After winning awards and breaking box office records in Korea, "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" is now breaking records in North America.
In Korea, "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" has become the most-watched film of all time. The film has attracted 17.61 million viewers since its July opening. According to the Korea Film Council, the film has broken records since its opening day. The record-breaking spree began when the film became the first Korean film to sell 10 million tickets in 12 days. It broke the existing record held by Bong Joon Ho's "The Host," a film about a toxic monster.
"Roaring Currents" is now also the top-selling Korean film in North American theaters. According to the film's distributor, CJ E&M, the film has already earned $2.58 million in its four-month run. That means the film surpassed the success of the 2004 Kim Ki Duk film "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring," previously the highest grossing Korean film in the U.S.
At first the film was screened in only 30 theaters, but the response from both critics and moviegoers was so favorable that the number of theaters was soon bumped up to 53.
Special effects and battle scenes are part of the attraction in this film about the Battle of Myeongnyang in 1597, but the film also appealed to audiences because of the story of its main character.
Admiral Yi Si Sin was a disgraced 16th-century admiral who went on to head a legendary naval battle with Japan. With only a dozen ships at his command, he won the battle against the 300-boat Japanese fleet. And the victory almost did not happen as Admiral Yi had previously fallen out of favor with his king. Many people doubted he still had what it took to achieve victory. Fortunately, the admiral was reinstated and went on to win a legendary victory.
The film stars Choi Min Sik as the admiral, Ryu Seung Ryong as the mercenary Kurushima Michifusa, Cho Jin Woong as Wakisaka Yasuharu, Kim Myung Gon as Todo Takatora, Jin Goo as Im Jun Young, Lee Jung Hyun as Lady Jung and Kwon Yul as the admiral's son Yi Hwoe. To defeat the admiral, Kurushima will defeat up with an assassin, Haru, played by No Min Woo.
Choi Min Sik won the Best Actor award for his performance as the film's admiral at the 2014 Grand Bell Awards. He also won the Grand Prize at the recent Beautiful Artist Awards.
