The Korean film industry is a tough landscape, especially for mid-budget films. Distributor nervousness surrounding “Following” stemmed from two factors: the ongoing box office momentum of “The Roundup: Punishment” and the unexpected success of the Japanese animation “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle”. Despite an insignificant opening, however, “Following” has become a quiet success story.
Directed by rookie filmmaker Kim Se-hwi and starring Byun Yo Han, Shin Hye Sun, Lee El. “Following” defied expectations by reaching 1 million viewers, becoming the 5th Korean film of 2024 to achieve this feat. This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy considering the film’s challenges:
- Poor reviews from distributors at preview screenings
- A story that doesn’t follow traditional box office formulas
- The absence of big-name stars like Son Seok-goo or Kang Dong-won
- Distribution by Content Geo, a small-scale distributor
These factors resulted in limited screen allocation compared to bigger budget films.
Kim Seong-cheol, head of production company Engine Film, outlined a unique strategy to counter the initial challenges:
“I strategized to keep the number of seats the same and run it for a long time by maintaining the seat sales rate even if we only get 600,000 to 700,000 seats, which is the maximum for a mid-budget film, because these days theaters quickly reduce the number of screens if the seat sales rate is low.”
This strategy relied on positive word-of-mouth from the target audience of young adults in their 20s and 30s.
The Power of Word-of-Mouth
“Following” never reached the top spot at the box office, but it consistently maintained a high seat sales rate, even during weeks when bigger films were released. This success aligns with the post-pandemic trend of audience word-of-mouth playing a more significant role.
The production company and distributor capitalized on this trend by:
- Scheduling audience dialogues with Byo Chang-won, a popular talk show guest, instead of film critics
- Hosting interactive stage greetings with lead actors Shin Hye-sun and Byun Yo-han
These efforts helped maintain momentum and build a connection with younger audiences.
“Following” joins “Citizen of a Kind,” “Exhuma,” “The Roundup: Punishment,” and “Alienoid: Return to the Future” as Korean films with over 1 million viewers in the first half of 2024. With over 1.14 million viewers as of June 10th and approaching its break-even point of 1.25 million, “Following” stands as a testament to the power of word-of-mouth and innovative marketing strategies in a competitive market.
The Korean film industry is experiencing increasing market polarization, where big-budget films dominate and mid-budget films struggle. The success of “She Died” and “Citizen Deaky” offers a glimmer of hope.
Shin Yoo-kyung, CEO of the film industry, commented on the film’s significance:
“While securing seats is still important and the market favors big films, there is a positive aspect in that word-of-mouth from audiences after Corona is opening up new opportunities for mid-budget films.”
Her words highlight the potential for innovative marketing and audience connection to create opportunities for mid-budget films, even in a challenging market.
