Song Kang-ho's star power continues to wane at box office

Actor Song Kang-ho speaks during a press conference for the movie “One Win,” in which he plays the head coach of a professional volleyball team fighting to achieve at least one win, at a theater in Seoul, Nov. 28. Yonhap

Actor Song Kang-ho once reigned as the undisputed king of Korean cinema, with his name synonymous with box office successes and iconic roles that defined the 2000s and 2010s.

As a key collaborator of award-winning director Bong Joon-ho, Song captivated audiences in leading roles in films such as "Memories of Murder" (2003), "The Host" (2006) and "Snowpiercer" (2013). He also made a powerful impression globally in the 2019 film "Parasite," which gave Bong the Palme d'Or prize at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and the Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards.

That's not all. Song has been considered the top choice to collaborate with not only by Bong but also by other renowned Korean directors such as Park Chan-wook, Lee Chang-dong and Kim Jee-woon.

Despite his illustrious career, the 57-year-old actor has recently faced a series of box office disappointments, raising concerns that his influence on both the big screen and the film industry might be diminishing.

According to box office data from the Korean Film Council, his latest work "One Win" garnered a total of 221,180 moviegoers as of Dec. 10.

The volleyball movie, in which he plays the head coach of a professional volleyball team that struggles to win at least one game in a regular season, generated anticipation before its Dec. 4 release, with Korea's star volleyball players and coaches such as Kim Yeon-koung supporting and appearing in the film.

Currently, this film is fourth in the local box office, behind "Firefighters," a movie based on an arson incident in Seoul in 2001, Disney's "Moana 2" and Universal Pictures' musical film "Wicked."

At this rate "One Win" seems unlikely to reach its breakeven point of 1.8 million moviegoers.

Given Song's track record of success, it is notable that a film he stars in did not perform well at the box office, especially during December, a month traditionally known for strong movie releases.

Moreover, after Song's 2023 film "Cobweb" and Disney+'s 2024 series "Uncle Samsik" both received poor responses consecutively, expectations were high for his return to comedy films, which is considered his specialty as those genres garnered positive reactions early in his acting career.

Despite Song's compelling portrayal as the head coach in the heartwarming sports film, the movie failed to meet box office expectations. Revolving around an underdog volleyball team's struggles, Song's authentic and natural performance in the film could not overcome the film's limited appeal and the plot's predictability, which critics often cited as drawbacks.

Director Bong Joon-ho, right, Palme d'Or award winner for his film "Parasite," poses with the trophy with actor Song Kang-ho during the closing ceremony of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, seen in this 2019 photo. Reuters-Yonhap

Song remains undeterred by these issues, emphasizing his focus on challenging roles over commercial success as an actor.

"You can't predict the outcome of a work. When choosing projects, I've never selected them with the aim of gaining public love. That's not my criterion for selection. Of course, it's wonderful to be loved, but I'm drawn to challenges, things I haven't done before, or new attempts in Korean film history," he said in an interview on Dec. 2.

“I'm not the one to make safe choices. A sense of adventure and a thirst for something new influence my project selections.”

The actor added he wants to continue challenging himself as an actor even if he fails.

"Sometimes that thirst leads to success, and at other times, it doesn't work out well. Recently, I may not have connected well with the audience, but I still prefer doing something new over playing it safe,” he said.