All eyes are on China as the release date nears for the hit Korean movie “Gangnam 1970.”

The movie is set to hit the Chinese screens in March.

(Showbox Mediaplex)

Aided by Lee and Kim’s popularity, the movie is expected to hit 2 million ticket sales, according to box office tally from the Korean Film Council released on Feb. 4.

According to the tally, the film added 45,000 ticket sales on Feb. 3, bringing the total to about 1.9 million since its release on Jan. 21.

“Gangnam” sold 1 million tickets faster than any other Korean R-rated film. The film passed the 1 million ticket mark on Jan. 26, just five days since its release.

Moviegoers are keenly watching whether it will become the most-watched R-rated film in Korea.

The current record holder is “Tazza: The High Card,” a 2014 Korean film directed by Korean director Kang Hyeong-cheol.

The movie, directed by Yoo Ha, follows the lives of two friends who turn to crime to escape poverty as Seoul’s now-affluent southern areas undergo rapid development in the 1970s.

Buoyed by the two leads’ popularity, a number of export deals were signed before the movie was released.

Following China, the movie will be released across Asia in stages, and will also be released in selected theaters in North America.




(khnews@heraldcorp.com)