Foreign films 'Love Letter' and 'The Fall: Director's Cut,' which were re-released in South Korean theaters, are attracting audiences.
According to Waterhole Company, the distributor of 'Love Letter,' the film surpassed a cumulative audience of 100,000 on the 31st, exactly 30 days after its re-release. It is the first independent and art film to reach 100,000 viewers this year.
'Love Letter,' directed by Shunji Iwai, tells the story of Fujii Itsuki (played by Miho Nakayama), who receives a sudden letter from the lover of a middle school classmate with the same name, confronting her past. The film had a special re-release at Megabox on the 1st to mark the 30th anniversary of its release in Japan and the 25th anniversary in South Korea.
'Love Letter' is considered a representative film of Japanese melodrama. Moreover, the lead actress Nakayama garnered attention prior to the release due to her sudden passing last month. The film gradually gained word-of-mouth popularity among audiences in their 20s, achieving the unusual feat of reaching the top of the independent and art film box office in January as a re-release. It surpassed new releases such as 'Civil War: A Divided Era' from the renowned American independent film company A24 and 'Ferrari,' a biopic about Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari.
A representative from Waterhole Company noted, "Even in a cooled-down theater market, the demand for masterpieces has proven consistent. This small film has shown new possibilities," adding, "We expect that more masterpieces will draw audiences to theaters in the future."
Another re-released film, 'The Fall,' is also continuing its success, surpassing 90,000 viewers the previous day. This movie, which was originally released in 2006 under the title 'The Fall: The Art of Illusion,' tells the tale of a stuntman named Roy (Lee Pace) who shares an adventure story with a curious young girl named Alexandria.
'The Fall' has consistently been praised as a must-see film in theaters for capturing the beautiful landscapes of 24 countries without computer graphics (CG). Director Tarsem Singh is scheduled to visit South Korea on the 5th of next month to express his gratitude to Korean audiences.