Summer Theater Three-Way Battle, Who Will Be the Winner! Anticipated Works 〈Omniscient Reader: The Prophet〉 - 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 - 〈Pretty Crazy〉 Anticipation Points

When summer comes, everyone will have various forms of vacation in their minds. Traveling is nice, staying at home is nice, food tours are nice, and in fact, anything is good for summer vacation, but the most popular indoor vacation is definitely a theater vacation. Watching a movie in the hot summer while enjoying the cool air conditioning makes you forget about summer. Therefore, the film industry prepares movies that are suitable for it. This year, the Korean film industry welcomes three films: the web novel adaptation 〈Omniscient Reader: The Prophet〉, the webtoon adaptation 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉, and director Lee Sang-geun's new work 〈Pretty Crazy〉. All three films pique the audience's interest, but each audience member will have different tastes. The Cineplay reporters have selected what points to focus on for each work. We hope that these three works and the audience will have a refreshing summer. The order is based on the release date.

Chua Young 〈Omniscient Reader: The Prophet〉 _

"The key is whether it can capture the original theme of solidarity that transcends fatalism and the reality of survival!"

〈Omniscient Reader: The Prophet〉 (hereafter referred to as 〈ORP〉) is based on the original work by author Singong, which has recorded over 200 million views and surpassed 10 billion won in cumulative transactions for a single IP. The news of the film adaptation of 〈ORP〉 has generated both anticipation and concern. First, there is hope that the massive production cost of 30 billion won will allow for a well-implemented representation of the original's multi-dimensional scale and the imagery of a destroyed city. The cast, including Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin, and Nana, is expected to show a high synchronization rate with the original characters. However, original fans express concerns that compressing the vast narrative of the web novel, which has a total of 906 chapters, into a film of about two hours may diminish the depth of the original. While various debates arise, the most important question may be whether it can effectively convey the original's theme of 'cooperation and solidarity that transcends fatalism and the reality of survival' and 'the value of living together.' If 〈ORP〉 can achieve this, it could be considered a valuable work in its own right. Additionally, since the film is also targeting overseas audiences, it may prove the global potential of K-content.

Kim Ji-yeon 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 _

"Now it's the 'Pet Zombie' era! Jo Jung-seok X Three Letters X Summer, a combination that cannot fail"

Let’s approach this unscientifically. 〈Exit〉 〈Pilot〉 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉. The three-letter title and Jo Jung-seok, along with movies releasing at the end of July. Somehow, I feel that 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 will continue this strange box office jinx. After living through a few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now think that even if a zombie crisis occurs in the world, we can still live our daily lives. This is why a comedy film about living with a 'pet zombie' is more appealing. 〈Exit〉 had 9.42 million viewers, and 〈Pilot〉 had 4.71 million. So, wouldn’t 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 attract at least 3 million viewers? Not to mention the performances of Jo Jung-seok and Lee Jeong-eun, if I had to pick just one more point of anticipation, it would be Jo Yeo-jeong's 'madness.' Jo Yeo-jeong, who plays Yeon-hwa in the main trailer, rolls her bright eyes and says, "Is there a zombie to kill anywhere?" Truly, she embodies the essence of 'bright-eyed madness.'

Seong Chan-eol 〈Pretty Crazy〉 _

"The myth of the underdog in 2019, the triangle team with Lee Sang-geun, YoonA, and Ahn Bo-hyun joining in"

Once again, they are in an underdog position. Competing against works with original stories and fandoms, 〈Pretty Crazy〉 bets on an original scenario. The anticipation for this gamble arises because it is a new work from a combination that has already shown 'the rebellion of the underdog.' Director Lee Sang-geun and YoonA swept the Chuseok market in 2019 with 〈Exit〉. It was the same back then. An ambiguous tone genre, a somewhat lacking cast (relatively speaking compared to competing works), and an original story. Nevertheless, they achieved 9 million viewers. Director Lee Sang-geun's story is exciting, maintaining a balance of humor and emotion, and the actors completed it with performances that fit their characters perfectly. Having created a myth once, it is hard not to be intrigued by the combination of director Lee Sang-geun and YoonA. Although Jo Jung-seok is absent from the 〈Exit〉 trio, Ahn Bo-hyun, who has recently been active in dramas such as 〈Yumi's Cells〉, 〈Military Prosecutor Doberman〉, 〈Please Take Care of My Last Life〉, and 〈Chaebol X Detective〉, has joined, ensuring the stability of the triangle team once again. The story of unemployed Gil-gu (Ahn Bo-hyun) who has to monitor the demon Seon-ji (YoonA) every dawn raises curiosity about what the content will be like. It is also exciting to anticipate how director Lee Sang-geun will humorously unfold a story that could be heavy like the previous work. The competition between Jo Jung-seok and YoonA, who were in 〈Exit〉, facing off against each other in competing works, is another highlight of this summer's theater scene.