Collectors (film) explained

Collectors
Native Name:
Hangul:도굴
Hanja:盜掘
Rr:Do-gul
Director:Park Jung-bae
Producer:Hwang Dong-hyuk[1]
Screenplay:Ryu Sun-gyu
Starring:
Cinematography:Kim Seong-an
Editing:Nam Na-young
Studio:Siren Pictures
Distributor:CJ Entertainment
Runtime:114 minutes
Country:South Korea
Language:Korean
Gross:[2]

Collectors is a 2020 South Korean crime comedy film directed by Park Jung-bae and produced by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The film starring Lee Je-hoon, Jo Woo-jin, Shin Hye-sun and Im Won-hee,[3] tells the caper story of a grave robbery taking place in the heart of Seoul.

The film released on November 4, 2020,[4] opened at the top of the local box office, as it sold about 80,000 tickets and grossed 701.6 million KRW (estimated US$626,916) on the opening day.

As of January 2, 2021, Collectors is in 13th place, with a gross of US$12.43 million and 1.52 million admissions, among all the films released in South Korea in the year 2020.[5]

Synopsis

Kang Dong-goo (Lee Je-hoon) is a genius robber with a unique touch and intuition. He works with antiquated burial place mural expert, Dr. Jones (Jo Woo-jin) and legendary shoveling master, Sapdari (Im Won-hee). Curator Yoon (Shin Hye-sun), an antiques expert, offers an appealing but daring heist idea to Kang Dong-goo.[6]

Cast

Production

In March 2019, Lee Je-hoon was confirmed to play the protagonist in the film.[8] In May 2019, Shin Hye-sun's appearance was confirmed in the film.[9]

Release

Collectors was invited at Fantasia International Film Festival to screen the film. The three-week festivals was held from August 5 to 25, 2021 in Montreal. The film was screened in Canadian Premiere section on August 17, 2021.[10]

Reception

Box office

The film released on November 4, 2020, opened at top of local box office, as it sold about 80,000 tickets and grossed 701.6 million (around US$626,916).[11] It remained no.1 film on Korean box office for consecutive three weeks from November 8 to November 22, 2020.

According to Korean Film Council data, it is at 11th place among all the Korean films released in the year 2020, with gross of US$12.15 million and 1.54 million admissions, as of January 3, 2021.[12]

Admissions (persons)as of respective weekend date
Week endingAdmissions (cumulative)[14] Notes
1,544,928Weekend:529
1,543,278Weekend:3,243
1,537,801Weekend:3,970
1,530,885Weekend:7,371
1,511,574Weekend:18,033
1,481,363Weekend:16,494
1,452,176Weekend:15,017
1,423,700Weekend:26,863
1,369,546Weekend:42,828
1,276,614No.1 at BO
1,001,230
565,503

Critical response

Going by Korean review aggregator Naver Movie Database, the film holds an approval rating of 8.48 from the audience.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: William. Schwartz. "Collectors" to Sneak up in November. October 20, 2020. HanCinema. October 28, 2020.
  2. Web site: South Korea Box Office Collectors (2020). 9 June 2021. KOFIC.
  3. Web site: Collectors. October 27, 2020. HanCinema.
  4. Web site: Antiquities thieves captured in comedy film 'Collectors'. Yeon-soo. Kwak. October 6, 2020. The Korea Times.
  5. Web site: KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) Yearly. 3 January 2021. KOFIC.
  6. Web site: Collectors Korean Movie (2020) Cast, Release Date, Episodes. September 30, 2020.
  7. Web site: '도굴' 이제훈 "내 매력 총집합해 발산" | 텐아시아. Digital. tenasia.hankyung.com. October 6, 2020. 텐아시아 연예뉴스.
  8. Web site: [단독] 이제훈, 영화 '도굴' 주연 낙점]. March 19, 2019. m.news.zum.com.
  9. Web site: 케미 요정' 이제훈 X 신혜선, 영화 '도굴' 출연 확정 #이제훈 #신혜선 #도굴 #케이퍼무비 #영화 #영화스타그램. May 8, 2020.
  10. Web site: Canadian Premiere, Selection 2021, Collectors. Fantasia Festival . August 7, 2021.
  11. Web site: Comedy film 'Collectors' opens at top of local box office. November 6, 2020. The Korea Times. November 5, 2020.
  12. Web site: KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) Year 2020. May 20, 2021. KOFIC.
  13. Web site: 도굴(2020). Collectors 2020. February 19, 2021. Daum.
  14. Web site: Korean Box Office . January 27, 2021. HanCinema.
  15. Web site: 도굴 Collectors, 2020 . 3 February 2021. Naver 영화.