More than 2 million see local movie 'Ssanghawjeom' in S. Korea

SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- Ticket sales for the South Korean movie "Ssanghwajeom
(A Frozen Flower)" topped 2 million as of Friday, making the film the first to
pass the mark this year, movie distributors said Friday.
The fictional tale of homosexual romance between King Kongmin and his bodyguard
during Korea's ancient Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) drew an audience of 1.96 million
as of Thursday, the film's 10th day of screening, movie distribution company
Showbox said.
Domestic filmmakers have been striving to fight the ongoing economic slump and a
deluge of Hollywood blockbusters to be released this year.
South Korean movies saw their worst sales figures in eight years in 2008, which
fell by more than 20 percent from the previous year.
Just eight films last year saw ticket sales top 2 million compared to 16 films in
2006 and 10 in 2007.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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