12.12: The Day is making waves at the box office, receiving rave reviews from both critics and audiences.
Released on November 22nd, the flick has amassed 398,541 moviegoers within two days of its release. It is likely to surpass 1 million cumulative viewers in its opening weekend at this rate. As of the morning of the 24th, the movie has sold 250,251 tickets, which accounts for 56.8 percent of the total sale.
12.12: The Day is based on a true-life event that occurred on December 12th, 1979, when desperate efforts were made to suppress new military forces during a coup in Seoul for nine hours. Hwang Jung Min makes a dramatic acting transformation into Army Intelligence and Security Commander Chun Doo Gwang, a fictionalized character inspired by Chun Doo Hwan, who staged a coup in real life. Jung Woo Sung takes on the role of Lee Tae Shin, the commander of the Commanding General Capital Defense Command who tries to defend the capital city against Doo Gwang.
Audiences who watched the movie highly praised it, saying, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a quality Korean movie,” “This is the best Korean movie of the year,” “No other movies have been this good recently,” “It’s just so perfect in every aspect. If you are Korean, you must watch this masterpiece based on a sad life event!” and “Both acting and directing are awesome. I was on the edge of the seats throughout the show.”
Meanwhile, 12.12: The Day spent a production cost of 23.3 billion won ($17.9 million) and needs to attract a total of 4.5 million viewers to break even.
