[HanCinema's News] "Cobweb" Delivers Underwhelming Box Office Performance

Song Kang-ho is famous as one of the strongest draws in South Korean cinema. So it was with some surprise that his latest film "Cobweb" has only just barely cleared the two hundred thousand viewer mark in its fifth day of release, despite coming out on Korean Thanksgiving weekend. Airing at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, "Cobweb" had hopes of being able to earn wins at award season due to its international reputation.

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But "Cobweb" has struggled at the South Korean box office. Part of the issue may just be that "Cobweb" isn't appropriate as a family film. A sort of meta-commentary on seventies-era film culture, "Cobweb" isn't really aiming for a broad audience. However, even among the more highbrow set, "Cobweb" has not been highly rated on South Korean film websites. The black comedy has thus not been able to garner momentum, at least for a theatrical release.

With a production budget of seven million dollars, "Cobweb" is not likely to break off of box office receipts alone. The film may or may not do better when it's released via OTT platforms. Though the COVID-19 induced depression at the South Korean box office may be over, the industry remains as volatile as ever for less obviously crown-pleasing productions.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Cobweb" is directed by Kim Jee-woon, and features Song Kang-ho, Lim Soo-jung, Oh Jung-se, Jeon Yeo-been, Jung Soo-jung, Jang Young-nam. Release date in Korea: 2023/09/27.