KOREA

August 2022
Film & TV

Korean-Style Franchise
Movies Arise

Ma Dong-seok Demonstrates the Potential of Korean
Franchise Films Through ¡®The Roundup¡¯ series

WRITTEN BY
Ahn Soong-beum,
film critic, professor at Kyung Hee University and director of the K-Cuture¡¤Story Contents Research Institute

Photos courtesy of
ABO Entertainment

¡°The Roundup¡± film franchise has drawn attention to the genre of Korean crime films. The first film in the franchise, ¡°The Outlaws,¡± was released in 2017, while its sequel, ¡°The Roundup,¡± debuted in July of 2022. Powered by a charismatic performance by leading actor Ma Dong-seok, ¡°The Roundup¡± has been a Box Office hit, becoming the first Korean film to draw 10 million viewers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

¡°The Roundup¡± became a signature of revival in the film industry which had suffered from all kinds of crises that were rampant at the height of COVID-19. Of course, the movie¡¯s box office success has been influenced by the end of the pandemic, but it¡¯s important to note that the ¡°pent-up demand¡± brought about by the pandemic exploded with people going to see ¡°The Roundup.¡±

Big Bang: Ma Dong-seok¡¯s
Cinematic Universe

In the ¡°N-Screen Era,¡± the public no longer feels the need to visit a movie theater to enjoy specific cultural content. The public is enjoying content through platforms with a subscription economical mechanism and an incredibly personalized recommendation system. It appears that many people who watch movies have become more accustomed to self-directed consumption through OTT (over-the-top) platforms.

The film industry will need to highlight the features of cinematic experience, like audiovisual spectacles that can only be seen on a large screen, to combat these issues. The audience should be able to enjoy the cinematic experience based on preferred targets such as specific directors, actors, genres or branded film companies. Loyal fans can help people feel the desire to participate in the overall experience.

In that respect, the birth and evolution process of Ma¡¯s cinematic universe has become a point of interest. First, Ma Dong-seok¡¯s daunting body size drives the action-fantasy genre and has the potential to make people laugh at unexpected moments. Ma has joined the ranks of Marvel superheroes through his irreplaceable charm. His muscular body, unusual among actors, evokes the image of excessive power, that is, superhuman strength. In some cases, it only takes one scene to build his character¡¯s personality.

Scenes from ¡®The Roundup¡¯

The huge box office success of ¡°The Roundup¡± is proof of that fact. ¡°The Roundup¡± series is a typical example of Ma¡¯s cinematic universe and has helped people understand the box office formula for Korean-style crime movies. Ma has the physical status to reveal a daunting presence in both good and evil characters. Still, the fantasy of a character with great physical strength is broken down in an unexpected way that highlights the different aspects of the character. This means that the possibilities of epic tension and relaxation coexist harmoniously in him.

Ma Suk-do (played by Ma Dong-seok in this series) comprehensively shows the actor¡¯s three-dimensional cinematic universe. First, Ma is a hard-bodied hero who unleashes masculinity for the restoration and well-being of the public. The second thing to note is that this series does not have a romantic plot. This means that the series has omitted the task of creating sexual attraction, something that be difficult to extract from the universal impression of an actor. The final characteristic of this series is the use of scenes that highlight the different aspects of the characters. The cliché of a man interested in dating but being shy in front of women and being rejected on blind dates is already seen in Ma¡¯s cinematic universe.

Scenes from ¡®The Roundup¡¯

The Possibility of
a Korean-Style Franchise Movie

The fact that ¡°The Roundup¡± became the first movie released after the pandemic to reach 10 million viewers—in Korea, there is a custom of judging a movie to be a ¡°mega-hit¡± if it reaches 10 million viewers—can also be explained from a different perspective. The movie does not require the intelligent reasoning skills or sharp judgment normally used in the crime-solving genre. There is no inner conflict or anguish between the characters. He provides a simple yet immediate entertaining experience for viewers who have been hungry for something worthwhile on the big screen.

A more detailed explanation is needed to discuss the possibility of this series being seen as a Korean-style franchise movie. First, it has reaffirmed the box office formula of the Korean crime genre.

In the case of this series, the charm of Ma¡¯s character, built up through several movies, has become the foundation for branding. Jang Chen (Kyesang Yoon) and Kang Hae-sang (Sukku Son) also have the ideal characteristics of a villain. They represent overwhelming evil and show a secret shadow of Korean society that serves as a foil to Ma Suk-do. Their presence shows that it can continue to be a unique series by using different charms to define the villain as another face of evil.

Scenes from ¡®The Roundup¡¯

In the future, this actions series will repeat the classic epic of didactic morality through the use of a fantasy of thorough punishment and complete expulsion. The course of the case will show a dramatic shift in value between harm and revenge, murder and solution, and deviation and punishment. Structurally speaking, this is a very simple development, but it¡¯s also a way to secure a popular story value.

To discuss one narrative that specifically fits the term ¡°Korean-style,¡± the functions of the characters Jeon Il-man (Choi Guy-hwa) and Jang Yi-soo (Park Ji-hwan) should be mentioned. Among the 28 films that have been recognized as movies that have reached 10 million viewers, 20 share the same characteristic: the role of tricksters in relaxing the tension and serving as comedic relief. They hold a very important position regardless of the length of the narrative. Tricksters sometimes cause laughter through unexpected choices and actions, which neutralize the audience¡¯s ordinary predictions and expectations. They also create subplots within the opposition between factions and characters. The characters Jeon and Jang will need to play active roles in any future movies to increase the chances of box office success.

Ma Suk-do is not a billionaire with the best technology like Iron Man. He doesn¡¯t suffer like Batman. Neither Jang Chen nor Kang Hae-sang drive a cosmic spectacle like Darth Vader. However, this series, backed by Ma Dong-seok¡¯s cinematic universe, has already defined the Korean-style franchise movie.

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