"My Debut Film Reached 10 Million Viewers... Thanks to Ma Dong-seok"

'The Outlaws 2' Director Lee Sang-yong Signals Revival in Film Industry
Surpasses 10 Million Viewers in 25 Days "Diligently Preparing Sequel"

"After the opening weekend (3,550,699 viewers), I felt that the movie would be a hit. I need to work hard on the sequel," recalled director Lee Sang-yong, who directed the film Crime City 2. His intuition was correct. On the 25th day after its release, on the 11th, the cumulative audience surpassed 10 million. It was the 28th film in history and the 20th Korean film to achieve this record. It dispelled skepticism caused by the spread of COVID-19 and the establishment of online video services (OTT), signaling a revival in the film industry.

As of the 13th, the cumulative audience reached 10,626,438. Ticket sales alone earned 109.884717 billion won, more than eight times the total production cost (about 13 billion won). The intangible benefits are even greater. Hit films produced during the pandemic are gaining momentum and being released one after another, including Decision to Leave, Alienoid Part 1, Hansan: Rising Dragon, Emergency Declaration, and Hunt. Theaters are hiring many ushers and staff to align with normalization.

Director Lee became the second director, after Yang Woo-seok of The Attorney (2013), to attract over 10 million viewers with a debut film. He said, "I received many congratulations from those around me, but the number 10 million still feels unreal. I feel a greater sense of responsibility. I won’t get carried away."

When he first took the megaphone, he could not have imagined this success. The first shoot scheduled for March 2020 was canceled. The Vietnamese government did not allow visa-free entry for 15 days due to the spread of COVID-19. The production team first filmed the domestic scenes in April and May of that year. The following February, they planned to shoot the Vietnamese scenes domestically. They focused on filming the background in Vietnam and building sets in Korea to create the effect of on-location shooting. "It was mentally tough during the year-long suspension of work. Even when I went to Vietnam to shoot the background, it was bleak. There were no people at the airport or on the streets."

After many twists and turns, the completed film was released right after social distancing measures were lifted. Pre-sales to 132 countries significantly lowered the break-even point, making this possible. Director Lee credited Ma Dong-seok, who took charge from planning to starring. "He raised his profile with the Hollywood film Eternals (2021), which facilitated smooth overseas sales. In the movie, he effectively conveyed to the audience his determination to catch criminals at all costs."

Not all so-called ‘Ma Dong-seok style’ action films have been successful. Director Lee effectively highlighted the contrasting faces of being endlessly generous to the weak but merciless to criminals, providing a sense of liberation. He plans to maintain this tone in the sequel to contribute to the series’ success. "Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok) moves from the Geumcheon Police Station’s violent crimes unit to the metropolitan investigation unit. The story involves investigating a major case committed by the Japanese Yakuza who crossed into Korea. We will show thrilling and refreshing action once again."

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