‘The Wailing’ has big box-office debut

The official poster of the new Korean thriller “The Wailing.”

SEOUL, (Yonhap) — “The Wailing,” a new Korean crime thriller, had a strong debut in its home country, dethroning the former box office champion American blockbuster “Captain America: Civil War,” data showed Thursday.

The latest film by director Na Hong-jin known for “The Yellow Sea” (2010) and “The Chaser” (2008) collected 170,391 viewers over seven hours from 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to the computerized ticket sales tally from the Korean Film Council.

This marks the highest first-day record for all films released on the eve of its official opening day in South Korea.

“The Wailing” outperformed the 2012 Korean action film “The Berlin File,” which previously held the title as the most-viewed film on the eve of its official release day with 137,036. Comparable figures for other Korean box office hits are 130,252 for “The Host” (2006) and “The Attorney” (2013).

After staying on top of the daily box office chart for two weeks since it opened on April 27, the Hollywood superhero sequel was knocked down to No. 2, drawing only 80,583 viewers on the same day.

“The Wailing” features a rural village plagued with mysterious murders after the arrival of a stranger. Actors Kwak Do-won and Hwang Jung-min play a police officer and a shaman, respectively, while actress Chun Woo-hee appears as a villager who allegedly witnesses the killings.

The movie also known as “Goksung” has received favorable reviews from critics for the adroit direction by its filmmaker which holds the attention of the viewers all throughout its 156-minute running time and for intense visual elements.

It was invited to the Out of Competition category of the 69th Cannes Film Festival that opened on Wednesday for a 12-day run. According to its local distributor, 21st Century Fox Korea, the film was pre-sold to some 10 countries, including the United States, France and China, as soon as the film festival opened.