Office worker Lee Mo (38) watched 'The Exorcist' with his wife on the evening of the 3rd at CGV Gangbyeon in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Lee said, "I was very excited to hear that 'The Exorcist,' which I had stayed up all night reading during my middle and high school years, was being made into an animation," adding, "I remember being disappointed after watching the live-action movie, but this animation did a great job capturing the characters and story from the original novel." Having read the original novel before, Lee has started rereading 'The Exorcist' from the first part. His wife, Yeo Mo (36), who watched with him, noted, "I watched it without knowing the content of the original novel, but it wasn’t awkward or boring. I think the animation alone is sufficiently well-made."
'The Exorcist,' a South Korean animated film based on the original novel, has garnered attention by placing second in the domestic box office, surpassing Marvel's 'Captain America' in terms of daily audience. Notably, it appeals to adult audiences ranging from their 20s to 40s, raising hopes for a fresh breeze in the Korean animated film industry, which has been dominated by children's films and foreign works.
◇ Bestselling original work with strong ‘occult’ hues… Animation is also a hit through word of mouth
The animation 'The Exorcist' is based on the novel by author Lee Woo-hyeok, serialized from 1993 to 2001. The story unfolds as a disgraced priest, a Tai Chi practitioner, the last successor of a fallen religion, and an avatar of God battle against evil around the world. The original novel 'The Exorcist' has accumulated over 230 million views online and has sold 10 million copies, making it the highest-grossing work in the history of Korean fantasy novels. It was previously released as a live-action film in 1998, but it faced criticism for disregarding the author's opinions during production.
The animation 'The Exorcist' is gaining traction not only among existing fans but also among general audiences. According to box office reports on the 5th, 'The Exorcist' recorded 7,991 viewers as of the 4th, securing the second spot in daily audience numbers. On the same day, 'Captain America: Brave New World' garnered 7,212 viewers, ranking third. However, it has yet to reach the break-even point of 1 million viewers. As of the 11th day since its release, 'The Exorcist' has attracted a cumulative audience of 309,396, achieving 30% of the break-even point.
◇ South Korea, drought of adult animation… Hope for a shift in perception with 'The Exorcist' popularity
With the success of 'The Exorcist,' there are expectations for a new breeze in the domestic animation industry. The Korean animation market is currently dominated by children's works such as 'Catch! Teenieping' and foreign productions from Japan and the United States. Adult-oriented works struggle to attract investment due to their high production expenses relative to revenue. It is estimated that Hollywood feature-length animations require an average production expense of about 100 billion won.
According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, between June 2023 and May 2024, viewers of domestic animated films in theaters aged 10 to 60 only accounted for 10% of a total of 1,570 respondents. The viewer share for domestic animated films in theaters was recorded at 17.6% in 2021, 12.9% in 2022, and 12.7% in 2023, showing a gradual decline. In contrast, the viewer share for foreign animations increased from 54.2% last year to 63.6% this year, achieving the highest rate in the past four years.
Domestic animations are also lagging behind Chinese animations. Recently, the Chinese animated film 'The King's Avatar 2' has stood out in the global box office rankings, leveraging its 'patriotic consumption' within its home country. Since its release at the end of January, 'The King's Avatar 2' recorded a cumulative audience of 280 million as of February, reaching the number one spot for animated films at the global box office. The expected revenue is approximately $1.98 billion (2.88 trillion won).
An industry insider said, "Since there have been no cases of profitable domestic adult animations, investment itself is not taking place well. Children's animations can generate revenue through merchandise or stationery businesses, leading to a bias in genres." They continued, "As works based on successful intellectual properties (IPs) such as 'The Exorcist' or 'Solo Leveling' become successful, it is expected that investors' perceptions will also change."