Director Heo Myeong-haeng, right, and the cast of "The Roundup: Punishment" celebrate surpassing 7 million viewers on Saturday while wearing decorative banners usually seen on celebratory floral arrangements in Korea. Courtesy of ABO Entertainment.

"The Roundup: Punishment" is on the brink of reaching 10 million viewers, achieving this milestone for the third time following the series' second and third installments — a first for such a Korean series of films.

Star actor Ma Dong-seok has solidified his position as king of the box office in Korean cinema. However, criticism has arisen that the new record, achieved while the fourth installment of the series dominated nearly 90 percent of the nation's theater screens, exposes issues in the Korean film industry.

According to data from the Korean Film Council, as of Wednesday, the latest series had garnered 8.71 million viewers as of May 7.

Given the current box office trend, the film is likely to surpass the 10 million viewer milestone by May 12, becoming the second film released this year to do so after the occult thriller "Exhuma."'

The second (2022) and third (2023) films in the series garnered 12.69 million and 10.68 million viewers, respectively. Should the latest series reach 10 million viewers, it will establish an unprecedented record as the first domestic series to achieve 10 million viewers for three consecutive releases.

The only foreign series to achieve this feat three times is the "Avengers" series.

Film critic Kim Young-jin, a professor at Myongji University, said, "Ma Dong-seok's star power was a significant factor in the success of 'The Roundup: Punishment'."

A woman walks past a poster for "The Roundup: Punishment" at a cinema in Seoul, May 5. Yonhap

Ma strikes gold with Roundup series

Ma has secured considerable financial success for three consecutive years with the action series.

In cinema revenue distribution, theaters keep 50 percent of the ticket sales, while the remaining half is divided between the investors, distributors and production companies after deducting production costs.

Starting with 2022 film release, the series has been co-produced by Big Punch Pictures, Hong Film and BA Entertainment. It's reported that about 30 billion won ($22 million) was earned by the production companies from the second film alone with the earnings from the third installment estimated to be similarly high.

According to the film industry, the profits are split evenly among the three companies, each netting approximately 10 billion won from the second and third installments. Big Punch Pictures, owned by Ma Dong-seok, has continued to earn significant profits, even though the production budget for 'The Roundup: Punishment" (15.3 billion won) was higher than that of the second release in the series (13 billion won).

Since the second installment in the series, Ma has taken on roles in planning, scripting and starring, which has earned him several hundred million won extra per film. He is estimated to have made over 30 billion won from the last three parts of the series.

Ma is the first actor to also handle production and scripting for a movie that reached 10 million viewers.

Film critic Oh Dong-jin analyzed the success of the series, saying, "They have become films that everyone must watch, films of everydayness. It (the series) offers a narrative tailor-made for the era of the leveling down of Korean cinema, with straightforward characters representing good versus evil, an ending that requires no interpretation and a plot without complex twists."

Ma Dong-seok is estimated to have made over 30 billion won from the second through fourth installments of his "Roundup" film series. Courtesy of ABO Entertainment

No competition at the box office

"The Roundup: Punishment" faced virtually no competition at the box office. Other Korean films that were the subject of much buzz disappeared from theaters three weeks before the release of the fourth film in the series on April 24.

Only "Following," starring Byun Yo-han and Shin Hye-sun, is set to open on Wednesday, followed by other new releases, leaving "The Roundup: Punishment" virtually unchallenged at cinemas.

The massive support from theaters has also accelerated the box office rush for "The Roundup: Punishment."

The film reached a peak screen share of 82 percent and a seat occupancy rate of 86 percent on April 27, meaning that eight out of ten showings in theaters nationwide on any given day were of the film, and nearly nine out of ten seats were allocated to it.

Complaints have arisen from the film industry that independent Korean films and new Hollywood releases like "Challengers" are only scheduled at very early or very late times, making it practically impossible for them to attract audiences.

Film critic Kim Young-jin said, "Society has become desensitized to the problem of screening monopolies. There's no trickle-down effect benefiting other movies due to the dominance of 'The Roundup: Punishment' at the box office."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times.