A low-budget occult thriller with a budget of 1.5 billion won has surpassed an astonishing 600,000 viewers in just 15 days. This is the occult political thriller 'Shinmyeong' (directed by Kim Nam-kyun), starring Kim Gyu-ri.
According to the integrated ticketing system on the 17th, 'Shinmyeong' attracted a cumulative audience of 601,609 by the previous day. This achievement is even more significant given the unfavorable screening conditions, including competition with blockbusters, cross-screening, and limited screen numbers. The break-even point for this film is reported to be 300,000 viewers.
At one time, theaters were a refuge to escape reality, even for a moment. However, the atmosphere is quite different now. The theater has become a space that dramatically reproduces, reconstructs, and reconsumes reality. This is certainly evident when watching 'Shinmyeong.'
The film depicts the confrontation between a woman, 'Yoon Ji-hee' (played by Kim Gyu-ri), who seeks to gain power using mysterious forces, and a journalist, Jung Hyun-soo (played by Ahn Nae-sang), who digs into the enormous truth. It tells the story through the obsession of a character towards power and the perspective of a journalist tracking it.
While superficially packaged as a genre film (occult) unrelated to reality, the core is filled with sharp political metaphors. From the 'Itaewon tragedy' to 'state affairs manipulation', 'martial law documents', and 'fake news'. On a screen densely packed with hints and metaphors, the audience is summoned to recall their memories or political beliefs.
Before its release, Kim Gyu-ri, who played the role of the First Lady, drew attention for her striking resemblance to Kim Geon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. (At the same time, it became a controversial work.) The film, planned after the martial law, began shooting during a time when former President Yoon's future was uncertain, filming for just over four months, and post-production was also expedited. There was no physical time to enhance the film's quality as it had to be released before the election day.
Perhaps because of this, the critical reception regarding the film's quality after its release has not been very high. While the actors' performances were good, many pointed out that the story's central axis was scattered due to the inclusion of too many social issues, resulting in a lack of depth. The editing was also rough.
In particular, the last 20 minutes leading to the ending sequence were evaluated as having a hasty development and excessive climax, leading to a prevailing opinion that it lacked persuasiveness.
However, audience reactions were unusual. As expected, opinions were divided, but there were many positive comments such as “the fun of finding hidden symbols and connections to real politics,” “I watched it because I wanted to know,” “the aesthetics of excess, which itself is a satire of reality,” “it was uncomfortable, but it has meaning,” “the actors' performances were outstanding,” “the director, actors, supporters, and critics who chose courage despite fear are all proud,” and “I came to respect them after watching this film.”
It was clear that the audience wanted to 'say something' about this film, which became a signal for its commercial success.
The film has a distinct color but does not impose or persuade. It simply asks the audience, regardless of their political beliefs, “What do you think about this society right now?” And it comforts in a unique way. The audience responds in their own way, moving as if to answer. This led to multiple viewings, interpretations of clues, symbolic analyses, and contentious reviews, forming a discourse.
Ultimately, 'Shinmyeong' cleverly utilized the audience's 'cultural consumption' psychology, which is unreserved in interpretation, discussion, and expression of opinions, rather than focusing on the logic of the story or technical completeness.
In this way, audiences no longer decide to watch based solely on logical narratives or artistic quality, but sometimes choose films that resonate with their position, beliefs, emotions, and intellectual curiosity.
The documentary 'Noh Mu-hyun' released in 2017 set the hottest box office record in Korean documentary history (1.85 million viewers).
This film, which deals with the life of a former president, created a bond not just as a simple recollection, but as 'your beliefs' and 'your memories' that love him. It is a case where political emotions were completely transformed into cultural content, succeeding at the box office by shaking emotions rather than logic and debate.
The film 'Korean War' released in the first half of last year bloomed in the box office from the opposite point (1.17 million viewers). One side claimed “historical distortion,” while the other argued “forgotten truths,” leading to fierce debates, and the war that arose from the difference in perspectives resulted in box office success. Inside the theater, applause, jeers, and silence coexisted, making the question of 'what did you see' a hot topic rather than 'why did you watch this.'
And another film causing a stir in a different way is 'Shinmyeong,' born during a long period of political fervor. Some predict that if 'Shinmyeong' continues its current box office pace, it could reach 1 million viewers. The final score of this unprecedented box office success, which deviates from the usual standards of Chungmuro, is drawing attention.
