Movie 'The Day' attracts 10 million viewers in 32 days

The movie “The Day,” which depicts the military coup that took place in Seoul on Dec. 12, 1979, surpassed 10 million viewers as of Sunday, just 32 days after it was released on Nov. 22. It is the second film to acquire more than 10 million viewers this year after The Roundup and the third film including Avatar 2, which was released in December last year and exceeded 10 million viewers in January this year. “The Day” has become the first non-sequel movie to hit the 10 million viewer mark after the pandemic.

It is the 31st movie among movies released and the 22nd Korean movie to attract 10 million viewers. It is also Director Kim Seong-soo’s first movie to pass the mark. Kim, who made his debut in 1995 with the movie “Runway,” gained fame through the movies “Beat (1997)” and “City of the Rising Sun(1999).” “The Day” is Actor Jeong Woo-sung's (playing the role of Lee Tae-shin) first movie to surpass 10 million viewers since his debut in 1994. It is actor Hwang Jeong-min (who played Jeon Doo-gwang)’s third movie after “Ode to My Father (2014)” and “Veteran (2015).”

The movie depicts the nine hours before the coup when Lee struggled to deter Neon’s attempt to stage the coup. The film was praised for its thorough screenplay, with many commenting that its realistic replay was enough to put stress on viewers even though knowing what happens at the end. Viewers among teenagers in their 30s uploaded their heartbeat fluctuations while watching the film, creating a trend of challenging and comparing each other‘s stress levels viewing the film.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com