Korean film-ticket presales

▲ A poster of the spy movie "Harbin," starring Hyun Bin, is seen in the file photo provided by CJ ENM on Sept. 5, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Korean film-ticket presales

'Harbin' draws over 550,000 pre-sales, eyes box-office crown

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- The Korean historical drama "Harbin" has garnered over 550,000 advance ticket reservations, signaling strong potential for box-office success.

Approximately 554,000 tickets have been booked for the film as of 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, the release day, accounting for 56.2 percent of all advance ticket sales for movies currently showing in local theaters, according to the Korean Film Council.

Set in 1909, the espionage thriller depicts a tense mission to Harbin in northern China, featuring Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910), who assassinated Ito Hirobumi, Japan's first prime minister and resident-general of Korea, at Harbin Station. Korea was under brutal Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

Hyun Bin stars as Ahn, supported by an ensemble cast, including Park Jung-min, Jeon Yeo-been, Jo Woo-jin, Yoo Jae-myung, Park Hoon and Lee Dong-wook.

With production costs exceeding 30 billion won (US$20.6 million), the film marks the latest offering from director Woo Min-ho, acclaimed for exploring historical and political narratives in works like "The Man Standing Next" (2020) and "Inside Man" (2015).

Building on its strong opening performance, "Harbin" is set to challenge the current box-office leader, "Firefighter," which has amassed over 2.6 million cumulative viewers.

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