[HanCinema's News] "Hansan: Rising Dragon" Passes Final Likely Milestone With Seven Million Admissions
By William Schwartz | Published on
According to figures released by the Korean Film Council, "Hansan: Rising Dragon" passed the seven million viewer mark on August 28th, logging 7,004,958 admissions on that day. The historical war film had first been released in South Korean theaters on July 27th, and is unlikely to hit any further milestones. In South Korea proper, "Hansan: Rising Dragon" became available on the Coupang Play streaming platform on August 29th, and is only logging around twenty thousand admissions a day now.
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In the context of the COVID-19 induced slump at the South Korean box office this is a strong performance. But "Hansan: Rising Dragon" fell quite short of the 17,615,844 admissions set by its predecessor "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" back in 2014. With "The Roundup" hitting 12,693,109 admissions earlier this year, "Hansan: Rising Dragon" faced some fairly high expectations. But while the story of Admiral Yi Sun-shin was the most popular movie of the summer, its long term influence is likely dubious.
Part of the issue may be aesthetic. "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" had a dynamic plot, featuring the famed Admiral at a low point in his own life and the sixteenth century invasion of Korea by Japan. The character is portrayed ambivalently, with depression and hopelessness being major themes. "Hansan: Rising Dragon" is a much more flat story by comparison, with Admiral Yi Sun-shin straightforwardly being heroic and competent.
Whatever the reasons for the shortfall, production began on "Noryang: Deadly Sea" last summer, and this movie will close out the trilogy of Yi Sun-shun historical films. "Noryang: Deadly Sea" will feature yet another new actor in the role of the legendary admiral, with Kim Yun-seok following up Choi Min-sik in the first movie and Park Hae-il in the second movie. "Noryang: Deadly Sea" is currently expected to be released in November of this year.
Written by William Schwartz
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"Hansan: Rising Dragon" is directed by Kim Han-min, and features Park Hae-il, Byun Yo-han, Ahn Sung-ki, Son Hyun-joo, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Sung-kyun. Release date in Korea: 2022/07/27.
William Schwartz
Staff writer. Has been writing articles for HanCinema since 2012, having lived in South Korea from 2011 to 2021. He is currently located in the Portland metropolitan area. William Schwartz can be contacted via william@hancinema.net, and is open to requests for content in future articles.