Does ‘Mickey 17’ release in China indicate easing of Korean content ‘ban’?

Release of Korean director Bong Jooon-ho Mickey 17 Major cities in China have sparked debate about the potential thawing of China’s long-standing restrictions on K content

It premiered in China on March 7th and received $1.3 million from 8 million tickets, following preview screenings in seven cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen on March 2nd.

Despite being a co-produced by the US South Korea, primarily with a Western cast, Bong was the first Korean filmmaker in four years, building an officially released film in China. Last April, director Jang Jae Hyun’s horror hit was a huge hit. connection It was screened at the Beijing International Film Festival, but was not released in theaters.

Since September 2016, Beijing has limited the distribution of K content in China, a clear response to geopolitical tensions surrounding the deployment of THAAD missile defense systems in South Korea in 2017.

Release of Mickey 17 In particular, after South Korea’s Parliamentary Speaker Woo Wong Sik met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Harbin Winter Asian Conference on February 7th, he fostered ongoing speculation about potential changes in China’s cultural policy.

They discussed the expansion of China’s access to South Korea’s cultural content, and reported that President XI acknowledges the importance of such exchanges and the need to prevent conflict.

However, some people warned that the release of the film does not mean the end of the ban.

“Even though he is directed by Korean filmmakers, Mickey 17 It is primarily a Hollywood production, featuring an international cast and is supported by US studio Warner Bros. It’s a more Hollywood project than a purely Korean movie.” screen.

Based on the 2022 novel Mickey 7 By Edward Ashton, the film stars Robert Pattinson along with Naomi Ackie, Stephen Yong, Toni Colette and Mark Ruffalo. The film, set in the future, follows a disposable “consumables” worker who is cloned every time he dies for research purposes.

Box office revenue leader

Bonn’s third English film since 2013 snowman And 2016 okja It led the South Korean box office for the second time in a row over the weekend, surpassing 2 million viewers.

Mickey 17 It cost $385 million from 562,206 entry Friday through Sunday (March 7-9), accounting for more than 65% of ticket sales, bringing the total to $14.6 million from 2.1 million entry. It is the second film released in Korea this year to surpass 2 million viewers, following the home country’s action comedy. Hitman 2recorded 2.54 million visitors.

The film’s powerful box office history is expected to last until the end of the month until the release of the sports drama on March 26th. game,starring Squid GameLee Byung-han.

Mickey 17 It also led the North American box office revenue at an estimated $19.1 million over the opening weekend, bringing its global total to $53.5 million.

However, these figures are slightly below market expectations. While the film’s opening weekend revenue failed to meet its forecast $20 million target, film distributor and investor Warner Bros. will need to collect a significant $118 million production budget at the box office alone.

Bonn’s biggest hit to date has been an Oscar award Parasitesgarnered $53.8 million in North America and $262.6 million worldwide.