Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 159

The Memories of a Former Hero (3)

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CINE99 | Journalist Kim Jeong-ik

[Guardian Overwhelms the World]

···Therefore, anyone familiar with Gwyn Raymond’s body of work will notice the numerous gems shining throughout the screen. For example, the flow of the Odyssey… It remains faithful to the mythological motif that ‘difficulty comes to those who violate morality.’

Born with a curse. Because his very beginning is immoral, God faces numerous difficulties. Beyond the stronghold of ‘Kill Thorn,’ and homages to ‘Absolute Power’ and ‘Journeyman,’ the fact that he established originality within the film solely through the actor’s potential…

A massive bomb has dropped.

Starting with CINE99’s journalist Kim Jeong-ik, who highly praised ‘Black Priest,’ countless critics, bloggers, and fans poured out reviews.

Jin Gyu-il, the head of C&J, posted proof of watching the film three times on his personal SNS, and Yoonbal25 of ‘Manghoidol’ even uploaded photos to his fan cafe.

The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews, even in some rather closed-off communities.

Title: Is it God or Gordon Ramsay? This Viral Marketing is Driving Me Crazy

Content: How fun could it possibly be? Why are these celebrity wannabes making such a fuss? I, Kim Kyung-jin, the emperor of the Nouvelle Vague [French New Wave cinema movement], will judge for myself, LOL.

(Photo of a late-night movie ticket)

-You’re going to be blown away, LOL.

-Please don’t stink up the place with your loser smell… It’s embarrassing.

└This guy has ‘socially maladjusted aspiring film director’ written all over his memo pad.

└└Stop tracking IPs.

-Neorealism and New Wave are just hipster diseases in front of a masterpiece.

└That’s a bit much;

└└Arrest the malignant art fanatic.

-The celebrities you’re talking about are the driving force behind this community, you idiot.

Occasionally, there were also seriously critical posts, but they were quickly buried and sank below the surface.

Like all enthusiasts, film fans are fundamentally thirsty for better works.

Even if they cringe at K-Culture and K-Dramas, they are still the same people.

It’s only natural to be excited that Korean cinema, which had been struggling overseas for the past decade, has produced a masterpiece thanks to one actor.

And… a week after the first premiere, ‘God’ made it onto the international box office charts.

“How many?”

“2.64 million… but the advance ticket sales rate is insane. It looks like it’ll surpass 3 million this weekend?”

“Regardless of screen monopoly, there’s a line of audience requests to increase the number of screens. If we hadn’t put our own restrictions on it in the beginning, we would have broken through already, sigh.”

At Roman Entertainment, the public relations team leader, Gong Gi-hyung, with his tie loosened, turned his head.

“Hyeong-shik, what about overseas?”

A new recruit joined the PR team last month. The rookie male employee, sweating profusely as he checked three monitors, raised his hand.

“We’ve completely taken it over!”

“What?”

“Deadland. It kept going back and forth, but since this morning, we’ve completely crushed it! Now we’re overwhelmingly in first place!”

Smiles spread across the faces of the PR team members. It was number one at the U.S. box office.

They had finally caught Jo Cluage’s ‘Deadland,’ which had been praised as a well-made zombie thriller and was on a successful run until the release of the film.

Fizz, pop!

Team Leader Gong, who had somehow obtained a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne, opened it and poured it overflowing into paper cups for the employees.

“Okay, let’s have a small toast first. The director and CEO will be here soon with something—”

“Still, Team Leader, even if it’s non-alcoholic, why paper cups! It’s not like we’re having a neighborhood party.”

“So, you don’t want to drink it?”

The female employee, who had been repulsed, quickly snatched the cup.

“Of course not! Should the team leader give the toast?”

“Okay, let’s keep going until the end of the year!”

“Let’s gooo!”

Under the bright fluorescent lights, paper cups clinked together, and champagne bubbles splashed up.

The crazy horse doesn’t stop.

Like sequentially detonating explosives, broke box office records in every country it was released in.

Europe, Oceania, North America, Asia… There wasn’t a single weak link.

Experts briefly described this box office sensation.

[A crazy director, an even crazier actor, the inevitable result of a script the world wants]

There’s a time for everything. Even when Korean films were being invited to international film festivals a decade ago, it wasn’t to this extent.

This time, all the conditions were right.

The lead actor was a Cannes winner, the director was a rising star in independent film, and he even appeared on local TV shows to make an impression on the biggest box office customers.

One person calling ten, and ten calling a hundred is the same in Korea and Europe.

Gwyn Raymond, who couldn’t attend the premiere due to his schedule in England, left a line on Twitter.

-So, who won now?

Of course, it’s the guy who caught the last train.

Foreign media outlets churned out articles related to God, and domestic media covered it in every section, whether it was culture or society.

It looked as if a Korean director had turned Hollywood upside down, but in an open festival, it doesn’t matter whether it’s the chicken or the egg.

The ones who benefited directly were even more thrilled.

‘God’s investment company, 42Pictures, was screaming with joy at the pouring dollar bills.

“Jang, Jang!”

Co-CEO Rodin Muzkel burst into the conference room, shouting for his friend.

Jang Reno, who had his feet up on the table, wearing sunglasses and smoking an e-cigarette, raised a hand.

“Yes, friend. What’s the matter?”

“This is… insane. It’s been number one for two weeks already!”

“Where, the North American box office?”

“No! Worldwide! Now we’ve even conquered Asia. Those stupid Chinese guys, they tried so hard to manipulate things, but the bubble finally burst!”

Taking off the sunglasses he had received as a gift from a film director, Jang Reno smirked.

He was reminded of what Gwyn Raymond had said when he last saw him.

“That friend was right.”

Rodin Muzkel, who was circling the conference room with his hands raised, asked back.

“Yeah, what?”

“Nothing, I’m just amazed that you’re so excited. Didn’t you make even more money on Wall Street?”

“It’s different here! Damn it, if I had known that culture and art were so lucrative, I would have gotten involved sooner. That guy… I regret ignoring that Italian hick friend so much.”

Jang Reno, who was listening, corrected him.

“Not an Italian hick, but Gwyn Raymond. He contacted me yesterday too. He told me to tell you to go screw yourself.”

“It’s okay, anytime! I heard Korean *yeot* [Korean taffy, often used figuratively to mean ‘screw you’] is so delicious!”

“…Did you eat something wrong today?”

It’s no wonder Rodin Muzkel was so excited.

The initial budget for was ten million dollars, with an additional five million dollars coming in from various sources and investments.

The box office success earned with just fifteen million dollars is currently five times that amount in the first month of release.

Even more shocking is that this revenue is just the sum of the North American box office.

Even for 42Pictures, a fairly reputable investment company, there hasn’t been a return on investment like this in the past year, even when combining film production… no, all other categories.

Eventually, Rodin Muzkel took out his smartphone and started making a call.

“What, why the sudden call?”

“God. No, I need to say a word to our Combat God. Tell him to come to LA for a tour next week!”

“You don’t even know his phone number…”

Jang let out a hollow laugh.

Besides his crazy business partner, the reaction from North American fans was roughly similar.

They say the ultimate fan is a Western fan. In Korea, only a few experts recognized its true value, but overseas sites were full of real experts who had been delving into weapons and combat techniques for decades.

Military intelligence communities, weapons technology clubs, special tactics secret websites…

In addition, influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers admired it, drawing even greater attention.

-Gord? They named him wrong. He’s just the God of fighting.

-OMG, is that actor’s country still at war?

└I was surprised too. If he infiltrated alone, he could blow up Rocketman’s neck, right?

└└Don’t get too into it. He’s an actor, not a soldier.

└└└He’s actually an actor from a special forces unit. Like the SAS [Special Air Service] or SEAL [Sea, Air, Land Teams].

-If the Syrian and Uzbek wars had ended 20 years later, that man would have written a legend.

Meanwhile, the fact that China’s interference in the Asian box office was severe caused controversy.

Early in the filming of ‘God.’ The coordination fell apart on the night streets of Hong Kong, which were originally on the location list, and the public security authorities, harboring resentment, imposed screening restrictions.

-How ugly, how ugly.

-Someone bring a giant fan. Let’s send back the dust storm blowing from there.

-Friends, instead of that, recommend it to your acquaintances one more time. What a disgrace if Asian revenue is higher than ours?

*

Back in Korea.

Incumbent actors were surprisingly calm.

Was Park Geon’s show of strength a one-time thing? If a cousin buys land, your stomach hurts, but if they build a country, you don’t even feel jealous.

A male actor, who was usually a fan of monster movies, confessed frankly in an unofficial interview.

“Park Seonbae… Ah, not Seonbae [term of respect for senior colleagues]. Actor Park Geon? Now I just accept it. He was an extraordinary monster from the time he debuted. If a dinosaur is having a monster showdown with other dinosaurs, what’s the point of being jealous in the human world?”

On the other hand, the female actors were somewhat different.

“That *oppa* [term used by females to address older brothers or male friends]… no, Park Geon? He’s really something. All the actresses and idols around me who are doing well sent him DMs with confidence, but they all got rejected. How can he text so impotently… Ah, please edit this out.”

…Anyway, the reactions from broadcasting officials were all favorable.

That’s because the production staff eats, breathes, and films right next to the celebrities.

In a field full of drug-addled guys, self-centered guys, and guys who swear at the staff, a character like Park Geon is like a natural monument.

Those who have worked with Park Geon, especially those who have a personal connection with him, had their shoulders raised.

In the CEO’s office of the expanded ‘Keunbeom Studio,’ a hearty laugh echoed.

“Wahahahaha! Still number one? No, I should say it will be number one in the future too!”

The female secretary outside the CEO’s office secretly covered her ears, but CEO Tae Jong-beom laughed with his uvula visible.

After ‘Black Priest,’ Park Geon caused a series of upheavals, and Keunbeom’s name also spread widely.

With Kim Ryul, who kept his loyalty, soaring as a director, it’s not a trickle-down effect, but pouring water into a drum [a metaphor for rapid and continuous growth].

A representative from another production company, who visited the studio for a meeting, frowned.

“…Excuse me, but I get so upset when I see you. Director Kim Ryul is the same as ever, but how can a person be like this…”

“Hey, CEO Kang.”

“What, again?”

“You should have caught him earlier if you felt wronged! Why did you criticize Director Kim’s movie back then? The eye for talent, huh? Luck is also a skill, wahahahaha!”

After the production company representative left, Tae Jong-beom laughed heartily and called his secretary.

“Yes, CEO.”

“What about the rest of the schedule?”

“There will be an actor audition at 4 PM. The location is the conference room on the 3rd floor of our studio.”

CEO Tae Jong-beom, who was flipping through his iPad, suddenly looked at his watch.

“Hmm, ‘My Lady’ audition? Didn’t Director Kim say he would attend that too?”

“We received a call a little while ago. He said he had to visit Park Geon’s parents’ house because he was sick, and he apologized and asked us to send him the filming footage.”

“Geez, he’s overworking himself. If it’s a visit to Seon-i’s house, I’ll go too. Tell them to wait a little longer if there’s no schedule.”

The secretary had a puzzled expression. Seeing that she had a strange look on her face, CEO Tae asked again.

“Why, is there a problem?”

“That’s… it’s not Manager Park Seon.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Actor Park Geon is sick.”

Tae Jong-beom’s jaw dropped, something that hadn’t happened even when ‘God’ hit number one at the U.S. box office.

“Who’s sick…?”

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