The movie “The Match” (directed by Kim Hyung-joo), starring Lee Byung-hun, topped the box office on its opening day, attracting more than 90,000 viewers.

Still cut from the movie The Match. /Courtesy of News1
Still cut from the movie The Match. /Courtesy of News1

According to the integrated computer network for movie tickets from the Korean Film Council on the morning of the 27th, “The Match” drew 91,481 viewers on the 26th, its opening day and the last Wednesday cultural day, to claim the top spot at the box office.

“The Match” recorded a high opening score, surpassing the 81,674 viewers of last December’s hit “Firefighter” (directed by Kwak Kyung-taek). Attention is focused on whether BiPOEM Studio, the distributor of both “The Firefighters” and “The Match,” will achieve box office success surpassing “The Firefighters” through “The Match.”

In particular, “The Match” is receiving positive reviews from actual viewers alongside its decent opening score on its release day. “The Match” recorded a CGV Golden Egg index score of 96% (out of 100%) for actual viewer ratings on its opening day. This is the highest score among the top three films currently competing at the box office. The Naver portal users' rating is around 8.9, which has been maintained as of the morning of the 27th.

Fueled by the positive reviews and word of mouth, attention is focused on whether “The Match” can attract even more viewers. As of the morning of the same day, “The Match” is still leading in advance ticket sales with about 60,000 tickets reserved.

“The Match” was originally planned to be released on Netflix, but due to the drug-related risks of lead actor Yoo Ah-in, it could not be released for about four years. Yoo Ah-in was imprisoned on charges of drug use but was recently released on probation during the appeal trial. When Yoo Ah-in caused a controversy due to the drug scandal, the release on Netflix was temporarily postponed. Subsequently, as the film left Netflix and was taken over by BiPOEM Studio for distribution, it was finally released in theaters. Yoo Ah-in played Lee Chang-ho, a disciple of Cho Hun-hyun, and performed alongside Lee Byung-hun.

Meanwhile, the movie “The Match” tells the story of Cho Hun-hyun (played by Lee Byung-hun), South Korea’s top Go legend, as he challenges the peak again after losing in a match against his disciple, driven by his innate competitive spirit.