Jo Woo-jin portrays a banker whose family is under threat in the film "Hard Hit." CJENMThis week, the South Korean Box Office topped the charts with the fast-paced thriller Hard Hit. According to the Korean Film Council, the CJ ENM film remained at the top of the charts for several days and earned $2,206,619 in ticket sales. It sold more than 50,000 tickets on the film's opening day, surpassing the previous record of Seo Bok (starring Gong Yoo) and Park Bo-gum. Seo Bok was able to sell 45,000 tickets in its first day.Hard Hit's ticket sales outsold those for Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard, the Hollywood sequel starring Salma Hayek, Ryan Reynolds and Disneys Cruella. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson star in Disneys Cruella. The horror sequel A Quiet Place: Part II starred Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy.Jo Woo-jin stars in Hard Hit along with Lee Jae-in. Ji Chang-wook is also featured. Jo Woo-jin plays the lead role in Hard Hit. She previously played supporting roles in Mr. Sunshine, Secret Door, and Chicago Typewriter as well as The Book of Fish and Seo Bok.Jo portrays a successful banker. The film opens with his two children in his car, going about their normal morning commute. A call comes in from his phone stating that there is a bomb underneath his car seat. It will explode if it stops, if any one gets out, or if he hangs the phone. Although he initially reacts in disbelief, his family's normal life soon becomes a nightmare. Ji Chang-wook is the mysterious caller that threatens their lives.Ji Chang-wook is a mysterious caller in "Hard Hit." CJENMThe film, which is set in Busan, was also the debut directorial effort of Kim Chang-ju (film editor who previously worked on The Terror Live, and A Hard Day). Hard Hit received positive feedback, citing its freshness and fast-involving pace as well as Jos passionate acting. Starring Jin Kyung, Kim Jiho, and Jeon Seokho are also featured in the film.South Korea was the fourth-largest box office territory before the pandemic. However, COVID19 closed some theaters and reduced attendance in those that remained. Many local films were delayed or cancelled in 2020, while others went directly to streaming services. According to KOFIC (which has been keeping box office records since 2004, April 2020 marked the first time the nation's monthly box office was below 1 million tickets. Seo Bok and Hard Hit are seen as signs of increasing confidence in theaters' ability to weather the effects of the pandemic.
