‘I, the Executioner’ tops weekend box office despite mixed reviews

Director Ryoo Seung-wan’s crime action movie “I, the Executioner” continued its dominance at the local box office, drawing more than 900,000 viewers over the weekend, data showed Monday.

The movie attracted 914,000 viewers from Friday to Sunday, pushing its total audience to over 5.6 million, according to the Korean Film Council.

It accounted for 71.9 percent of the total box-office revenue over the three-day period.

The film is expected to maintain its top position at the box office due to a lack of strong competition for a while. But it is unclear whether it will match the success of its predecessor, “Veteran,” which drew more than 13 million moviegoers in 2015.

Released Sept. 13, “I, the Executioner” follows Detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min), who leads the Violent Crimes Unit in investigating a series of brutal murders allegedly carried out by a serial killer. The investigation takes unexpected twists when Seo’s team brings in rookie officer Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in), whose involvement shifts the case in surprising directions.

While positive reviews highlight the film’s thrilling action sequences and strong performances by the lead actors, it has also drawn criticism for its storyline, particularly the underdeveloped antagonist.

As of Monday, the film holds a rating of 6.61 out of 10 from viewers on Naver, the country’s largest portal site, while “Veteran” received a 9.24.