The romance film ‘Cheongsul’, a remake of the 2010 Taiwanese film of the same title, topped the box office on its first day of release. It is receiving favorable reviews for naturally incorporating the refreshing atmosphere characteristic of Taiwanese youth romances while also incorporating the new charm of Korean films. It is expected to follow in the footsteps of previously successful remakes such as ‘Handsome Guys’ and ‘Pilot’.

According to the Integrated Computer Network for Movie Tickets, ‘Cheongsul’ took first place on the 6th, the day of its release, mobilizing 37,163 viewers. Despite starring a cast of 20-something actors with relatively weak box office power, such as Hong Kyung, Noh Yoon-seo, and Kim Min-joo, it easily beat out competitors like the Hollywood hero action film ‘Venom: The Last Dance’, which had been holding onto the top spot, and the comedy film ‘Amazon Hwalmyeongsu’, starring ‘The King of Comedy’ Ryu Seung-ryong.

In particular, the film received favorable reviews not only from the general audience but also from fans of the original film, scoring a high score of 97% on the CJ CGV Golden Egg Index, which is a rating from actual viewers.

This is because it preserved the unique, non-stimulating ‘refreshing’ atmosphere of the original Taiwanese youth romance, as well as the pure personalities of the characters, while also appropriately incorporating the concerns of 20-something youths living in the present day without being able to find their dreams. Just as the name of the female protagonist was set as ‘Summer’, there were also responses that the familiar summer scenery of various places in Seoul was captured naturally and beautifully.

Last summer, ‘Handsome Guys’ ‘Pilot’, which were remakes of American B-grade slasher movies and Swedish comedies respectively, received favorable reviews and were successful at the box office, and ‘An Ordinary Family’, which was released last month, is also continuing its long-term race while receiving rave reviews as a ‘successful remake’.

‘An Ordinary Family’, which depicts the story of a family falling apart due to their children‘s criminal activities, is based on the Dutch novel ‘The Dinner’, but some of the settings that are different from the original, as well as the most important ending, were greatly influenced by the 2015 Italian film ‘The Dinner’, which adapted the novel to the screen.

Meanwhile, the film, which will be released on November 20, ‘Hidden Face’ is also a remake, and is expected to continue this year’s outstanding screen ‘remake activity’.

Based on a Colombian film of the same name, ‘Hidden Face’ is a groundbreaking story about a woman who was thought to be missing being locked in a secret room and secretly watching her fiancé‘s secret love affair. Directed by Kim Dae-woo, known as the ‘master of eroticism’, it stars Song Seung-heon, Jo Yeo-jeong, and Park Ji-hyun.


Reporter Lee Seung-mi smlee@donga.com