[K Movie Golden Age]③ A Heavenly 10 Million: "Hope Movie Investment and Releases Become More Active"

Interview with Director Lee Sang-yong of Crime City 2, the First Pandemic Film to Reach 10 Million
Breaking Through During Auditions for Part 3
"Dazed and Unbelievable by Congratulations"
Pre-sold to 132 Countries, Power of Ma Dong-seok, Son Seok-gu, Park Ji-hwan
Sequel Villain is Japanese Yakuza

Director Sang-yong Lee / Photo by ABO Entertainment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] There is a saying that a 10 million viewer movie is a gift from heaven. It’s not just because the work is good or a star actor with ticket power appears that a movie reaches 10 million viewers. The consensus is that it must be an entertaining movie that suits the public’s taste, supported by various circumstances and a bit of luck. It’s that difficult. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, theaters froze, and cinemas suffered astronomical losses. As the way people consume movies changed, the focus shifted to Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming services. The content market transformed, and the golden age of cinema seemed to fade into history.

Production was not easy either. Since there weren’t many viewers watching movies, releases were difficult. The cyclical structure where revenue gathered at theaters was reinvested into new productions and then screened again was disrupted. The theater industry endured a lean period for two years.

A breath of fresh air began to flow into the theater scene, where even a glimmer of hope was hard to expect. As we approached the endemic phase, quarantine guidelines were relaxed. Seating together for groups was allowed, and eating popcorn and other snacks was permitted, drawing audiences back one by one. Marvel movies, so popular that the country is called 'Marvel Min-guk,' were screened in theaters. Sequels like 'Spider-Man,' 'Doctor Strange,' and 'Eternals' lowered the threshold by putting up their signs in theaters.

People regained the experience of enjoying movies with their loved ones and family while eating popcorn. However, it was uncertain whether endemic audiences would continue to visit theaters or shift to other viewing formats again. Movies scheduled for release were cautiously optimistic, hoping theaters would revive by summer. In this atmosphere, the crime action film 'The Outlaws 2' decided to open on the 18th of last month and truly became a 'blockbuster.' Lead actor and planner Ma Dong-seok said, "During the pandemic, many predicted theaters would lose vitality and 10 million viewer movies would no longer appear, but I am grateful to the audience who saved Korean cinema."

'The Outlaws 2' is a sequel to 'The Outlaws' (director Kang Yoon-sung), which was released on October 3, 2017, and attracted 6.88 million viewers. It depicts detective Ma Seok-do (played by Ma Dong-seok) and the Geumcheon Police Station’s violent crimes unit’s operation to capture Kang Hae-sang (played by Son Seok-gu), who dominates the Vietnamese area.

It started with the highest opening for a Korean film after the pandemic on its first day, gathering 1 million viewers in 2 days, 2 million in 4 days, 3 million in 5 days, 4 million in 7 days, 5 million in 10 days, 6 million in 12 days, 7 million in 14 days, 8 million in 18 days, and 9 million in 20 days. On the 25th day, the 11th, it became the first film after the pandemic to reach 10 million viewers. It is the 28th film overall and the 20th Korean film to achieve this record.

Director Lee Sang-yong (42), who participated as an assistant director in the previous film, took the helm. His debut work became a 10 million viewer movie. In a video interview on the morning of the 13th, he honestly said, "I’m scared. It’s a huge shock, and I wonder how well I have to do next time. I’m worried about the future," adding, "I can’t just be happy."

Director Lee Sang-yong, who heard the news of surpassing 10 million viewers while holding auditions for 'The Outlaws 3' actors on Saturday the 11th, said, "I received many congratulatory messages from the actors," and "We finished filming and waited over three years for the release, so I’m happy to share this good news."

"I was happy just to have the release. I think Ma Dong-seok’s influence was big. After 'Eternals' (2021), it was pre-sold to 132 countries overseas, which gave us strength. With many pre-sales in the first weekend, the break-even point (BEP) lowered considerably, so I thought we should work hard preparing for the third film. I’m still dazed and it doesn’t feel real."

When asked about the significance of the first 10 million viewer movie born after the pandemic for Chungmuro (Korean film industry), the director replied, "Theaters were depressed due to COVID-19, and film production investment wasn’t as active as before, so I hope unreleased films will be released soon," adding, "I expect film investment to become more active."

A few years ago, the 'The Outlaws 2' team had to stop filming and return home due to the pandemic while on location in Vietnam. Filming was suspended for a month afterward. The director recalled, "Many film productions were halted at that time. We had difficulties even at the casting stage." He continued, "Since it was hard to start filming in Vietnam, we returned to Korea. Production was suspended for a month, and I wondered, 'Is debuting this hard?' It was mentally tough." He also said the burden from the previous film held him back. He laughed, saying, "I endured thinking, 'Let’s just not get criticized.'"

Surpassing 10 million viewers in 25 days. Although the theater industry was recovering, it was difficult to decisively set the release date. No one could predict how many viewers would come to watch the movie. The director waved his hand, saying, "It was just good timing."

"We worried if COVID would ease by the release date, but fortunately it did. I think audiences relieved their accumulated stress by watching the movie. They felt exhilarated watching light action. I think it went well as they reminisced about the experience of eating popcorn while watching movies together. The strength of actors like Ma Dong-seok, Son Seok-gu, Park Ji-hwan, and Choi Gwi-hwa was also big."

He also shared behind-the-scenes stories about casting Cha Woo-jin, the younger brother of actress Yeo Jeong-hwa, Ma Dong-seok’s partner. The director said, "We carefully auditioned and cast all roles," and "We considered the chemistry, energy, and personalities among the actors." He added, "His minor role in the movie 'Long Live the King' (2019) was impressive. Although he’s in the same agency as Ma Dong-seok, I wanted to meet him, so I made an offer. He auditioned and fit well for the role of a cheeky rich young master who talks informally to older brothers."

Director Sang-yong Lee / Photo by ABO Entertainment

'The Outlaws 2' drew attention for the action scene where Ma Dong-seok and Son Seok-gu have a final showdown on a bus. It was praised as an action scene that will be talked about for a long time. When asked about this, the director said, "It was Ma Dong-seok’s idea."

"During the script stage, we wondered where would be a good place to catch the villain, and this idea came up. As it was developed, we discussed with the martial arts director and Ma Dong-seok how to shoot it. The cinematographer worked hard moving the camera back and forth between the characters. It’s a 'fist versus knife' action, and since it’s a scene punishing a criminal who brutally murdered Koreans overseas, we filmed it to feel as if it’s right in front of you. Although movements on the bus were limited, I thought it would be a very dense scene."

While Yoon Kye-sang appeared in the first film, Son Seok-gu, who is currently popular with the so-called 'Gu fever,' played the villain in the second. In the third film, which is in preparation, Lee Joon-hyuk will take over the baton.

"There were many characters, and we thought about how to effectively introduce and exit each character so that the audience would enjoy it. Son Seok-gu’s 'Gu fever' and Park Ji-hwan, loved as 'Hyun’s room,' also helped in many ways. Thanks to Ma Dong-seok, who entered Hollywood, the film was pre-sold to over 100 countries. We are grateful."

Director Lee Sang-yong cited 'the actor’s will' as the most important factor when casting villains. He emphasized, "As a villain, the role must be clearly hateful and scary to the audience, and the actor must be prepared for that." He added, "Yoon Kye-sang, Jin Sun-kyu, and Kim Sung-kyu instilled the DNA of what direction a villain should take. Because of that, there is pressure to surpass that. We agreed that Son Seok-gu and the first film are the first film, the second film is the second film, and each film should faithfully portray the villain."

"We will work hard on the third film, hoping it will be as good as the second. The setting will move from Geumcheon Police Station to the Metropolitan Investigation Unit, forming a new team. We plan to depict detective Ma Seok-do investigating with new characters. The Japanese Yakuza commit crimes in Korea, and while investigating, we want to show thrilling and exhilarating action. We are designing the action scale to be bigger and will work with actors to create interesting characters and attractive villains."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.