novelburst
Chapter 479
Chapter 479
Chapter 479: Sudden Event (2)
The Joker had landed in South Korea.
On the early morning of May 31st, even during the early showings, theaters across the country were packed with audiences. Such a phenomenon had never been seen before, causing reporters and various news teams to rush to cinemas to capture the scenes.
“We’re here at a theater in Gangnam. Even though it’s early in the morning, as you can see, there’s a long line of moviegoers at the entrance. Everyone’s here to watch The Clown: The Birth of a Villain…”
Of course, this situation had been predicted. Kang Woojin’s Best Actor win at the Academy Awards, Director Ahn Gabok’s Best Director win, and the Best Picture award—all of this had stirred not only South Korea but the entire world. Now, a month later, it was finally time for the first release of The Clown: The Birth of a Villain.
How exciting would the movie be? How amazing would it be?
The audience, filled with soaring expectations, crowded into the theaters. Even though it was a weekday, all screenings—morning, afternoon, and evening—were sold out. The only remaining seats were for the late-night showings.
As people gathered:
“Wow—look at all these people. This is insane.”
“Is this real? The early morning show is almost full?”
“Well, of course. Not only did The Clown sweep the Oscars, but it was sold out in the U.S. during the early release. It’s one of those ‘must-watch’ films.”
“It’s going to be legendary, right? Hurry up and start already.”
The audience in the first screening of The Clown marveled at the packed seats, eagerly awaiting the film to begin.
After what felt like hours, though only 10 minutes had passed...
“It's starting.”
The massive screen lit up with The Clown: The Birth of a Villain, and soon, the audience was treated to Kang Woojin’s portrayal of the Joker. A cigarette in his mouth, red hair, a pale face, and a wide grin with thick red lips—this was The Joker.
-[“Hahaha! Hahahaha, hahahaha!”]
His unsettling and maniacal laughter echoed throughout the theater.
-[“Hehehehe, hahahaha kekeke!”]
The entire audience swallowed hard. They had expected something, but the reality was even more shocking than they had imagined. The Joker had already taken over Hollywood, and it didn’t take long for South Korea to fall under his spell too.
The movie’s impact was immediate.
[The Clown: The Birth of a Villain / Release Date: May 31, 2023] [Rating: 9.8] [Viewer Reviews: 897 participants]
- “The scene where The Joker finishes his look with flour and blood is the best scene of my life...” — b****
- “No way… Kang Woojin’s acting is absolutely insane... How is anyone going to portray The Joker after this?” — t****
- “It felt like I was watching something that transcends acting. I completely understand why Kang Woojin won the Oscar for Best Actor.” — 1****
- “Kang Woojin did it again.” — g****
- “LOL Kang Woojin’s acting is… Please bring 4248 pairs of underwear. You’ll still need more.” — z****
- “It had everything—fun, catharsis, direction, and messaging. Kang Woojin was a monster.” — 4****
- “When The Joker fully awakens and goes all in, I got chills. Absolutely insane.” — j****
- “Watching Kang Woojin’s Joker performance made me feel like I could become him.” — 3****
- “Just watch it. Words can’t describe it.” — c****
- “Hahaha, this movie shows why Kang Woojin took over the world.” — q****
The audiences who saw The Clown rushed to leave reviews, and the buzz spread rapidly on online communities. Naturally, it was the same on social media, while YouTube was flooded with videos about the movie.
South Korea was shaken all day by The Clown: The Birth of a Villain.
Kang Woojin, in LA, was well aware of the situation in real-time, whether through direct messages or updates. Although he maintained a calm demeanor, inwardly, he couldn’t help but feel pleased.
‘Good, good. The reviews are great. I wonder how many people saw it? With all these sold-out shows, I bet the numbers will be insane—I’ll check tomorrow.’
The next day, on June 1st, the results of The Clown’s opening day in South Korea were announced in a major way.
?Breaking News: The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Breaks 1 Million Viewers on Opening Day!?
The Clown surpassed 1 million viewers in a single day—a miracle. To be precise, it reached 1.04 million viewers, effortlessly surpassing the opening-day numbers of South Korea’s top three films: Leech, Island of the Missing, and Foreign Sacrifice.
But this was just the beginning.
?The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Opens with 1 Million Viewers in South Korea, Now Set to Conquer the World!?
From here on, the movie would be released worldwide.
While Kang Woojin was busy wrapping up the filming of John Persona, The Clown: The Birth of a Villain began opening in cinemas around the globe, as planned. Starting in South Korea, it was screened in approximately 40 countries, including the U.S., Japan, France, and the U.K.
The international press went wild.
From the beginning, The Clown: The Birth of a Villain had generated immense hype and attention, and after its success at the Academy Awards, it exploded. Wherever it was released, the pre-sales were staggering.
?CNM/The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Premieres, Selling Out in Theaters Worldwide! Could It Break Records??
Hollywood and the rest of the world were closely watching The Clown’s performance. Given the absurd amount of attention and momentum, it seemed inevitable that the film would break long-standing box office records. Naturally, Columbia Studios and Kang Woojin had high expectations. And it didn’t take long for The Clown’s massive box office success to be announced.
After just five days...
?LA Times/Record-Breaking! The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Surpasses $1 Billion Globally in 5 Days!? ?BBX/The Joker Wins Over the World! The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Surpasses $1 Billion in Box Office Sales, Creating a Global Sensation? ?ABY/The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Ranks in the Top 15 of All-Time Box Office Hits After Just Five Days, With $1 Billion in Earnings!?
The movie had surpassed $1 billion within five days of its release—an insane feat. This number exceeded even the most optimistic projections from various media outlets. Moreover, achieving this in just five days was unprecedented in the industry. In fact, The Clown had already secured a spot in the top 10 of the highest-grossing films in Hollywood history.
The speed was unbelievable.
Kang Woojin was utterly shocked when he heard the news, breaking his usual calm persona.
“$1 billion???!! How much is that? Wh-what?! 1 trillion?? 1 TRILLION WON?!”
He had never seen such an amount in his life. For context, the total production cost of The Clown: The Birth of a Villain was slightly over $200 million. The movie had already recouped its costs several times over. Even though the majority of box office revenue is earned in the first few weeks, hitting $1 billion in just five days was beyond extraordinary.
After seven days, The Clown had surpassed $1.3 billion.
?NT/The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Surpasses $1.3 Billion on Day 7, Ranking in the Top 10 Worldwide Box Office Hits!?
On day 8, it hit $1.5 billion, and by day 10, it had surpassed $1.6 billion, placing it sixth in the all-time global box office rankings. With over 2 trillion won in revenue, Kang Woojin could barely comprehend the astronomical success of the movie, as the numbers kept climbing day by day.
‘…2 trillion won?’
As of day 10, South Korea had already reached a total of 10 million viewers.
?The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Reaches 10 Million Viewers in 10 Days, The Fastest in History!?
While The Clown was shaking up the world, the momentum wasn’t stopping there. The next big release was already being prepped. Beauty and the Beast, starring Kang Woojin and Miley Cara, held its first test screening. Watching the first glimpse of The Beast on a medium-sized screen, Woojin was filled with amazement.
‘Whoa—this CG is insane!’
The tights he had worn during filming were nowhere to be seen, and all that was left on screen was The Beast and Belle. Even as someone who had played The Beast, Woojin watched the live-action version with a sense of nostalgia, feeling like just another audience member. The live-action adaptation had come out exceptionally well.
After the test screening ended, applause filled the room.
-Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!
The outstanding quality of Beauty and the Beast and the ongoing massive success of The Clown led to overwhelming praise. Miley Cara, who hadn’t seen much of Woojin lately due to their busy schedules, took the opportunity to show some affection.
“Congratulations, really. The Clown is still doing incredibly well—aren’t you going to treat me to something nice?”
The “something nice” was just an excuse for a date. With over 2 trillion won in revenue flowing, Woojin answered without hesitation.
“Let’s go to Korea. Have you been to Jeju Island? Once things settle down a bit, I’ll make you something delicious at my villa.”
“I’ll get to ride your private jet?”
“Yep.”
As mid-June approached, The Clown entered its 20th day, and the box office revenue had reached a staggering...
?LA Times/The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Breaks $2 Billion in 20 Days, Shattering Multiple Records!?
The film had grossed $2 billion.
With less than a month since its release, the box office numbers were beyond comprehension. Soon, the world would list all the records that The Clown had broken.
?ABY/The Clown: The Birth of a Villain Breaks $2 Billion, Setting Multiple Records?
-[“The Clown: The Birth of a Villain, which swept the Academy Awards, is now taking the global box office by storm. The world has fallen in love with Kang Woojin’s Joker, and Columbia Studios’ Cinematic Universe has achieved incredible success.”] -[“The records set by The Clown: The Birth of a Villain are numerous. The film has already secured a spot as the third highest-grossing film of all time, the highest-grossing film of 2023, the fastest to hit $1 billion, the fastest to hit $2 billion, and it currently holds the top spot for the largest worldwide box office opening…”]
The records were more than enough to solidify The Clown as a legend, and Kang Woojin had firmly established himself as a global superstar.
Around the same time, after the test screening of Beauty and the Beast, the marketing campaign ramped up. However, the film’s release was slightly delayed due to the overwhelming success of The Clown.
Meanwhile, the filming of Guest proceeded without delay.
“Mr. Kang Woojin! Looking forward to working with you!”
“Likewise, looking forward to it.”
Woojin’s special appearance in Guest was filmed without any issues. Although the presence of a hundred staff members and the commotion that came with a star like Woojin couldn’t be avoided, everything went smoothly.
Meanwhile, Columbia Studios, celebrating the legendary success of The Clown, quickly moved forward with the production of The Bat: The Birth of a Hero, a film closely tied to The Joker. Given the massive success of their cinematic universe, this was an inevitable decision.
“Next, we’re going to talk about the movie that’s shaking Hollywood and the world—The Clown: The Birth of a Villain has surpassed $2.4 billion in 35 days.”
With The Clown surpassing $2.4 billion and generating over 3 trillion won in revenue, the film had become the second highest-grossing film of all time.
At this moment, Kang Woojin couldn’t help but feel the gravity of the situation.
“...3 trillion won—seriously, 3 trillion?”
The global box office success confirmed the power of an EX+++ rated film. But this was only half the story. Columbia Studios had already announced that the film would continue to generate revenue long after its release. In other words, they were only halfway through.
“Wow—this EX+++ rating is something else!”
Kang Woojin’s bank account was already exploding from the legendary success of The Clown, and the numbers would only keep growing with every passing moment.
By the second week of July...
With over a month and two weeks since The Clown’s release, South Korea’s box office rankings had already changed.
[South Korea All-Time Box Office Rankings] [All-Time Movie Rankings (Combined)] -1. The Clown: The Birth of a Villain / Total Audience: 22,108,419 -2. Leech / Total Audience: 20,483,558 -3. Island of the Missing / Total Audience: 20,321,451 -4. Foreign Sacrifice / Total Audience: 16,833,712 -5. Naval Battle / Total Audience: 16,715,955 -6. Unstoppable / Total Audience: 15,557,118
Kang Woojin had now claimed the top four spots. And The Clown was still climbing. In fact, Japan and other nearby Asian countries were experiencing similar phenomena. As a result, the global community bestowed upon Woojin the title of an actor who had conquered the world.
?LA Times/Kang Woojin, the Monster Actor Who Achieved Something Unparalleled Globally!?
Of course, this was a widely accepted sentiment among global audiences.
-“Kang Woojin is the only actor worthy of being called a true world star.” -“I agree, but Woojin’s level of influence is an incredibly high bar to reach.” -“Wow! Soon The Clown will become the highest-grossing film of all time!” -“Amazing… Honestly, when Kang Woojin first appeared in Hollywood, I didn’t really acknowledge him… Now it seems crazy to even criticize him.” -“Ah, I suddenly feel like watching The Joker again. I need to go see The Clown one more time.” -“Guys, you know what’s even scarier? After The Clown, Kang Woojin still has big films like Beauty and the Beast and John Persona lined up.” -“It’s not just this year—it’s going to be the year of Kang Woojin for the next two years at least.”
As late July approached, The Clown: The Birth of a Villain once again shocked the world. Even Kang Woojin was stunned when he saw the numbers.
“…$2.7 billion—are you serious?? Wow, what the heck is this?!”
Ultimately, The Clown had reached $2.7 billion, breaking a record that had stood for over a decade. The legendary film that had held the top spot for so long was pushed down to second place, and The Clown: The Birth of a Villain...
Had claimed the number one spot as the highest-grossing film of all time.