The 'ten-million actor' Ma Dong-seok responded to the box office expectations for 'Holy Night.'
On the 24th, an interview with the lead actor Ma Dong-seok of the film 'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' (written and directed by Lim Dae-hee, distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Big Punch Pictures and Nova Film) took place at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.
'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' is an occult action film in which a group that worships evil plunges the city into chaos, featuring 'Holy Night' team members Baus (played by Ma Dong-seok), Sharon (played by Seo Hyun), and Kim-gun (played by Lee Dawit), who eliminate the evil creatures. This is the debut feature commercial film of director Lim Dae-hee.
From May 2022's 'The Outlaws 2' (12.69 million), May 2023's 'The Outlaws 3' (10.69 million), to April 2024's 'The Outlaws 4' (11.50 million), Ma Dong-seok's new work has achieved triple ten million, breaking box office records every spring. Ma Dong-seok, who set the first major record of 'six ten-million films,' participated in the planning, production, and starring of the film, and it is also noted for being his first occult action film. Furthermore, the enjoyable chemistry among Ma Dong-seok, Seo Hyun, and Lee Dawit, along with the unprecedented exhilarating exorcism action, forewarns box office success, recently topping the real-time reservation rate according to the integrated computerized ticketing system.
Having already written a box office legend with the 'Outlaws' series, Ma Dong-seok was asked if there were any expectations or goals regarding the box office for this project. He candidly revealed, "There were other films in between the 'Outlaws.' We were really lucky to achieve ten million, but even now it feels like an unbelievable score. I don’t know if something else will happen, but I doubt that it will."
He continued, "Fewer people are coming to theaters right now, and the wish and hope of all the production staff is to exceed the break-even point and to work on other projects. I feel the same way. I hope we can surpass the break-even point; that is the goal. If we can just reach that, I would be grateful, and I could also explore preparing other genres."
He also humorously responded to the expectation, saying, "There’s no choice but to have expectations for Mr. Ma Dong-seok, but please don’t place your hopes on me."
Ma Dong-seok stated, "The next installment of 'The Outlaws' is scheduled to begin filming around next year, and I am also writing the script. I hope everyone enjoys the reality-based film as well, but since it's a fantasy, when we present another genre, we have been trying and creating for a long time, so I hope it will be well-received. I want this to be an opportunity for my outstanding juniors, who are better at producing and planning than I am, to feel that 'audiences enjoy films like this.'"
He added, "I don’t know about the box office for ('Holy Night') at all, but since the audience has generally decreased in theaters, I wanted to provide an impact with the sound that feels different in theaters to show that this piece is fun in a cinematic sense. I hope many people will come and watch it." He also expressed, "At the same time, I hope more films will be released. I love going to the theater with popcorn, but it's unfortunate that there are fewer movies."
(Continues with interview ②.)
[Photo] Provided by Lotte Entertainment
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