The Admiral Official Poster
Since its premier, the South Korean historical epic, The Admiral broke records that will remain in the history of Korean cinema. The movie features the iconic feats of Admiral Soon-Shin Lee who fought against the Japanese in its invasion of Korea from 1592 to 1599.
From the day it was released, the blockbuster caught the eye of Korean film fans and started breaking all kinds of records. The Admiral became the movie to receive the most views on the day of its premier (680,000) and reached 10 million views in only 12 days. The picture reached the 10 million mark faster than any other movie released in Korean theaters, including Disney’s Frozen, James Cameron’s Avatar, and The Attorney.
Before The Admiral, the film with the most views in Korean cinemas was James Cameron’s science fiction epic, Avatar. However, the former broke the latter’s record in only 2 weeks. On the 18th day of its release, The Admiral reached the 15 million mark, for the first time ever in Korean film history.
The historic drama is centered round the feats of Korean naval commander, Admiral Soon-Shin Lee of the Chosun Dynasty. It is 1598 and the Chosun Dynasty is at war with the combined forces of all the Japanese warlords under the command of Hideyooshi Toyotomi. The Admiral focuses on the most famous battle during the 7-year-long war, the Battle of Myeong-ryang where Admiral Lee defeated a Japanese fleet of 330 ships with only 12 Korean vessels.
Any Korean who took a history lesson grew up hearing stories about the legendary naval commander. According to historical records, Admiral Lee was known for failing to enlist in the military as an officer three times and was originally an army general but was transferred into the navy following the Japanese invasion in 1592. After many victories at sea, the Chosun Dynasty defeated the Japanese forces in 1599. Admiral Lee was killed at the Battle of Noryang by a Japanese gunner, where he ordered his generals to not let his death be known to the forces but to continue fighting.
The iconic Admiral Lee was played by veteran Korean star Min-sik Choi, who was known for other huge roles in moves like New World (2011) and Hollywood’s recent action movie, Lucy with Scarlett Johanson.
Geun-hye Park, the president of South Korea also expressed great excitement after watching the film and urged Korean military personnel, particularly the leaders to follow Admiral Lee’s example in light of the recent acts of violence happening within the Korean military.
Meanwhile, The Admiral has been released in theaters outside of Korea such as Korea Town in Los Angeles, where the movie is continuing to receive praise from other Korean-American audiences.
