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| yna@yna.co.kr 2023-03-06 11:01:24
SEOUL, Mar. 6 (Yonhap) – “The First Slam Dunk,” which was released in January this year, became the top box office hit among Japanese animation releases in Korea on the 5th after maintaining the top two months.
It set a new record six years after director Makoto Shinkai’s “Your Name.” reached the top with a cumulative audience of 3.8 million in 2017.
It is analyzed that the background of the long-term success of “The First Slam Dunk,” by expanding the base of the audience was due to the retro craze, modern interpretation of the original, a sense of immersion enhanced with 3D techniques, and the “Nth viewing” craze centered on young female fans.
Amid the recent social decline in the atmosphere of "No Japan" (a boycott of Japanese products), the popularity of "The First Slam Dunk" and the release of a new film directed by Makoto Shinkai are expected to continue the success of Japanese films for the time being.
◇ The evolution of the original novel...3D technology doubles fun
The "retro craze" is cited as a factor in the early popularity of "The First Slam Dunk."
Those who were enthusiastic about the original cartoon "Slam Dunk" in the 1990s are in their 30s and 40s, who were teenagers at that time. Following "Top Gun: Maverick" last year, they enthusiastically welcomed the return of popular works in the past from "The First Slam Dunk" to the theater one after another.
Above all, the reason why this work was able to bring more than just "memories" lies in the content itself, which is more sophisticated and more complete than the original.
"The First Slam Dunk" was written and directed by Takehiko Inoue, the original author, who was faithful to the original setting and gave newness with appropriate changes.
Instead of "Red-haired" Kang Baek-ho, he drew a story that people had not seen in the original story with "Number One Guard" Song Tae-seop as the main character, and actively reflected 3D techniques in directing.
The 3D production vividly embodies the basketball that bounces off the court, the toes and fingertips of players who run constantly, and the moment when the ball goes into the net. This visual beauty became the reason why the audience chose the theater as a place to enjoy the movie.
Jung Deok-hyun, a pop culture critic, said, "Since it is an upgraded film to suit the current era, there is a reason to watch it in theaters," adding, "As it add a modern interpretation, it has become content that young generations who have not seen 'Slam Dunk' before can enjoy together."
◇ The handsome men on the court captivate the hearts of women...
At the beginning of its release, the audience of "The First Slam Dunk" expanded from men in their 30s and 40s to all generations. Among them, the fandom created around young female audiences is analyzed as a factor that led to long-term box office success.
Hwang Jae-hyun, head of CGV's communication team, explained, "According to audience analysis, the proportion of single-person audiences and men in their 30s and 40s was high at the beginning of the release, but recently it has expanded to two-person audiences and women in their 20s, leading to long-term success."
The gender ratio of the audience also reversed. According to CGV's audience analysis, women are ahead of men with 55.2% of the audience ratio of "The First Slam Dunk" and 44.8% of men.
Ryu Sang-heon, head of distribution strategy team at distributor NEW, said, "Female audiences in their 20s and 30s are most sensitive to various promotions such as voice actor stage greetings and cheering screenings by leading the Nth viewing."
The First Slam Dunk was able to capture the hearts of women because there are characters such as Song Tae-seop, Seo Tae-woong, and Jung Dae-man with the appearance of so-called "Flower Boy" and excellent athletic skills.
Young female audiences are actively creating secondary creations such as fan art and memes of these characters through various SNS, leading to the popularity of the films.
◇ Demand for Japanese films…High expectation toward "Suzume"
The success of "The First Slam Dunk" is also significant in that it proved that the demand of Korean audiences for Japanese films has not decreased.
With the Korean film market divided into Korean commercial films and Hollywood films, "The First Slam Dunk" was an unusual hit following the Japanese romance film "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight.”
On top of that, interest in Japanese films is expected to continue as the new film "Suzume," directed by Makoto Shinkai, is set to be released on the 8th.
Director Shinkai has directed "Your Name." which has maintained the No. 1 spot in Japanese animation box office for the past six years, and this new film has also been recognized for its cinematic quality by advancing to the competition category at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.
As if to reflect such expectations, "Suzume" has topped the list with a 16.6% reservation rate based on the Korea Box-office Information System early on the 3rd, five days before its release.
Also released on the 2nd of this month, the Japanese animation "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba To The Swordsmith Village" is currently ranked second in the box office.
Heo Nam-woong, a film critic, said, "Korean content is attracting global attention, but there are weak points in the case of animation and romance." On the other hand, Japan has a significant advantage in those two genres," he said.
"As both animation and romance genres have codes that teenagers and 20s are enthusiastic about, Japanese films are expected to continue to be loved by filling the gap in Korean content for the time being," he predicted.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)
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