'I, the Executioner' off to strong start with most moviegoers on release Friday

Ryoo Seung-wan's latest film reached a pre-booking rate of 77.7 percent as of 4 p.m. on Friday.

A still from film ″I, the Executioner″ [CJ ENM]

The action thriller film “I, the Executioner” starring actors Hwang Jung-min and Jung Hae-in is off to a good start, dominating the domestic box office on its release day on Friday.

The film, director Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest film, recorded an overwhelming pre-booking rate of 77.7 percent as of 4 p.m. Friday, according to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network for movie theater tickets. The follow-up was trot singer Lim Young-woong’s concert film “Lim Young Woong | I'm Hero The Stadium,” released on Aug. 28, with a 2.4 percent in pre-booking rate.

“I, the Executioner” also already attracted over 600,000 moviegoers, a positive signal for a good start, though it did not surpass the record held by the film “The Roundup: Punishment,” that drew in 800,000 viewers on its premiere day on March. 24.

The action thriller is a sequel to director Ryoo’s 2015 film “Veteran” and continues on veteran detective Seo Do-cheol's journey chasing after a villain. In the latest film, Do-cheol tracks a serial killer who taunts law enforcement and plunges the country into chaos. The new film will also add a new face, actor Jung, who plays Park Sun-woo.

Its prequel, "Veteran," premiered in August 2015, and attracted over 13 million moviegoers during its release, ranking No. 7 on Korea’s all-time box office list based on audience numbers.

If “I, the Executioner” surpasses the milestone of 1 million moviegoers, it will become the third film to reach such an achievement this year, following the films “Exhuma” and “The Roundup: Punishment.”

A still from film ″Victory″ [MINDMARK]

The action thriller also entered the daily box office at No. 2 in audience numbers on Thursday, even before its official release, following the film “Victory.”

The teen cheerleader film directed by Park Beom-su has climbed back up the box office charts, topping the audience figures on Thursday, according to the Korean Film Council. Such a feat comes almost a month after its release on Aug. 14.

The film features young stars such as Lee Hye-ri, Lee Jung-ha, Park Se-wan and Jo A-ram and centers on high school students who love dancing and start a cheerleading club for their school’s football team in 1999 in rural Geoje, South Gyeongsang.

Horror science fiction film “Alien: Romulus,” which premiered on Aug. 14, stood at No. 3 on the same chart based on moviegoers, followed by the animation film “Look Back” and comedy film “Pilot,” starring actor Cho Jung-seok.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]