A movie on pro-independence Korean Catholic patriot Ahn Jung-geun has continued to occupy a top spot at the box office in South Korea, garnering praise from the Catholic Filmmakers Association.
The on-screen adaption of the musical play “Hero” which documents the final year of Ahn’s life was released on Dec. 21, 2022, and occupies the top spot among Korean language movies, the Catholic Times reported on Jan. 15.
The Catholic filmmakers’ group hailed the success of the movie as “inspirational.”
Lee Kyung-sook, chairman of the group said the movie did justice to Ahn’s Catholic faith and was well composed.
“It is a movie that has the three elements of story, actor, and faith melted well,” said Lee.
“Above all, from a believer’s point of view, the Catholic element is alive in great detail, and as a believer, the aspect is well revealed,” he further added.
The musical play “Hero” that premiered in 2009 garnered widespread attention among Koreans for its portrayal of Ahn, a Buddhist-turned-Catholic freedom fighter and martyr.
The play has been staged nine times since, including a two-week run in New York City’s Lincoln Center in 2011.
Director Yoon Je-kyun’s movie adaptation of the same name is Korea’s first-ever musical film to be based on a homegrown show, media reports say.
According to the Korean Film Council, the movie occupies a comfortable second spot right behind James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
The movie gained around 100,000 admissions on the day of its screening which surpasses the previous record of “Aladdin” which attracted around 72,000 admissions on the first day of its premiere.
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