South Korean crime action franchise “The Roundup: No Way Out” starring Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has attracted 4 million ticket sales just four days after the film’s opening on May 31, the record among local box office hits over the last seven years.
According to the Korean Film Council, the highly anticipated sequel to "The Roundup" (2022) recorded 4.5 million ticket sales on the opening weekend, after surpassing the 2 million mark on Friday.
The film has reached the 4 million mark a lot faster than the previous installment, which attracted about 3.5 million viewers during its opening week last year.
“The Roundup: No Way Out” is now the first Korean movie in seven years to see its ticket sales reach the 4 million mark in the opening week after zombie thriller “Train to Busan” (2016) and action drama “A Taxi Driver” (2017).
The film has become the most successful Korean film so far this year, already surpassing action film "The Point Men" starring Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin, which drew 1.72 million moviegoers in January.
In the movie, Lee plays detective Ma Seok-do, who chases down a local drug ring as a new and dangerous drug is circulating at local clubs.
"The Roundup: No Way Out" is the third installment of the Korean action franchise that began with "The Outlaws" (2017), which attracted 6.87 million viewers. Its sequel, "The Roundup," topped the annual domestic box office last year with 12.69 million ticket sales. It was also the first film to draw over 10 million viewers since before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
