12:12 The Day’s 8.2 million ticket sales means over 15% of Korea has seen the film

Jung Woo Sung in 12:12 The Day

The South Korean historical drama film 12.12: The Day is still going gangbusters in Korea, where it has now been in the #1 spot since the day after it was released on November 22nd.

It is also currently the #2 highest performing film at the Korean box office in 2023, although it could easily shoot to #1 once the final numbers for all of December are out.

The Korean Film Council also announced earlier today that, as of midnight last night, 12:12: The Day has been watched by 8,185,411 audience members.

In other words, with a population of approximately 51,764 people, an almost 8.2 million ticket sales means more than 15 percent of the country has already seen the Korean film, which can now legitimately be called a massive hit.

Interestingly too, even though the action thriller is set in 1979, a higher percentage of movie goers aged 18-39 have seen the film, versus those aged 40 and over.

What is the plot of 12:12 The Day and who stars in it?

12.12: The Day features the star-studded cast of Hwang Jung Min, Jung Woo Sung, Lee Sung Min, Park Hae Joon and Kim Sung Kyun.

The film is directed by Kim Sung Soo (Asura: The City of Madness), and was released theatrically on November 22, 2023.

It tells the true story of events after the assassination of President Park Chung Hee, and an attempted coup that led to a conflict between military leaders Chun Doo Gwang (played by Hwang Jung Min) who attempts to stage the coup, and  Lee Tae-shin (Jung Woo Sung), a military commander who believes the army should not be involved in politics.

There has not been any announcement as to a widespread release of the Korean movie internationally as of yet but, with the stellar reviews 12:12: The Day is currently receiving, that hopefully will not be long in the future.

 

About Michelle Topham

Brit-American journalist based in Austria, former radio DJ at 97X WOXY, and Founder/CEO of Leo Sigh. I've covered K-drama, K-pop, J-pop and music news for over a decade.