Yi Sun-sin Trilogy 'Noryang' Surpasses 2 Million Viewers by Christmas

1.38 Million Theater Visits the Previous Day
11% Increase in Audience Compared to Last Year

Director Kim Han-min's film Noryang: Sea of Death surpassed 2 million viewers during the Christmas holiday. The industry is paying attention to whether it will continue the box office momentum following Spring in Seoul, which became the second film this year to reach 10 million viewers.

On the 26th, the Korean Film Council announced that Noryang: Sea of Death (directed by Kim Han-min), released on the 20th of this month, attracted 1,264,914 viewers over the past three days (22nd to 24th), securing the number one spot at the box office. Its market share based on revenue was 43.6%. On Christmas Day, the 25th, it drew 549,537 viewers, bringing the cumulative audience to 2,237,03.

The poster for 'Noryang' is displayed on an electronic billboard at a movie theater in downtown Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the same day, Spring in Seoul (directed by Kim Sung-soo), which became the second film this year to surpass 10 million viewers following Crime City 3 (directed by Lee Sang-yong), added 427,033 viewers, pushing its total to 10,735,146.

The total number of moviegoers who visited theaters on Christmas Eve was 1,382,343. This is an 11% increase compared to last year’s 1.24 million viewers, when films such as Avatar: The Way of Water (directed by James Cameron) and Hero (directed by Yoon Je-kyun) were released.

Noryang: Sea of Death is the final installment of director Kim Han-min’s Admiral Yi Sun-sin trilogy project, which drew a total of 24.87 million viewers with The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) attracting 17.61 million and Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022) drawing 7.26 million viewers.

The film depicts the Battle of Noryang, the final naval battle that ended the seven-year Imjin and Jeongyu Wars and is recorded as the greatest and last battle of Yi Sun-sin’s life. The subtitle Sea of Death refers to the battle starting at night and continuing until morning. Actor Kim Yoon-seok plays Yi Sun-sin, with Jung Jae-young and Heo Jun-ho among the cast. The night naval battle scenes, which unfold for over 100 minutes, are considered the highlight.

Director Kim is scheduled to appear on SBS’s Nightline at 12:10 AM on the 26th to share his thoughts on completing the 10-year journey of the Yi Sun-sin trilogy.

Attention is focused on whether Noryang: Sea of Death will continue to attract audiences alongside Spring in Seoul during the year-end and New Year’s theater season. The break-even point is 7.3 million viewers, meaning it needs to attract over 5 million more viewers going forward.

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