▲ This poster of South Korean film "Assassins" is provided by Hive Media Corp. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- "Assassins," a film about the shooting of former first lady Yuk Young-soo, fell from the top of the box office for the first time since its release amid controversy over alleged historical distortion.

 

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for theater tickets, "Assassins" drew about 67,000 viewers Tuesday, accounting for 26.8 percent of total box office revenue, placing second behind "Tazza: Song of Belzebub" ("Tazza 4"), which attracted about 68,000 viewers.

 

It was the first time "Assassins" had lost the No. 1 spot at the box office. The film opened Sept. 23 and topped the daily box office for five consecutive days.

 

"Assassins" is based on the real-life incident on Aug. 15, 1974, when Zainichi Korean Mun Se-gwang opened fire in an attempt to assassinate then-President Park Chung-hee, killing his wife, Yuk Young-soo. The film follows people searching for the truth behind the incident.

 

Yoo Hae-jin plays a detective, Park Hae-il a newspaper social affairs editor and Lee Min-ho a rookie reporter. Hur Jin-ho, who directed "Christmas in August" (1998), helmed the film.

 

The film drew audiences with strong performances and a tense narrative, attracting about 1.407 million viewers during the Chuseok holiday from Sept. 24-27 and outperforming "Tazza 4" and "The Odyssey."

 

However, some scenes feature characters suggesting the possibility that people close to then-President Park or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency may have planned the incident, prompting criticism from some quarters, including the People Power Party, that the film distorts history.

 

The Park Chung-hee Memorial Foundation said Monday it "deeply regrets and strongly condemns" what it described as the distortion of a historical tragedy that caused "unbearable pain" to former President Park and his family. It also called on the film's producers to officially apologize for distorting historical facts and halt screenings of the film.

 

Amid the controversy, the film's box office momentum also appears to have slowed. Its rating among verified viewers on Naver stands at 8.3 out of 10, while the general user rating is 2.2, showing a sharp divergence in opinion.

 

The CGV Egg Index, based on actual viewer evaluations, has also edged down to 91 percent from 94 percent on the film's opening day.

 

As the controversy continued, the filmmakers said Monday that the movie "was not made to establish a new historical conclusion or deny or distort existing facts," and asked audiences to view it "solely as a work of fiction."

 

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, "Assassins" had an advance booking rate of 11.3 percent, ranking second behind the Japanese animated film "Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island," which had a 40.8 percent booking rate. About 56,000 people had pre-booked tickets for "Assassins."

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]