The movie No Other Choice (provided/distributed by: CJ ENM | director: Park Chan-wook | production: Moho Film/CJ ENM Studios) drew 330,000 viewers upon release and rose to No. 1 at the box office.
No Other Choice tells the story of office worker Mansu (Lee Byung-hun), who felt his life was so fulfilling that he could say "I have achieved everything," but is suddenly fired and prepares his own war toward reemployment to protect his wife and two children and to keep the hard‑won house.
No Other Choice, which set this year's highest advance ticket sales for Korean films and predicted strong box office performance, drew 331,518 viewers on its first day of release and claimed an overwhelming No. 1 at the box office. This is the highest opening score among Park Chan-wook's films, immediately surpassing 2022's spellbinding Heaid Decision (114,589 on its first day), as well as Park's biggest hits The Handmaiden (290,024 on its first day) and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (279,413 on its first day), drawing attention to the power of No Other Choice.
Moreover, it recorded an opening score that even surpasses last year's biggest hit that drew 10 million viewers, Pamyo (330,118 on its first day), and Seoul's Spring, which drew the most viewers in 2023 (203,813 on its first day), raising expectations for No Other Choice to continue its success through the Chuseok holiday stretch.
In addition, Park Chan-wook's original cinematic world and powerhouse performances by Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yum Hye-ran and Cha Seung-won have drawn strong responses from actual audiences. "Seeing it in the theater made the film feel more special" (CGV_25****), "The immersion was so high I couldn't take my eyes off it" (CGV_63****), "Park Chan-wook has really done it again" (CGV_30****), "The actors' chemistry was amazing" (CGV_19****), "It hurt, it was sad, it was funny, and the ironic emotions felt appealing" (CGV_Pasi****), "Undoubtedly the film of the year...!" (CGV_11****), "Excellent mise‑en‑scène and OST you can trust" (CGV_18****), "The props, color palette and lighting have such detail that it's a pleasure to watch" (CGV_17****), and other high praise have continued. Having recorded an overwhelming No. 1 at the box office on opening day and shaken the theaters, No Other Choice is expected to continue to captivate audiences with dense production values and its bittersweet, lingering story.
[Photo] No Other Choice
[OSEN]