"The Closet" Surpasses 1 Million Movie-Goers

Horror films don't really tend to do too well at the cinema. Passed a few blockbusters, nothing much has really done a massive amount, usually losing to crime, thriller, and romance.

In fact, as of July 2018, Train to Busan is the only highest-grossing horror film on the list of the top 10 Korean grossing films - coming in at the tenth position. The top ten itself is as follows:

1. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)
2. Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)
3. Ode to My Father (2014)
4. Veteran (2015)
5. The Thieves (2012)
6. Miracle in Cell No.7 (2013)
7. Assassination (2015)
8. Masquerade (2012)
9. A Taxi Driver (2017)
10. Train to Busan (2016)

It's not an easy feat for horror films to make progress in today's cinematic world - so much so that it surprises me that I'm writing this article - however, The Closet has reached 1 million movie-goers in just 11 days.

The Closet is a 2020 horror film from director and screenwriter Kim Kwang Bin. It follows a father, Sang Won - played by Ha Jung Woo - who loses his wife in an accident. He and his daughter - Yi Na (Heo Yool) - move to a new house for a fresh start. Soon, things go wrong as his daughter goes missing after making a mysterious new friend and after her closet has started making strange and unexplainable noises.
While trying to find his daughter, Sang Won gets a call from a mysterious man by the name of Kyung Hoon (Kim Nam Gil) explaining that his daughter is not the first child to disappear in mysterious circumstances and that she is the thirty-second child to do so. Together, Sang Won and Kyung Hoon work together to find Yi Na, the other missing children and to solve the mystery once and for all. 

Currently, as of February 19th, the film has 2 ratings on MyDramaList, giving it a 4.8/10 rating (a 3/10 and a 6.5/10) and has been logged by 233 users. 

Released on February 5th, 2020, the Korean Film Council has come forward on February 15th to announce that The Closet surpassed 1 million movie goes - in just 11 days. To commemorate this achievement, Kim Nam Gil and Ha Jung Woo got together with Kim Kwang Bin and posed for a photo.

The text posted alongside the photo reads: *

1 million reached! Thank you to everyone who watched ‘Closet’!

It's no doubt that The Closet has done a remarkable feat, especially for a horror movie, however, the film could have been very different.

Actor Kim Nam Gil revealed that he was actually hesitant and had trouble signing onto the film as he believes in ghosts.

When talking about the extent of how much he believes in ghosts, Nam Gil has said:

I’ve been scared to get on an elevator, and I’ll sing as I’m going up the stairs. But when you stop singing, it echoes. That’s scary. When I’m sitting at a desk, I imagine that someone is going to pull on my feet. And they say that if your head itches a ghost is touching you…

Nam Gil spoke more on the film, explaining that it isn't just a horror film:

It’s an occult film, but rather than being a simple horror film, there’s a strong story of child abuse, and we tried to put more emphasis on the story being about people.

He has also added:

I remember the staff saying that it’s fun to film horror movies, and it really was fun. Because we know the whole story, it wasn’t scary. Talking to Ha Jung Woo, we agreed that we wouldn’t over-exaggerate our expressions. I initially thought that if I were to do a horror film, I’d be more over-the-top, but because my character is the one catching [the ghost, I changed my mind].

Kim Nam Gil's most recent drama work is The Fiery Priest which currently has an MDL rating of 8.9/10 from 2,085 users.
Ha Jung Woo has mostly been working on the Along with the Gods series and has an upcoming Main Role in the 2021 drama Suriname.

So, are you looking forward to seeing The Closet?
Is this on your must-see list or your not interested list?

Thanks for reading!

_{Sources:  (1), (2), (3)}

^{* Unsure where photos were shared}

_{Edited by: BrightestStar (1st editor), Yuanwei (2nd editor)}