'The Outlaws 2' overtakes Oscar-winning 'Parasite,' marks historic milestone
What's the story
The sequel to South Korean actor Ma Dong-seok's hit film The Outlaws, The Outlaws 2 (also known as The Roundup), has created history.
The film has officially surpassed the Oscar-winning film Parasite to become the top-selling May release in Korean box office history.
It follows the adventures of legendary detective Ma Seok-do (Ma) and his police station's fierce crimes squad.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Outlaws 2, which was released on May 18, reportedly achieved the feat on its 25th day.
As per reports, the film reached the milestone by selling over 10M tickets in Korea. By doing so, it became only the 28th film to be watched by over 10M people.
This is a huge feat considering that Korea has a rough population of about 50M.
Information
Film also surpassed popular Hollywood titles like 'Frozen'
The Korean Film Council reported that The Outlaws 2, as of Sunday (June 12), accounted for a total of 1,05,03,886 moviegoers.
In addition, it also secured first place at the box office for the fourth weekend in a row.
The action-comedy film zoomed past Parasite and other international films like Frozen 2 and Interstellar—all of which were released before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Plot
'The Outlaws 2' had the largest first-day score post pandemic
In the film, detective Ma (played by the Eternals actor) sets out to Vietnam in order to extradite a target.
He soon finds out about an unknown killer who has been killing tourists for many years.
The Outlaws 2 reportedly saw 467K viewers on its opening day and has the largest first-day score for a domestic film since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
Information
Did you know: 'Radhe' was remake of 'The Outlaws'?
While the 2017 film saw Yoon Kye-sang essay the role of a ruthless villain Jang Chen, the sequel brought in a new, more menacing antagonist.
Actor Son Seok-ku (of My Liberation Notes fame) took on the villain's role.
Ma also contributed to the adapted screenplay of the 2022 film, which was directed by Lee Sang-yong.
Notably, Salman Khan's Radhe was based on The Outlaws.