Avatar' sets new milestone in S. Korea's foreign film market

SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Just a little over a month since its release in South
Korea, James Cameron's 'Avatar' has become the first-ever foreign movie here to
top the 10 million mark in ticket sales, joining the exclusive ranks of a handful
of domestic films in a country known for its loyalty to homegrown cinema.
On Saturday the film became the sixth-ever movie released in South Korea to draw
in over 10 million viewers, its distributor 20th Century Fox Korea said. The epic
sci-fi fantasy, which tells the story of a disabled U.S. marine who infiltrates a
tribe of giant blue aliens inhabiting a faraway planet, is also set to become the
first film ever in the Korean movie market to reach the 100 billion won (US$ 87.3
million) mark in sales.
"Avatar" follows in the footsteps of five other local smash hits -- "Silmido"
(2003), "Tae Guk Gi" (2004), "The King and the Clown" (2005), "The Host" (2006)
and "Haeundae" (2009) -- which raked in audiences of over 10 million.
In terms of sales, Avatar has obliterated the competition, becoming the highest
grossing film released in the country.
The film's sales as of Friday reached 87.2 billion won (US$76.1 million),
outstripping the previous 81-billion-won record set by "Haeundae," a homegrown
disaster film released last year. Avatar's high sales are due in large measure to
the movie's admission prices for its 3D screenings, which are some 40-percent
higher than ordinary movies.
The film took 74 percent of all movie reservations for this weekend and is
largely expected to continue its box office rampage for several more weeks, with
its distributor aiming for sales of over 100 billion won.
"Sales are set to top 100 billion won if the total number of viewers surpasses 12
million," an official at 20th Century Fox Korea said.
But whether the Cameron movie will top "The Host," a satirical monster film by
the internationally acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho, in terms of audience numbers
still remains to be seen, industry watchers say.
"The Host" surpassed the 10-million mark just 21 days after its release in 2006,
compared to the 38 days that "Avatar" took to reach the mark. Observers note that
films, after exceeding the 10-million-audience mark, tend to lose steam in a
relatively short period of time.
Upcoming domestic and overseas movies to be released for the Lunar New Year
holiday next month, a traditionally competitive period for the local movie
industry, are also expected to give "Avatar" a tough fight.
"It will be difficult (for "Avatar") to beat 'The Host.' It would be a success if
we can beat 'The King and the Clown (12.3 million audience),'" said an official
at 20th Century Fox Korea.
However, it is still possible that Avatar may be the first movie released in
Korea that records audiences of more than 10 million and more than 100 billion
won in ticket revenue.
On the heels of the success of "Avatar," the South Korean government announced
earlier this month that it will inject 200 billion won into the country's
computer graphics industry over the next four years.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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