Yoo Hae-jin's "Assassin(s)" Takes Over Chuseok Theaters, Tops Advance Ticket Sales for Korean Films

[Financial News] The Chuseok film "Assassin(s)," starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Minho, has ranked No. 1 in advance ticket sales for Korean films four weeks before its release. It has also climbed to No. 2 overall in advance sales, behind "Odyssey," which drew 8 million viewers in the shortest time this year, emerging as a new box-office contender.
As of 8:30 a.m. on the 31st, the integrated computer network for theater tickets showed that "Assassin(s)" had sold 33,181 advance tickets with 23 days left before release. It beat out major domestic and international titles such as "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" to take first place among Korean films and second place overall.
"Assassin(s)" is the latest film from Hive Media Corp., the studio behind "The Man Standing Next," "12.12: The Day" and "Inside Men." It follows the suspicions and shadowy forces behind the assassination attempt on the first lady that shocked South Korea on Aug. 15, 1974.
The film is a project director Hur Jin-ho had been developing for 10 years. He previously directed "Christmas in August," "One Fine Spring Day," "Moss," "Forbidden Dream" and "A Normal Family."
Yoo Hae-jin plays Detective Cheol-gu, who witnesses the scene of the shooting and then pursues the truth behind the case. Park Hae-il plays Jae-hwan, a newspaper society editor who digs for the truth despite outside pressure, while Minho appears as rookie reporter Young-il, who throws himself into the center of the case with passion and boldness.
The film has also been officially invited to the Gala Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. 
"Assassin(s)" will be released on Sept. 23.
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