'Avatar 3' Gears Up for Blockbuster Year-End Clash Against 'Small but Mighty' Korean Films

The cinema landscape typically sees major releases during holidays, summer, and the year-end, catering to family audiences with 'big-budget' films.

Following a summer of intense competition between Hollywood blockbusters and Korean cinema, this year-end is shaping up with a different dynamic.

The most anticipated release is James Cameron's 'Avatar 3'. The 'Avatar' franchise, which captivated audiences with its first installment in 2009 drawing 13.62 million viewers in Korea alone and topping global box office charts, is set to unveil its latest chapter.

Its predecessor, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022), also achieved significant success, attracting 10.8 million domestic viewers and ranking third in worldwide box office history.

'Avatar 3' promises an expanded universe with the introduction of a new 'Fire Nation' clan and boasts the longest runtime in the series at 195 minutes, a slight increase from the 192 minutes of 'The Way of Water'.

Facing this cinematic giant are Korean films such as 'Informant', 'Concrete Market', 'Upstairs Neighbors', and 'What If We'. While not 'big-budget' productions by traditional standards, these films are described as 'small but precious' projects aiming to win over audiences with their unique stories.

This strategy comes after recent year-end performances where Korean films struggled. Last year, Kim Han-min's 'Noryang: Deadly Sea', the final installment of his Yi Sun-sin trilogy, concluded its run with 4.57 million viewers, falling short of its break-even point. Similarly, Woo Min-ho's 'Harbin', with an estimated production cost of 30 billion won, garnered 4.91 million viewers, also failing to meet its target.

Consequently, the year-end slot, once a prime time for Korean blockbusters, is increasingly seen as a stepping stone for the following year. Major distributors are reportedly holding back their highly anticipated films for release next year rather than this holiday season.

Industry insiders attribute the shift to a 'genre bias' in Korean films, making it difficult to meet diverse audience needs, particularly for family and couple outings. The allure of spectacular visuals from international films also plays a significant role in audience expectations for year-end releases.

Netizens expressed excitement about the 'Avatar 3' release, with comments like 'Finally!' and 'Will it capture the magic of the first one again?'.

Regarding the Korean film lineup, reactions were mixed, with some stating, 'If the quality is good, it can succeed' and others noting, 'Year-end is for spectacular blockbusters, after all'.