Synopsis
The story of the South Korean actor, Choi Eun-hee, and her ex-husband and film director, Shin Sang-ok, who were individually kidnapped and reunited by dictator and film fan Kim Jong-il to force them to develop North Korea's film industry.
Scores
Overall Score
34.9
Popularity Percentile (Year)
23.0%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
32.1%
Review Aggregate
66.7
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 79% of 76 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize historical, suspenseful, emotional. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
historicalsuspensefulemotionalstylizeddarkscaryfunnyfamily-friendlytragicromantic
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choi Eun-hee | 2016 | $2,000 | $2,000 | (est) |
| Shin Sang-ok | 2016 | $1,000 | $1,000 | (est) |
| Kim Jong Il | 2016 | $1,000 | $1,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score79.0
RT critic review count76
Rotten Tomatoes audience score53.0
RT audience rating count250
IMDb rating6.6
IMDb votes1,111
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 2016 | $55,511 | $72,558 |
| International | 2016 | $40,010 | $52,296 |
| Worldwide | 2016 | $95,521 | $124,854 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 2016 | $43,760 | $57,197 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 2016 | $1,142,000 | $1,492,689 |
| Digital Purchases ? | 2016 | $1,164,000 | $1,521,445 |
| Physical Rentals ? | 2016 | $1,002,000 | $1,309,698 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 2016 | $2,829,000 | $3,697,739 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 2016 | $75,000 | $98,031 |
| Total Revenues | 2016 | $6,255,760 | $8,176,799 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 2016 | $250,000 (est) | $326,771 (est) |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 2016 | $80,000 (est) | $104,567 (est) |
| Participations | 2016 | $250,000 | $326,771 |
| Residuals ? | 2016 | $350,000 | $457,479 |
| Interest & Overhead | 2016 | $50,000 | $65,354 |
| Total Expenses | 2016 | $980,000 | $1,280,942 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 2016 | $5,275,760 | $6,895,857 |
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 | Starring Jerry as Himself | 2024 | Shared genres: 3 | 23.2 | $69,561 |
 | The Imitation Game | 2014 | Shared genres: 2 | 95.4 | $94,670,272 |