Hollywood blockbusters are being released this month.

The first one is ‘Red One’, which will be released on the 6th. This comic action blockbuster starring action star Dwayne Johnson and ‘Captain America’ Chris Evans depicts the cooperation between an Arctic security chief and a notorious bounty hunter to rescue Santa Claus who was kidnapped the day before Christmas.

On the 20th, ‘Wicked’, a screen adaptation of the world-famous Broadway musical of the same name, will be released for the first time in Korea. Global pop star Ariana Grande and Broadway musical star Cynthia Erivo are garnering attention for their leading roles.

The domestic dubbed version of ‘Wicked’, which will be released along with the subtitled version, also attracts attention with its stellar cast including domestic ‘top-tier’ musical actors Park Hye-na, Jung Sun-ah, Ko Eun-seong, and Nam Kyung-joo. The movie is raising the expectations of potential viewers to the max by opening a pop-up store that perfectly recreates the space in ‘Wicked’ at The Hyundai in Yeouido, Seoul from the 1st.

The big sequels, ‘Gladiator II’ and ‘Moana 2’, will also be released on the 13th and 27th respectively. ‘Gladiator II’ is the sequel to the 2000 blockbuster ‘Gladiator’, which was a global box office hit with its extensive story about gladiators in the Roman era, a whopping 24 years after its release. Master director Ridley Scott, who created the first film, is back at the helm, and Paul Mescal will take over from Russell Crowe, who played Maximus in the first film, as the new protagonist, gladiator Ruuss.

‘Moana 2’, the sequel to Disney‘s ‘Moani’, eight years later, is showing its determination to continue the momentum of ‘Inside Out 2’, which attracted over 8 million viewers. It contains a special adventure where Moana reunites with Maui and sets out on a long-forgotten, distant, and dangerous adventure with new crew members across the sea.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com