"The Miracle of a 690,000-Viewer Flop"... '15 Million' Director Jang Hang-jun Even Brought a Dead Film Back to Life

[Financial News] The way director Jang Hang-jun is dominating the big screen right now is nothing short of formidable. After scoring a massive blockbuster with The King's Warden, which surpassed 15 million moviegoers, he is now performing CPR on one of his most painful past failures. That film is Rebound, which is finally returning to theaters on April 3, three years after its original release.
So what kind of film is Rebound? It is a sports drama based on a true story about the 2012 National High School Basketball Championship, depicting eight days of an "unscripted drama" written by a rookie coach and six players from a team so weak that no one paid attention to them. Led by Ahn Jae-hong, young actors like Lee Shin-young and Jeong Jin-woon heated up the court, and star writer Kim Eun-hee, who is also Jang's wife, took part in the screenplay, putting the film in the spotlight even before its release.
The box office numbers, however, were brutal. Despite favorable reactions at preview screenings, the film ended with a total of 698,748 viewers. It did not even reach half of its break-even point of 1.6 million, and had to leave theaters quietly. For Jang, it remained a truly painful weak spot in his filmography.
But the situation has now been completely turned on its head, thanks to Jang Hang-jun earning the title of a "ten-million director." The King's Warden, which reached the 15 million mark on March 25, its 50th day in theaters, is chasing hard right behind the all-time record holders The Admiral: Roaring Currents (about 17.61 million viewers) and Extreme Job (about 16.26 million), rewriting Korean box office history.


The enormous aftershock has gone straight to Rebound. According to distributor Barunson E&A, tickets for the first stage greeting to mark the re-release sold out at lightning speed, with all seats snapped up as soon as reservations opened amid a frenzy of rapid-fire clicks. The demand from fans was so intense that the distributor hurriedly added extra stage greeting sessions.
Its reservation numbers are also noteworthy. Rebound currently holds a real-time reservation rate of 1.2%. That may still look modest compared to major new releases, but among re-released titles that are quietly expanding their share, it proudly sits in second place behind Attack on Titan the Movie: The Last Attack (2.4%). It has already outpaced heavyweight classics such as Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1.0%) and Life of Pi (0.8%).
Jang Hang-jun has become a phenomenon, with his past on-air messages of optimism being remixed into "Jang Hang-jun quotes," and stories about how he and his wife, writer Kim Eun-hee, endured their financially difficult years going viral in retrospect. The huge crowds that flocked to a recent coffee truck event held to thank audiences for the success of The King's Warden are clear proof of his dramatically elevated status.
Rebound was praised for its quality but hampered by unfortunate timing and tough competition. Attention is now focused on whether this "painful weak spot" in Jang Hang-jun's career, buoyed by the 15-million-viewer whirlwind, can seize this golden opportunity of a re-release, win over the public in a full-fledged reappraisal, and sink a game-winning three-pointer at last.


jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter