Box office was brought back to fighting form this weekend after a sluggish early September following the release of the big-budget period film The Face Reader. Directed by HAN Jae-rim and starring SONG Kang-ho, LEE Jung-jae, BAEK Yoon-shik, KIM Hye-soo, JO Jung-suk and LEE Jong-suk, the well-received pictured drew 1.89 million admissions over the Friday to Sunday period. As the film was released on Wednesday, it has already accrued 2.6 million admissions, putting it on the fast track to profitability.

 

After the romantic film Rules of Dating (2005) and 2007’s gangster feature The Show Must Go On (also starring SONG Kang-ho), director HAN Jae-rim tackles his first period film with The Face Reader. SONG plays a face reader during the Joseon era who becomes embroiled in a case of courtroom intrigue for the king’s throne. With the Chuseok holiday falling on a Thursday this year (September 19th), which means that Wednesday and Friday will also be public holidays, The Face Reader is expected to put up strong numbers throughout the coming week.

 

Also released to capitalize on the Chuseok holiday was the action comedy The Spy: Undercover Operation, starring SEOL Kyung-gu, MOON So-ri and Daniel HENNEY. However, it has failed to gain the same kind of traction, having amassed only 1.66 million admissions in 11 days.