▲ This still, provided by Hive Media Corp., shows a scene from the Korean film "The Assassin(s)." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This still, provided by CJ ENM, shows a scene from the Korean film "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This still, provided by Warner Brothers Korea and Anthology Studios, shows a poster for the Korean remake of "The Intern." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- The Korean historical thriller "The Assassins(s)" is poised to lead the local box office during the Chuseok holiday amid a slate of films seeking to bank on holiday moviegoers.

The film, starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, accounted for 31 percent of advance ticket sales as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, with more than 238,000 tickets sold, according to the data by the Korean Film Council.

Directed by Hur Jin-ho, the film was inspired by the 1974 assassination attempt on then South Korean President Park Chung-hee, which resulted in the death of the first lady. The shooting remains one of the most shocking events in the country's tumultuous modern history.

The global megahit "The Odyssey," which ranked No. 2, accounted for 17.1 percent of pre-ticket sales.

The Christopher Nolan film has amassed more than 11.2 million admissions here since its release in August to become the second most-watched film at Korean theaters this year, only after the Korean historical drama "The King's Warden."

Advance ticket sales for the Korean film "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub," the final sequel of the long-running Korean film crime franchise "Tazza," and the Korean remake of the Hollywood drama "The Intern" (2016) followed next at 14.6 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong's Venice-winning feature "Possible Love" accounted for 4.9 percent.

The Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays tend to be the busiest seasons for the Korean film industry as distributors schedule big-budget releases around the holidays.

This year, "The Intern" opened just a week ahead of the Chuseok holiday, while three films -- "The Assassin(s)," "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub" and "Possible Love" -- hit theaters Wednesday, just a day ahead of the four-day holiday.

The webtoon-based Korean film "Reawaken Man: The Red" is, meanwhile, set to open Wednesday next week.

Earlier this year, "The King's Warden," which opened about two weeks ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday in February, racked up 16.9 million admissions to become the most-watched film in South Korea this year.

It remains to be seen whether another Korean film will emulate its success, with two public holidays in early October expected to be another opportunity to attract audiences to cinemas.

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