Born in 1967, Song Kang Ho was once the irreplaceable “king” of Korean cinema. His name is associated with box office hits and iconic roles in the 2000s and 2010s.
Among them are the films “Memories of Murder” (2003), “The Host” (2006), “Snowpiercer” (2013)... In 2019, Song Kang Ho made a strong impression globally with his role as Kim Ki Woo in the film “Parasite”.
The film won director Bong Joon Ho the Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Korea Times assessed that in Korea, Song Kang Ho is not only considered the top choice of Bong Joon Ho but also of many other famous directors such as: Park Chan Wook, Lee Chang Dong, Kim Jee Woon.
However, despite his impressive previous achievements, the 57-year-old actor is facing a box office failure in his new film “One Win.”
Released on December 4 in Korea, the film has sold 229,033 tickets as of the evening of December 12, according to the Korea Box Office Information System (KOBIS). This achievement is far behind the 1,016,151 tickets sold by “Firefighters” - a film released on the same day, starring Joo Won.
With ticket sales as dismal as they are, “One Win” is unlikely to reach its break-even point of 1.8 million viewers.
Korean newspapers said that although Song Kang Ho convincingly portrayed the role of Kim Woo Jin - a downtrodden volleyball coach determined to bet on winning for his team, the film's limited and predictable content was a big minus.
In fact, the actor's two previous works, "Money Machine" (2023) and "Uncle Samsik" (2024), also did not receive good feedback from the audience. The media believes that if this situation continues, Song Kang Ho's influence on the big screen and the film industry will decline significantly.
However, when answering the media about this issue, the actor was quite calm. Song Kang Ho said that he focuses on challenging roles rather than commercial success as an actor.
“You can’t predict the outcome of a work. When I choose projects, I never choose them with the aim of winning the public’s affection. That’s not my selection criteria.
Of course, being loved is great, but I am attracted to challenges, things I have never done before or new attempts in the history of Korean cinema. I am not someone who makes safe choices. My sense of adventure and thirst for new things influence my project choices.”
According to Song Kang Ho, he wants to continue challenging himself as an actor even if he fails. “Sometimes, that thirst leads to success, and sometimes, it doesn’t work out well. Lately, I may not have connected well with the audience, but I still prefer to do something new rather than playing it safe,” he said.
