by Ra Hwak-jin and Lee Hyo-yoon
[Episode 2] Extreme Job (2019 Directed by Lee Byeong-heon)
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ Entertainment (the fim's distribution company) shows the poster of the movie "Extreme Job." From the left are Gong Myoung, Jin Sun-kyu, Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Ha-nee, Lee Dong-hwi. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ “Extreme Job” opens the new era of comedy movie in 2019
“Extreme Job,” released in January 2019, brought a sensation to the Korean film industry, becoming the best comedy movie in history. Drawing around 16.26 million audiences, it made the second biggest box office hit, following “Roaring Currents (2014)”. The film’s gross stood at 139.6 billion won, an all-time record, due partially to the rise of ticket prices, exceeding those of all other movies including “Roaring Currents” that marked 135.7 billion won.
The cop-comedy is about a drug squad in the verge of dissolution due to its poor performances. In their chase after the country’s biggest drug dealer, they decide to disguise themselves as owners of a fried chicken restaurant near the gang’s base.
Although the cast included veteran actors such as Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Ha-nee, and Jin Sun-kyu, the film’s huge success without top actors or billions of investment was a big surprise in the industry.
“We expected over 7 million viewers at the most. This success is unbelievable,” said an official in the movie industry. Another official commented, “Considering that the film isn’t a blockbuster nor is it based on a serious theme, its groundbreaking record reminded us the importance of compelling plots.”
The film’s production fee stood at a total of 9.5 billion won, including 6.5 billion won of net production fee and marketing costs, which showed its ‘cost-efficiency’ compared to “Roaring Currents” with a 19 billion won of total production fee.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ Entertainment (the fim's distribution company) shows a scene from the film "Extreme Job." From the left are Jin Sun-kyu, Lee Ha-nee, Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Dong-hwi and Gong Myoung. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
While discussing the success of “Extreme Job,” it should also be taken into consideration that in 2019, the growth of Korean movies was at its peak.
Five movies gathered over 10 million viewers respectively that year, attracting the biggest number of annual moviegoers of 226.67 million people. On the list were three Hollywood blockbusters -- “Avengers: End Game”, “Frozen 2”, “Aladdin,” – and “Parasite” which can be categorized as an art movie. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that in 2019, people headed to the theaters for movies that they wished to watch.
Due to the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, however, Korean theaters, like those in many other countries, suffered from a plunge in the number of visitors. The moviegoers that year recorded a mere quarter, or 59.52 million people, compared with 2019.
It is expected that a considerable amount of time will be needed for the theaters to regain their audiences, who have shifted to Over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix, Watcha and Wavve.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ Entertainment (the fim's distribution company) shows the film's poster with an image of Gong Myoung. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Was “Extreme Job” first made in China?
After “Extreme Job” hit the theaters, speculation was raised among some Chinese internet users that a similar movie was first made in China. They insisted that the film’s plot resembled the story of Chinese movie “Lobster Cop” (2018) which was released some 6 months earlier. The Chinese film was about a group of detectives disguising as owners of an eatery selling lobsters to catch drug dealers, similar to “Extreme Job.”
But this was because the screenplay had been created during a cooperation project on cultural development between Korea and China in 2015. The event was co-organized by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Creative Content Agency, along with Chinese National Press and Publication Administration.
Korean writer Moon Choong-il’s screenplay “Extreme Job” was included on the list of 20 pieces which made it to the final, thus its publication right was sold both to Korea and China. As both “Lobster cop” and “Extreme Job” are uploaded on OTT platforms, people can watch them while comparing the differences between the two. But unlike the Korean movie, “Lobster Cop” failed to impress the global watchers. Its total sales recorded 10.37 million dollars (12 billion won).
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ Entertainment (the fim's distribution company) shows a scene from the film in which Jin Sun-kyu is slicing chickens. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ Entertainment (the fim's distribution company) shows the drug squad from the film. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Unrealistic but realistic storyline showing hardships of police officers
Even though the story of the movie that the fried chicken restaurant run by undercover drug squad booms is rather unrealistic, watchers couldn’t take their eyes off its realistic depiction on the hardships of police officers. They are pressured to show better performances, while failing to receive proper financial support for investigations, and are also stressed over colleagues’ earlier promotion. The rivalry and cooperation between teams in the same police station somewhat reflects the reality, making it easier for audiences to understand the characters.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by CJ Entertainment (the fim's distribution company) shows a scene from the movie in which the police officers are delivering chickens to their target drug dealer's base. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
“Like in the movie, I also carried a lucky charm in my underwear for 20 years which my mother gave me. The scene touched my heart,” Min Gap-ryong, commissioner general of the National Police Agency at that time said after watching the movie. “The film reminded me of our members who are working like a family, having trust in their team leaders.”
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| ▲ Inspired from the film, a restaurant owner in Suwon actually made the menu 'Suwon Wang Galbi Tongdak.' (Yonhap) |
◇ Suwon Chicken Street becomes a tourist attraction
After the comedy topped the box office, the chicken street in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, has become one of the biggest tourist attractions.
In the movie, the detectives came up with their best-selling menu ‘Suwon Wang Galbi Tongdak,’ chicken coated with sauce of Suwon’s well-known dish Wang Galbi (Korean barbeque), and named their restaurant ‘Suwon Wang Galbi Tongdak’.
Thanks to Ryu Seung-ryong’s most famous line “There never has been such flavor. Is this Galbi or Chicken? Thank you for calling, this is Suwon Wang Galbi Tongdak,” Suwon Wang Galbi and Suwon chicken rose as one of the “must-eat” dishes across the country.
Suwon Chicken Street first emerged in the early 1970s after several gamasot (Korean iron pot) chicken restaurants opened in Boksu-dong, Paldal-gu and along Suwoncheon (river), Haenggung-dong. Among the total 68 restaurants in the alley, 13 sell fried chicken.
Suwon City Government presented a plaque of appreciation to the film producer and screenwriter 2 months after the film’s release in 2019 and designated the street as a tourism spot for food and culture and began promotion in June 2021.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Suwon City's official SNS page, shows the parody of the movie. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The city officials also created a clip featuring 5 owners of Suwon Wang Galbi and Suwon chicken restaurants “Extreme trouble”, a parody of the movie and uploaded on Youtube to promote the city.
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