First Major Release Since Covid-19 Slowdown
GIM, recently seen in HONEST CANDIDATE and The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (2019), plays Seo-jin, a successful architect who still suffers from the trauma of his sister’s disappearance when they were children. 25 years after disappearing, she suddenly returns one day, but Seo-jin begins to think someone isn’t quite right about this woman, who is played by SONG Ji-hyo of Unstoppable (2018).
Following the outbreak of Covid-19, which became serious in South Korea around mid-February, the local box office took an enormous hit. Theaters never completely closed, though some locations were temporarily shuttered, but business kept going down until it hit rock bottom with daily admissions sinking to a record low of 15,000.
At the end of April, things appear to be beginning to recover with 106,912 admissions counted on April 30, the Buddha’s Birthday holiday. This was the best single day at the box office since March 7 though still a long a way from normal levels of attendance.
Intruder’s release will be a major test to see if a major title can survive in the market. Depending on the film’s success, we may quickly see a new release calendar form for the coming summer season.