What will happen to 'Knock-Off' amid the controversy over actor Kim Soo-hyun's private life? While astronomical penalties are being discussed, Disney+ has maintained a position of "holding off on the release" essentially indefinitely, remaining tight-lipped.
On the 1st, a Disney+ official stated to OSEN regarding the original series 'Knock-Off' starring Kim Soo-hyun that they are maintaining the existing official position of "holding off on the release." They explained, "We ask for your understanding that we have nothing to say beyond our existing official position. Nothing has changed from the existing official position."
'Knock-Off' is a story about a man whose life completely changes due to the IMF crisis, evolving from an ordinary office worker to the king of the global counterfeit market. Initially, the work was expected to dramatically showcase Kim Soo-hyun's character overcoming the IMF crisis to grow into the 'King of Counterfeits.' Similar to the well-received series 'Casino' by Disney+, 'Knock-Off' was set to be produced in seasons 1 and 2, with its first release scheduled for this month. However, Kim Soo-hyun's private life controversy has put a halt to it.
Last month, the heated controversy over Kim Soo-hyun and his past romantic allegations with the late Kim Sae-ron, who was a minor at the time, led to a critical sentiment toward 'Knock-Off' starring Kim Soo-hyun. Ultimately, the filming of 'Knock-Off,' which was in its final stages, was halted, and Disney+ officially stated, "We are completely postponing the release schedule for 'Knock-Off.'" The situation has practically resulted in an indefinite delay, making the release of the work uncertain.
Some have predicted astronomical penalties for Kim Soo-hyun in this regard. So far, the production cost of 'Knock-Off' has been about 60 billion won, and it is known that Kim Soo-hyun will receive a total of 900 million won in appearance fees for 18 episodes at 50 million won per episode. Typically, penalties are considered to range from 2 to 3 times the contract amount. Accordingly, some netizens have predicted that the penalty related to Kim Soo-hyun's 'Knock-Off' could be as low as 180 billion won, which is double his appearance fee, to as high as 1.8 trillion won, which is triple the total production cost.
However, the actual net production cost of the work and the cost at which the OTT platform purchases the rights from the production company are assessed differently. The amount known as the production cost for hundreds of billions of won blockbusters in Korea typically corresponds to the total cost at which the OTT platform has purchased the rights from the production company.
Moreover, in the case of Korean content, since the contracts are made through the production company with the OTT platform, it cannot be ruled out that Kim Soo-hyun, as the performer, did not contract directly with Disney+ but rather signed a contract with the 'Knock-Off' production company. Additionally, the manner of appearance fee payment may not be a lump sum but rather distributed over the filming process. Industry insiders predict that the actual amount of penalties that Kim Soo-hyun would have to pay could be significantly different from the general public's expectations.
Of course, in the case of 'Knock-Off,' filming was virtually in the final stages, excluding a few scenes with leading actors like Kim Soo-hyun and Jo Bo-ah. There is also genuine pressure regarding the potential 'discontinuation' of the work. As the focus has been largely on Kim Soo-hyun's 'grooming crime' allegations, attention is on the legal outcome regarding these allegations.
Recently, Kim Soo-hyun has been facing allegations of 'grooming crime' from the late Kim Sae-ron's family, centered around the YouTube channel 'Garosero Research Institute' (abbreviated as Gaseyeon). However, Kim Soo-hyun held a press conference on the 31st of last month, stating his intention to sue 'Gaseyeon' for 12 billion won in damages and denied the related allegations. Nevertheless, 'Gaseyeon' has hinted at additional video releases with the bereaved family, and public criticism toward Kim Soo-hyun continues.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by Disney+.
[OSEN]