Movie ‘The Assassin(s)’ Surpasses 3 Million Viewers 20 Days After Release

As of 7:00 AM on the 13th, in its fourth week of release, the movie ‘The Assassin(s)’ recorded a cumulative audience of 3,023,218 people, taking first place in the overall box office. It surpassed 3 million viewers just 20 days after its release and has entered the top 5 among South Korean films released in 2026.

Directed by Hur Jin-ho, this work traces the suspicions and the mastermind behind the First Lady assassination incident that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. Viewers left positive reviews regarding the screenplay, acting, and direction at CGV and LOTTE CINEMA. A CGV viewer evaluated, “I feel like I watched a real movie where the screenplay, acting, and direction all came together perfectly,” “Time flew by! I enjoyed it. The actors' masterpiece-level acting was also good,” and “The acting of the outstanding actors and the director's direction provide immense immersion.” A LOTTE CINEMA viewer wrote, “All the actors act so well and I watched it so enjoyably that I didn't realize how much time had passed.”

Meanwhile, claims of 'historical distortion' are being made regarding the fact that the film adds imagination to a real-life incident. The work uses the mysteries surrounding the First Lady Yuk Young-soo assassination incident, which concluded as the solo crime of Moon Se-gwang, as its subject matter.

The production team released a statement on the 28th of last month, stating, “This work is not a movie produced to newly confirm a specific historical conclusion or to deny or distort existing facts,” and “Nowhere in the film is a specific person identified as the mastermind behind the incident, nor is the film presenting the hypotheses and dramatic settings within the movie as historical facts.”

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