{
  "id": 6725692,
  "title": "Korean comedy films face box office slump",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/korean-comedy-films-face-box-office-slump-6725692",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-11T08:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20260911/korean-comedy-films-face-box-office-slump"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The theatrical run of the Korean comedy film Okay! Madam 2 is nearing completion, and it is facing a significant box office slump that has raised concerns about the genre's viability in theaters. The film, which is a sequel to the original Okay! Madam released six years prior, failed to attract even 500,000 viewers since its debut. The lukewarm response from audiences can be attributed to heightened competition from major foreign releases such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey. Despite the absence of such competition, the film was unable to generate momentum through critical reviews from verified ticket buyers and ultimately fell short of its anticipated performance.\n\nThis box office disappointment is not limited to Okay! Madam 2. Another comedy film, Heartman, which opened this year and reunited the creative team behind the successful Hitman franchise, also underperformed. Additionally, Audition 109, a spiritual successor to the 2009 cult hit Wish, featuring the return of its original cast, struggled to gain traction at the box office. These failures indicate a potential decline in the popularity and commercial viability of comedy films in the Korean market during the current summer season.",
  "summary": "Proving that comedy has failed to work its usual summer magic, the Korean film \"Okay! Madam 2\" is nearing the end of its theatrical run with disappointing box-office results. As most domestic comedy films released this year have struggled commercially, the slump is raising deeper questions about the genre's theatrical viability. \"Okay! Madam 2\" is nearing its exit without drawing 500,000…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Korean comedy films face box office slump",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/korean-comedy-films-face-box-office-slump",
        "published": "2026-09-11T07:42:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}