Guess what ain’t a joke no more? It’s D-War, the perpetually-delayed, endlessly trailered monster flick out of Korea. Like Duke Nukem Forever and nude (and attractive) Olsen Twins, this flick has become a sort of internet urban legend. We never really thought it would be finished, much less released.
And now it’s earned twenty freakin million in a weekend at the box office in South Korea. $20.3 to be exact, on only 689 screens. It made a little bit less than the previous top weekend opener in the country, The Host. But not a lot less.
This despite a massive critical drubbing; 3 million online video game addicts were evidently able to get out of the office chair long enough to catch a screening or two. Marketing to the geek contingent: it works!
What’s this mean for you? Not US distribution with the original title. Freestyle Releasing is still using Dragon Wars when the pic hits in September. (It’s opening against Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, on the 14th.) It also might mean a US theatrical push on par with The Host, which means no one will actually see it until DVD.
Note: I have not seen D-War, and this article is in no way intended to imply that the film is on par with The Host. If it’s on par with 2 And 2 Furious, I’ll be happy.