According to Allkpop, the movie The Match has officially surpassed 2 million viewers, becoming the second Korean movie released in 2025 to reach this milestone.
According to data from the integrated ticket sales system of the Korean Film Council on April 21, The Match reached a total audience of 2,000 9.33 people on the 27th day of showing at the cinema.
Not only is it one of two Korean films (along with Hitman 2) to surpass 2 million tickets in 2025, this achievement puts The Match in the Top 3 list of most popular films released in 2025 in Korea, after Mickey 17 (US - Korea films) and Hitman 2.
This success is especially meaningful because the work has gone through many storms before reaching the audience, including the film having to postpone its release for 2 years due to the drug-related scandal of the male lead Yoo Ah In.
The Match has been filmed since 2021, originally scheduled to be released on Netflix in 2023, but due to too long a delay, the film was finally released in theaters in March 2025.
To celebrate the 2 million ticket milestone, the film crew of The Match released a thank you video and celebratory photos. The photo features actors Lee Byung Hun, Go Chang Seok, Hyun Bong Sik, Moon Jung Hee and director Kim Hyung Joo.
They expressed their sincere gratitude to the audience for bringing energy and support to the cinema, with a cheerful message: "Thank you for helping The Match reach 2 million views".
The Match is set in the 1980s-1990s, based on the story of two famous real-life chess players. The film tells the story of the legendary chess player Cho Hun Hyun (Lee Byung Hun), who discovers a talented but untrained boy named Lee Chang Ho (Yoo Ah In) in an amateur competition.
He guided and turned the boy into a professional chess player. The conflict arose when the student later went against his teacher's teachings and chose another style of playing chess.
After many losses to his students, Hun Hyun was motivated to compete and try to return to the top in a spectacular way.
