[HanCinema's News] Sanai Pictures Releases Two Films in a Tough Market

Sanai Pictures, a film production company that exists underneath Kakao Entertainment, is responsible for dark, violent films ranging from "The New World" to "The Shameless" to "Hunt" and is often a favorite on the festival circuit. But that's not the case for their two main releases this month, which illustrate a highly competitive situation in the South Korean market. Sanai Pictures has released "Revolver" in theaters while "Mission Cross" is available worldwide via Netflix.

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Despite being headlined by Jeon Do-yeon and Ji Chang-wook, "Revolver" has had a lukewarm reception at the box office since its release on August 7th. The crime drama opened in third place. Even the children's animated film "Heartsping : Teenieping of Love" has outperformed it, as "Revolver" now sits in fifth place. "Revolver" fits Sanai Pictures' film festival aesthetic, but without actual plaudits, the film lacks a clear audience.

"Mission Cross" as an action comedy may well suffer from the opposite problem. The bombastic action comedy is premiering worldwide on Netflix, and there its more mainstream sensibilities are an odd fit for a platform best known for South Korean genre media that are either deadly serious or comically romantic. Still, early numbers for "Mission Cross" are encouraging. The film was number one in South Korea in its first day, and its popularity is spreading.

"Revolver" may be an artifact for Sanai Pictures, as its third project this year "Gangnam B-Side" will be premiering as a Disney Plus project. This follows up on "The Worst of Evil" from 2023, another crime drama for the platform that evidently did well enough for the streaming giant for them to order another criminal serial. Like any other studio, Sanai Pictures will need reliable returns, even as it chases artistic recognition, to remain viable in the years ahead.

Written by William Schwartz