Not only in Vietnam, but also in Korea and many other countries in Asia, December (the last month of the year) is still considered the peak season for cinemas.
At the Korean box office alone in December, there will be 4 films released in theaters: "One Win" (Song Kang Ho), "The Firefighters" (Joo Won), "About Family" (Kim Yun Seok/Lee Seung Gi) and "Harbin" (Hyun Bin/Hwang Jung Min/Lee Dong Wook).
Notably, three-quarters of the films are scheduled to be released in early or mid-December - avoiding December 26 - when part 2 of the hit survival series "Squid Game" returns.
So the confirmation of "Harbin" being released on December 25 has received attention but also a lot of concern. Among them, the media believes that releasing the film just one day before "Squid Game 2" could overshadow the film.
According to Korean newspapers, the audience's anticipation for "Squid Game 2" has caused all attention to be focused on the project instead of its competitors.
The reason is because the first part released in 2021 became Netflix's most-watched series, with more than 1.41 billion hours watched, creating a global phenomenon.
In part 2, in addition to Lee Jung Jae, Lee Byung Hun, Wi Ha Joon (part 1 actors), new members will include Kang Ha Neul, Im Siwan, Park Gyu Young, Lee Jin Wook, Yang Dong Geun...
Even Netflix's choice to release the film on December 26 is a strategy, as this time coincides with the long holiday in many countries, allowing audiences to enjoy it in the most comfortable way.
However, there is still a possibility for "Harbin" to "turn the tide" if it does well in terms of content, image, and acting.
The film was revealed to have a production budget of about 28 billion won (21 million USD), directed by Woo Min Ho - who created the success of "Inside Men" (Double Mission, 2015), and was rated by many Korean newspapers as the most anticipated film of the year.
Previously, News1 revealed that at the Toronto International Film Festival, the international media praised the film for its engaging content and beautiful action scenes. Meanwhile, the audience rated "Harbin" as a masterpiece, with beautiful images and emotional acting by the actors.
Taking on the male lead role of Ahn Jung Geun - an activist determined to gain independence, Hyun Bin showed his efforts to change his appearance. The actor revealed that he read the script many times and found many different perspectives of the character.
On set, he approached the role with sincerity, trying to show the audience realistic and beautiful action scenes. But whether the work will be a box office success or not still has to wait until its official release.
