According to Nielsen Korea, episode 9 of the Korean drama "Perfect crown" broadcast on the evening of May 8 on MBC reached an rating of 11.7% - setting a record high rating since it aired.
This number shows the breakthrough sign of the film in the final stage, when there are only 3 more episodes left until the film ends.
Even before broadcasting, expectations for "Perfect crown" were overwhelming. IU and Byeon Woo Seok's collaboration alone became a hot topic. IU just impressed with Netflix's TV blockbuster "When Life Gives You a Tangerine", while Byeon Woo Seok suddenly became a star thanks to "Lovely runner".
However, the greater the expectations, the harsher the initial reaction.
In the early stages of broadcasting, the film received many mixed opinions, especially the acting of the two main actors.
When performing the role of Hee Joo, a part of the audience believes that IU has an exaggerated way of speaking and expressiveness that seems to be "pre-calculated", making the character "familiar", "too excessive".
Byeon Woo Seok caused controversy when some opinions commented that he did not have progress compared to the time he acted in "Lovely runner", even being inferior in scenes opposite supporting actresses.
Fortunately, as the film continues, the atmosphere has changed significantly. The shortcomings, insecurity and feeling of isolation of the character Hee Joo begin to be revealed more clearly.
Although she is the daughter of the Chairman of Castle Group, the leader of the financial world, she still has to survive within the limits of the status of "extramarital child of ordinary origin".
The loneliness of a person who is always seen as an outsider even within his own family gradually becomes convincing through the storyline. From there, the expressions that were once considered exaggerated at first of Hee Joo also began to be accepted as part of the character's personality.
Finally, the opinion has emerged that the problem is not necessarily in acting, but at the time the film explains the character.
From this perspective, if Hee Joo's unstable inner world and emotions were revealed earlier, the controversies would probably have been resolved faster than they are now. By the end of the film, the wave of criticism directed at IU decreased significantly.
However, there are also opinions that, considering the initial huge heat, the current rating growth rate of the film is still relatively slow and has not exploded as expected.
Blockbuster movies like "Hạ cánh nơi anh", "Nữ hoàng nước mắt" all increased ratings 2-3 times when half of the episodes were broadcast. But "Perfect crown" had a weaker growth rate, the film started with a rating of 7.8% and by episode 9 (over 12 episodes) only reached 11.7%.
The level of discussion of "Perfect crown" is on par with the above works, but the rating developments have not completely kept up with expectations.
However, according to Star Today, it is undeniable that the film is still going in the right direction. Because after a series of initial scandals - from controversies over actors' acting, criticism of directors' style to set-up errors - the film ultimately succeeded in drawing audiences into the story.
