Lee Jung Jae’s ‘Hunt’ Outshines Brad Pitt’s ‘Bullet Train’ in Korean Box Office
Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung's "Hunt" is maintaining a perfect streak at the box office despite Hollywood movies like "Bullet Train," starring Brad Pitt, entering the Korean movie scene.
According to reports, since it was released on August 10, the espionage-action film ranks first at the Korean box office.
'Hunt' Tops Box Office for 15 Consecutive Days
Per Korean Film Council, Lee Jung Jae's directorial debut "Hunt" garnered 71,599 people on August 24 and currently has a total of 3,284,857 viewers since its premiere.
With this, the film sustained its reign for 15 days and beat Brad Pitt's new movie "Bullet Train" at fourth place with 29,691 viewers.
Interestingly, Go Kyung Pyo and Li Yi Kyung's comedy film "5/45" jumped to second with 59,746 viewers and gained a total of 74,659 since it was released on August 24.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Hunt' Stars Lee Jung Jae, Jung Woo Sung Thank Viewers for Hitting 3 Million Mark
Meanwhile, the historical action movie "Hansan: Rising Dragon" which stars Park Hae Il ranked third, scoring 30,273 viewers and a total of 6.8 million from its premiere on July 27.
'Hunt' Invited to International Festivals
Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung's "Hunt" is an espionage action drama that depicts that significant incident in the country known as Korea's No. 1 assassination operation.
In the movie, two ace National Security Agency agents Park Pyong Ho (Lee Jung Jae) and Kim Jeong Do (Jung Woo Sung) team up to chase after the person in charge of North Korean spies.
In the middle of the secret mission, they found themselves the target of the operation after they became suspicious of each other.
"Hunt" also stars a roster of talented actors including Jeon Hye Jin, "Alchemy of Souls" star Go Yoon Jung, and Heo Sung Tae from "Squid Game."
It can be recalled that back in May, "Hunt" had its world premiere in the Midnight section of the Cannes Film Festival 2022, where it received an overwhelming standing ovation from the crowd.
Following its successful theatrical release on August 10, the espionage Korean film will participate in various international film festivals such as the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest 2022, and the 55th Sitges Film Festival.
Lee Jung Jae Opens Up About Challenges As First-Time Director
One of the renowned actors in South Korea, Lee Jung Jae made his first ever commercial film through "Hunt."
In a previous interview obtained by a media outlet, the actor-director admitted that it was challenging "both physically and mentally" to create the espionage action movie while filming Netflix's "Squid Game."
However, his drive and vision for the film motivate him to push and start "Hunt."
"I thought it was a waste to not do it, so I even started directing it," he said, adding, "However, if I put a historical motif like this, I was afraid that the criticism would have a bad effect on my career if I made a mistake. I thought the subject that could be covered was the 80s."
Besides the continued success of the movie, Lee Jung Jae is also reprising his role in "Squid Game 2" with Lee Byung Hun and Gong Yoo.
