'12.12: The Day' tops box office, attracts 203,839 moviegoers on opening day

“12.12: The Day” topped the box office on its opening day Wednesday, distributor Plus M Entertainment announced Thursday.

Main poster for ″12.12: The Day″ [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]

“12.12: The Day” topped the box office on its opening day Wednesday, distributor Plus M Entertainment announced Thursday.

“12.12: The Day” attracted 203,839 moviegoers on the first day of its release, according to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network for tickets. This lands “12.12: The Day” at No. 1 on the domestic box office, followed by “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “The Boy and the Heron.”

“12.12: The Day” surrounds the Dec. 12 1979 coup d’état that ended the short period of democratization after former president Park Chung Hee’s assassination. Most of the characters are based on real historical figures, such as Chun Doo-kwang, played by Hwang Jung-min, who is based on former President Chun Doo Hwan.

Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon and Kim Sung-kyun play key roles in “12.12: The Day” alongside Hwang. The film is directed by Kim Sung-su, who is known for films such as “Beat” (1997), “Musa” (2001) and “Asura: The City of Madness” (2016).

“12.12: The Day” is also doing well in terms of critical response, with the Golden Egg score on CGV at 98 percent and an average 9.40 score on Naver.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]