Director Lim Dae-hee of 'Holy Night' mentioned the pressure he feels about Ma Dong-seok's triple 10 million box office success.

On the morning of the 23rd, an interview with director Lim Dae-hee, who directed the film 'Holy Night: Demon Hunters,' was held at a cafe on Samcheong-ro in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' (written and directed by Lim Dae-hee, distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Big Punch Pictures and Nova Film) is an occult action film where a team of dark problem solvers with special abilities—'Holy Night' Team Bower (played by Ma Dong-seok), Sharon (played by Seo-hyun), and Kim-gun (played by Lee Da-wit)—is attacking a group of evil in a city thrown into chaos by a cult that worships evil. This is Lim Dae-hee's debut feature film.

With his new work, Ma Dong-seok has achieved triple 10 million with 'The Outlaws 2' (12.69 million viewers) in May 2022, 'The Outlaws 3' (10.69 million viewers) in May 2023, and 'The Outlaws 4' (11.5 million viewers) in April 2024, showcasing his strong box office potential every spring. He set the record for the first '10 million films' with six titles. Ma Dong-seok participated in planning, production, and starring, and is also being noted for his first occult action. The delightful team chemistry of Ma Dong-seok, Seo-hyun, and Lee Da-wit and the unprecedented thrilling and refreshing exorcism action are expected to lead to box office success, and before its release, it topped the real-time reservation rate at number one in the integrated computerized ticketing system.

Regarding his feelings ahead of the release, he said, "Honestly, I’m nervous. There are many beats in the horror aspect, which might feel awkward to the audience. But thanks to actor Ma Dong-seok opening up those aspects, I was able to try them out," and expressed his excitement and nerves, saying, "I’m curious how the audience will accept this commercial film."

Director Lim Dae-hee, who formed a bond with Ma Dong-seok right after the first season of 'The Outlaws' in 2018, stated, "There is a production company representative between us, and I am an alumnus of that representative. We've known each other for more than 10 years, and actor Ma Dong-seok has also worked with that representative. We coincidentally decided to meet and held a meeting," and he revealed, "While discussing various things, I showed him my short films and scripts. Through that, I thought, 'I can do this well,' and as the project's scale gradually grew, it came to fruition."

Over the past three years, Ma Dong-seok has drawn over 30 million viewers with the 'The Outlaws' series, setting an incredible record of 'triple 10 million.' This year, he will meet the audience with a new occult genre.

Regarding this, director Lim Dae-hee said, "Fortunately, actor Ma Dong-seok also mentioned, 'I really don't know how the box office will turn out,' which has eased my mind. Our film is a different genre from 'The Outlaws,' but there was anxiety about questions like, 'Does it have that much public appeal?' and 'Could it be too niche?' It seems he opened up some of those concerns for me," he said, "I’m trying to enjoy this situation while being nervous and without feeling pressured. In fact, with previous films bringing in 30 to 40 million, I’m on edge and can’t even sleep. (laughs) But since actor Ma Dong-seok is doing another genre, he told me, 'You can do it as you want,' so I’m grateful for that."

He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from his debut feature film, noting, "It’s an honor for me, and the working process was enjoyable," and added, "There are various works being released on the 30th, the same day our film releases, so from a spirit of cooperation, it’s good to have many good works come out, creating more options. I hope everyone does well," admitting with humor, "It would be a lie to say that I don’t wish my film does the best among them."

Meanwhile, 'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' will be released on the 30th.

[Photo] Provided by Lotte Entertainment

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