The Princess and the Matchmaker is a 2018 South Korean period romantic comedy-drama film directed by Hong Chang-pyo.[2][3][4] The film stars Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Seung-gi, Kim Sang-kyung, Yeon Woo-jin, Kang Min-hyuk, Choi Woo-shik and Jo Bok-rae.[5] The film tells story of a saju[6] expert, Seo Do-yoon, who received an order from the King to help him pick a husband for his daughter, Princess Song-hwa, based on their fortune.[2][7] It is the second installment of Jupiter Film's three-part film project on the Korean fortune-telling traditions, following The Face Reader which was released in 2013 and followed by Feng Shui later in 2018.[8]
| The Princess and the Matchmaker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Literal meaning | Marital Compatibility |
| Revised Romanization | Gung-hap |
| Directed by | Hong Chang-pyo |
| Written by | Lee So-mi |
| Starring | Shim Eun-kyung Lee Seung-gi Kim Sang-kyung Yeon Woo-jin Kang Min-hyuk Choi Woo-shik Jo Bok-rae |
| Cinematography | Lee Hyung-deok |
| Edited by | Nam Na-yeong Kim Hyeong-joo |
| Music by | Kim Dong-gi |
Production company | Jupiter Film |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$9.9 million[1] |
Plot
editPrincess Songhwa of the Joseon era refuses her fate to marry one of four suitors deemed to have good marital compatibility with her. She then escapes from the palace to find the man she truly loves.
Cast
editMain
edit- Shim Eun-kyung as Princess Songhwa
- Lee Han-seo as Young Princess Songhwa
- Lee Seung-gi as Seo Do-yoon
- The fortune-teller
- Yeon Woo-jin as Yoon Shi-kyung
- First candidate for Princess Song-hwa's husband. He is an ambitious man of ability.
- Kang Min-hyuk as Kang Hwi
- Second candidate for Princess Song-hwa's husband who is a gifted man with good looks.
- Choi Woo-shik as Nam Chi-ho
- Third candidate for Princess Song-hwa's husband, a warm and a polite man known for his filial piety.
Supporting
edit- Kim Sang-kyung as King
- Jo Bok-rae as Gae-shi
- Park Sun-young as Young-bin
- Lee Yoon-gun as Park In
- Kim Do-yeop as Jo Yoo-sang
- Kim Joo-hun as Yook Son
- Han Sung-yun as Song-hwa
- Park Choong-sun as Eunuch Jang
- Cho Soo-hyang as Man-yi
- Lee Na-yoon as Young Man-yi
- Kim Do-yeop as Jo Yoo-sang
- Lee Yong-nyeo as Court lady Han
- Joo Da-young as Princess Yeo-hee
- Min Areum as Princess 3
- Son Seong-chan as Judge 2
- Park Won-ho as Sang-moon
- Lee Jung-hyun as Ugly man 1
- Yoon Yoo-sun as Eu'ahri
- Song Yeong-jae as Royal Observatory professor
- Song Kwang-won as Princess 1's suitor
- Lee Sun-bin as Princess 1
- Han Ji-an as Gisaeng 1
- Ahn Ji-ho as Deok-goo
Special appearance
edit- Choi Min-ho as Seo Ga-yoon
- Park Jin-joo as Ok-hee
Production
editPrincipal photography began on September 9, 2015 and wrapped on December 23, 2015.[9]
Release
editOn January 31, 2018, a promotional press conference was held with the main cast and the director at the event.[10] The main trailer for the film was unveiled on February 9, 2018.[11] The Princess and the Matchmaker was released in the local cinemas on February 28, 2018.[12]
Reception
editAccording to Korean Film Council, The Princess and the Matchmaker topped the local box office on the first day of its release and attracted 175,022 audiences.[13][14]
During the first weekend since the film was released at 965 screens, The Princess and the Matchmaker drew 489,702 moviegoers accounting for 29.1 percent of the weekend's ticket sales.[15][16]
The film maintained the number one spot for six consecutive days since its release and surpassed one million viewers on its seventh day.[17]
During the second weekend the film was viewed by 157,084 audiences and fell to fourth place at the Korean box office.[18][19]
References
edit- ^ "The Princess and the Matchmaker (2018)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
- ^ a b "Director says 'The Princess and the Matchmaker' is exhilarating period comedy drama". Yonhap News Agency.
- ^ "궁합".
- ^ "Daum영화 <궁합>".
- ^ "영화 [궁합] 상세정보".
- ^ Korean version of Four Pillars of Destiny or commonly known as Matchmaking
- ^ "Saju". KoreanLII.
- ^ "Actor Lee Seung-gi talks about 'The Princess and the Matchmaker'". Yonhap News Agency. 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^ "KoBiz (Korean Film Biz Zone)". www.kobiz.or.kr.
- ^ "Actor Lee Seung-gi talks about 'The Princess and the Matchmaker'". Yonhap News Agency. February 1, 2018.
- ^ "Trailer unveiled for 'The Princess and the Matchmaker'". Yonhap News Agency. February 9, 2018.
- ^ Shim, Sun-ah (January 31, 2018). "Director says 'The Princess and the Matchmaker' is exhilarating period comedy drama". Yonhap News Agency.
- ^ "Lee Seung-gi's "The Princess and the Matchmaker" Tops the Box Office". HanCinema.
- ^ Kim Bo-ra (March 2018). "[美친box] '궁합'·'리틀', 韓영화 나란히 1·2위..'블랙팬서' 3위". OSEN (in Korean).
- ^ Shim Sun-ah (March 5, 2018). "Two Korean films dominate box office". Yonhap News Agency.
- ^ Jin Min-ji (March 5, 2018). "After weeks of action, audiences flock to comedy". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ Kim Young-rak (March 6, 2018). "이승기X심은경 '궁합' 100만 관객 돌파…6일연속 박스오피스 1위". News Nate (in Korean). Sports Korea.
- ^ Shim Sun-ah (March 12, 2018). "Domestic thriller beats 'Tomb Raider' reboot at S. Korean box office". Yonhap News Agency.
- ^ Jin Min-ji (March 13, 2018). "Thriller 'The Vanished' beats 'Tomb Raider' reboot". Korea JoongAng Daily.