Films 'Harbin,' 'Bogota: City of the Lost’ seek to revive box office amid political turmoil

By Baek Byung-yeul

Much-anticipated upcoming movies, such as "Harbin," starring Hyun Bin, and "Bogota: City of the Lost," featuring Song Joong-ki, are aiming to capitalize on a potential box office recovery following Saturday’s passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Film distributors targeted the year-end movie season by releasing popular foreign sequels like Disney's "Moana 2" and Korean films featuring top actors such as "Firefighters," "One Win” and "About Family."

However, contrary to expectations, theaters witnessed a decrease in audience numbers. According to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), cinema attendance from Dec. 1 to Dec. 14 was recorded at 4.97 million, a 21 percent decrease from the same period last year.

While the exact cause hasn't been determined, it appears to be related to Yoon's controversial declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, which plunged the country into chaos in an attempt to overcome political deadlock.

In the wake of the recent political turmoil, new films like “Harbin” and "Bogota: City of the Lost” aim to revitalize the end-of-year movie season, which had been negatively impacted by the martial law declaration, with the film industry hoping for a return to normalcy and increased attendances.

KOFIC's data showed that "Harbin" topped the advance ticket sales chart with 84,902 reservations as of Sunday afternoon, despite being nine days away from its Dec. 24 release date.

KOFIC provides real-time reservation rate information by aggregating advance booking data for screenings more than two hours after the inquiry time. This data includes both currently showing films and upcoming releases that have started presales, serving as an indicator of potential trendsetters.

Directed by Woo Min-ho, "Harbin" tells the story of Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910), an independence activist who sought to break free from Japanese colonial rule.

Hyun takes on the role of this independence fighter, with the film, shot in Latvia, Mongolia and Korea, generating significant buzz even before its release.

"'Harbin' is a work that captures the atmosphere created by overwhelming global locations and the life-risking journey of independence fighters through director Woo Min-ho's perspective, and has been highly anticipated by audiences," said its distributor CJ ENM and production company Hive Media Corp.

"At this rate, it is expected to surpass 100,000 advance ticket sales this week," they projected.

The crime film "Bogota: City of the Lost" is also expected to draw large audiences at the end of the year.

In this film, which will hit theaters on Dec. 31, actor Song portrays Guk-hui, who relocates to Bogota, Colombia, with his family after their family business collapses in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

There, the story follows Guk-hui as he begins working in smuggling under a figure who wields significant influence in the local Korean community.