eFM News

[Anchor]

In this week's look at the local box office, "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" is now on release.

Our movie critic Jason Bechervaise gives us this report.

[Report]

This week, there are very few releases underscoring the threat "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" poses to other films at the box office.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout, which has performed very well in Korea, has been no match for the much-anticipated sequel, which broke box office records on Wednesday, pulling over 1.2 million viewers on its first day of release.

Based on Joo Ho-min's popular web comic, the first installment "Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds" was a gargantuan hit following its release in December last year, selling more than 14 million tickets, making it the second most successful Korean film in history.

The film, produced by Realies Pictures and Dexter Studios, was a huge gamble for all the companies involved, including one of the film's main financiers and distributor Lotte Entertainment.

Lotte, which needed a project to turn their fortunes around in the film industry following a number of flops, has achieved just that.

Budgeted at 39 million dollars, the two films were shot concurrently, underscoring the risky nature of the project, but the sequel that's partly set in the afterlife - much like its predecessor - appears to be laying the groundwork for future sequels and spinoffs.

Directed by Kim Yong-hwa and starring Ha Jung-woo, Joo Ji-hoon and Ma Dong-suk, its success at this stage has been predetermined - it's a question of how far it will go.

Jason Bechervaise, eFM News.■