Lee Jung Hae’s ‘Hunt’ Wraps Up First Weekend With Over 1 Million Viewers
Following the positive reviews from the audience, Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung's "Hunt" hit impressive milestones at the Korean box office.
As obtained by a news portal, the espionage action drama film did not disappoint viewers after scoring significant achievements in less than a week since it made its debut.
'Hunt' Reaches 1.5 Million Viewers
Lee Jung Jae’s First Directorial Film ‘Hunt’ Sold in 144 Countries
Officially released on August 10, "Hunt" garnered over 1.5 million viewers on the first weekend of its premiere.
In addition, Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung's movie remained number one at the box office for four consecutive days.
It can be recalled that the action-packed film also ranked first in the real-time reservation rate after scoring 32.6 percent while "Hansan: Rising Dragon" which is also raking good reviews and millions of audience garnered 25.8 percent.
Meanwhile, the action historical movie, which stars Park Hae Il, is on the verge of hitting 6 million viewers since it was released on July 27. With this, "Hansan: Rising Dragon" is in second place followed by the star-studded "Emergency Declaration" in third place.
On social media, viewers expressed their thoughts about one of the most-talked about films this August.
Netizens praised "Hunt" for exceeding their expectations noting how the movie portrayed it neat and entertaining.
Is Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung's Movie 'Hunt' Worth Watching?
The espionage action drama is Lee Jung Jae's directorial debut, with good friend and award-winning actor Jung Woo Sung as the lead star.
Joining the duo is Jeon Hye Jin, "Squid Game" villain Heo Sung Tae and "Alchemy of Souls" star Go Yoon Jung as supporting characters.
"Hunt" follows the story of two ace National Security Agency agents Park Pyong Ho (Lee Jung Jae) and Kim Jeong Do (Jung Woo Seong), who join the top secret mission dubbed "Korea's No. 1 Assassination Operation."
READ MORE: Will 'Hunt,' 'Emergency Declaration' Beat 'Hansan: Rising Dragon' in Korean Box Office?
However, amid the operation, they became the subject of the secret task after the duo suspects each other as a mule in the organization.
Besides South Korea, "Hunt" is also sold in 144 countries, including Taiwan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and more.
On top of it, before its theatrical release, the movie debuted at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2022, receiving a 7-minute long standing ovation in the Midnight Screenings strand.
Lee Jung Jae on Creating 'Hunt' and Transitioning as a Director
In a previous interview cited by Korea Times, Lee Jung Jae spoke about wearing many hats, including his first time directing and writing a movie.
The award-winning actor confessed that he had sleepless nights while working on his directorial debut feature, "Hunt."
"From writing a screen adaptation to directing and acting, I was sleep-deprived, " he said, adding, "Some people think transitioning to directing can be risky for an actor, so I felt a greater sense of responsibility.
Moreover, he also admitted that he is "terrified" that this move might ruin his "30-year acting career because of this one project."
Thankfully, viewers and fans showed their support for the actor's first movie as the director and even had a star-studded VIP screening, introducing the film to the public.
Lee Min Ho, Jung Woo Sung, Lee Jung Jae
