The keyword at movie theaters during the Lunar New Year holiday was unquestionably "bromance." Two films from different genres — an emotional historical drama and a spy action movie, the films "Humint" and "The King's Warden" — put the relationships between male characters front and center and won audience favor.
First, "Humint," which surpassed 1 million viewers within a week of its opening, is noted for how it weaves interpersonal relationships tightly into the spy action framework. The characters played by Zo In-sung and Park Jeongmin start out in opposition with different goals, but as events unfold they cooperate under the shared objective of "saving people."
In particular, the tension created by the cold, rational Zo In-sung and the hot, emotional Park Jeongmin produces a peculiar synergy when combined with the action sequences. From the moment differing ideologies clash to the process of shifting to cooperation, the relationship between the two characters creates an emotional arc that goes beyond simple camaraderie, and reviewers say it raises dramatic immersion alongside the genre pleasures of gun action, hand-to-hand combat and chase scenes.
A narrative centered on the intersection of characters' emotions thus worked effectively for holiday-season audiences. In fact, "Humint" rose quickly in cumulative audience numbers, recording second place at the box office during the holiday period, and its audience retention based on word of mouth compared with its early release suggests potential for long-running success.
Meanwhile, "The King's Warden," which took first place at the box office over the Lunar New Year holiday, also earned viewers' sympathy as a bromance of a different sort. The relationship between village headman Eom Heung-do, played by Yoo Hai Jin, and the young former king Danjong, played by Park Jihoon, serves as a central axis throughout the film.
In the film, the two occupy the positions of sovereign and subject as well as protector and ward, but as the story progresses they form a bond like that of a father and son and build an emotional arc. Beginning with laughter and ending in tears, Yoo Hai Jin's grounded performance and Park Jihoon's delicate expressiveness combine to draw empathy from audiences across generations, analysts say.
In fact, "The King's Warden" drew more than 2.6 million viewers during the Lunar New Year holiday, surpassing the break-even point, and continued its box office momentum by surpassing 4 million cumulative viewers 15 days after its release.
"Humint" and "The King's Warden," which brought energy to theaters during the Lunar New Year holiday through their "bromance" chemistry and added warmth to a sluggish market, are raising expectations for long-term runs after the holiday, especially with no tentpole films (large-scale productions with budgets of hundreds of billions of won) scheduled to open in the near future.
[Photo] OSEN DB / NEW / provided by SHOWBOX
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