'The Assassin(s)' loses box-office lead amid historical accuracy controversy

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SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- The Korean film "The Assassin(s)," which had topped the box office since its release, slipped to second place amid controversy surrounding its historical accuracy, industry data showed Tuesday.

The film drew 67,406 admissions Monday, ranking behind "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub," the final installment in the long-running Korean crime film franchise "Tazza," which attracted 68,913 admissions, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

It marked the first time that "The Assassin(s)" lost its lead since its release on Wednesday.

Inspired by the 1974 assassination attempt on then South Korean President Park Chung-hee, which resulted in the death of the first lady, the film follows the pursuit of the mastermind behind the attack.

Directed by Hur Jin-ho, it stars Yoo Hae-jin as a police detective, Park Hae-il as a newspaper veteran journalist and Lee Min-ho as a rookie reporter. Park Jung-min plays Korean Japanese assassin Moon Se-kwang, who was held responsible for the shooting.

A poster for the Korean film "The Assassin(s)" is on display at a movie theater in Seoul on Sept. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)

Despite the film's popularity, critics, including lawmakers associated with the main opposition People Power Party, have denounced it for suggesting that Moon may have had accomplices.

While the film does not identify those accomplices specifically, it includes parts in which the protagonists raise the possibility of the government -- the presidential office or intelligence authorities -- being involved in the planning.

On Monday, the President Park Chung-hee Foundation released a statement expressing deep regret over the film for "distorting a historical tragedy" and called for an official apology and suspension of screenings.

The film's production team, in response, stressed the film was not made to deny or distort historical facts.

"There can be various interpretations and criticism given that the film is based on a historical case that involves actual figures, which we respect," the team said. "But it is not a film made for a specific political purpose ... we ask that the work is only deemed as a creative work."

It remains to be seen whether the controversy will continue to weigh on the film's box-office performance.

As of 10:30 a.m., "The Assassin(s)" accounted for 11.3 percent of advance ticket sales, with more than 56,000 tickets sold. It ranked second only behind the Japanese animation "Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island," according to KOFIC data.

This still, provided by Hive Media Corp., shows a scene from the Korean film "The Assassin(s)." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr (END)

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'The Assassin(s)' loses box-office lead amid historical accuracy controversy

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，9月29日（韩联社）——行业数据显示，自上映以来一直占据票房榜首的韩国电影《刺客》因历史准确性引发争议，票房下滑至第二位。

根据韩国电影振兴委员会（KOFIC）的数据，该片周一吸引了 67,406 名观众，排名落后于韩国长寿犯罪电影系列《老千》的最后一部《老千：别西卜之歌》，后者吸引了 68,913 名观众。

这是《刺客》自周三上映以来首次失去领先地位。

该片取材于 1974 年韩国总统朴正熙遇刺未遂事件（导致第一夫人身亡），讲述了追捕幕后主使的故事。

该片由许镇昊执导，刘海镇饰演一名警探，朴海日饰演一位资深报社记者，李敏镐饰演一名新晋记者。朴正民饰演被认定为枪击案凶手的韩裔日本杀手文世光。

2026年9月28日，韩国电影《刺客》的海报在首尔一家电影院展出。（韩联社）

尽管这部电影很受欢迎，但包括与主要反对党人民力量党有关的议员在内的批评人士谴责该片暗示文在寅可能有同伙。

虽然影片没有具体指出这些同谋者，但其中有部分情节表明，主人公们提出了政府——总统办公室或情报部门——参与策划的可能性。

周一，朴正熙总统基金会发表声明，对该电影“歪曲历史悲剧”表示深切遗憾，并呼吁正式道歉和暂停放映。

对此，电影制作团队强调，这部电影的制作目的并非否认或歪曲历史事实。

“鉴于这部电影取材于真实历史事件，涉及真实人物，因此可能会有各种不同的解读和批评，我们对此表示尊重，”制作团队表示。“但这并非一部出于特定政治目的而制作的电影……我们恳请大家将这部作品视为一部纯粹的艺术创作。”

这场争议是否会继续影响该片的票房表现，还有待观察。

截至上午10点30分，《刺客》预售票占比11.3%，售出超过56000张电影票。根据韩国电影产业联合会（KOFIC）的数据，该片预售票房仅次于日本动画电影《千川奇缘：人鱼岛的秘密》，位列第二。

这张由Hive Media Corp.提供的剧照，展示了韩国电影《刺客》中的一个场景。（图片非卖品）（韩联社）

mlee@yna.co.kr (完)

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