'Haeundae' becomes fifth Korean film to top 10 million viewers

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- Ticket sales for the high budget disaster film
"Haeundae" were set to exceed 10 million on Sunday, making it the fifth South
Korean film to reach the milestone, officials from the movie's producer and
distributer JK Films said.
The summer blockbuster, directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, is billed as the nation's
first disaster film depicting a fictional tsunami that hits a resort beach in the
southern port city of Busan.
On Saturday, it recorded an additional 223,000 ticket sales, increasing the total
to 9.87 million, said the officials, adding the film will certainly break the 10
million mark even by conservative estimates sometime on Sunday.
Selling more than 10 million tickets since its opening on July 22, "Haeundae"
follows in the footsteps of four other local smash hits -- "Silmido (2003), "Tae
Guk Gi" (2004), "King and the Clown" (2005) and "The Host" (2006).
The first film in three years to reach the 10 million mark, "Haeundae" took local
film critics by surprise as many were initially skeptical about the one-time
comedy film director Yoon.
"Negative rumors about the movie spread even before it came out, but I couldn't
blame anyone considering my miserable failures in the past," Yoon said.
"When I first heard two million tickets were sold in the first week, I almost
fainted. And five million in the second week? Oh, my god."
Critics say one of the secrets behind Yoon's success was to follow Hollywood's
disaster formula, as the director noted that the movie "is not about a tsunami
but is a human story that includes a tsunami."
"Haeundae followed the strategy laid out by Hollywood blockbusters where
spectacular scenes provide the backdrop to human stories," said film critic Kim
Bong-seok.
Audiences for the film ranged from teens to middle-aged moviegoers, entertained
by the director's knack for storytelling and its all-star cast.
"The movie tells stories about the lives of common people, blending tears and
laughter and easily appealing to popular audiences," said critic Jeon Chan-il.
Others point out that the movie's computer generated depictions of the devastated
resort beach are enough to send chills down the spines of audiences. The work of
Hollywood artist Hans Uhlig, known for his work on the "The Perfect Storm,"
special effects for "Haeundae" cost some 5 billion won (US$3.9 million),
accounting for about 38.4 percent of total budget, producers said.
The $13 million production by CJ Entertainment is now showing on 869 screens
nationwide.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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