The Clowns Become Kings
March 5, 2006 has become a little more than your average Sunday. OK, we have the Oscars, but I'd rather watch snails in slow motion than that eulogy of self-congratulatory masturbation. No, this day will be remembered for something else: a little film about court jesters, and all the people who made it the most successful Korean film of all time. I'm obviously talking about Lee Joon-Ik's 왕의 남자 (The King and The Clown), which as expected beat 태극기 휘날리며 (Taegukgi) to become top dog today.
Distributors Cinema Service announced that the film hit the 11,750,000 Million ticket mark at 5pm today (Korean time), beating the previous record held by Kang Je-Gyu's blockbuster starring Jang Dong-Gun and Won Bin, which sold 11,740,000 tickets in 2004. This (technically, at least) means one out of four Koreans viewed the film in its 67 days run, allowing it to enter history. The Historical Drama, Lee's third film after the maligned 1993 flick 키드 캅 (Kid Cop) and the 2003 Fusion Drama 황산벌 (Once Upon a Time in the Battlefield) was made for a mere 4.3 Billion Won (with an additional 1.7 for marketing), a fourth of the budget for Kwak Kyung-Taek's blockbuster 태풍 (Typhoon), which waiting for Shim Hyung-Rae's 디워 (D-War) is still the most expensive Korean film of all time.
What does this mean for Eagle Pictures, Cinema Service, and especially Director Lee's Cineworld, which was 3 Billion Won in the red before starting this film? That if the film reaches the 12 Million tickets (which should happened in a day or two), it will have made a little over 72 Billion Won, with 11 Billion going to each company. With TV broadcast rights and home video sales, that figure should increase by a good 3-4 Billion, much more than anyone could expect. The effect this film will have on the Korean economy is akin to shipping out 3600 Hyundai Sonata (or 162 Billion Won), which sounds a little boring compared to the clowns. The film is currently being translated by English subtitle guru Kim Yong-Ok, and -- the only sore note of this ordeal -- its International title will almost surely become The Royal Jester, which sounds a little less appealing than 'The King and the Clown', but that's just me.
But the biggest change for Director Lee will start from tomorrow: after paying back his 3 Billion Won debt with former Cinema Service mogul Kang Woo-Suk, Lee received a gift from his longtime associate and friend: a shiny new Hyunday Grandeur (you can see it here). I guess he won't need that used red Sonata he paid 700,000 Won for anymore...
[Sources: Star News 1, Star News 2]
