Actor Ma Dong-seok's factory-style action, which has become a `supply without demand' due to a disastrous box office failure, continues to come out like a bone.
ABO Entertainment, an investment and distributor of the 'Crime City' series, announced the launch of 'Pig Village' (director Lee Sang-yong) and 'Crime City 5' (director Lee Sang-yong) which Ma Dong-seok produced and participated in the original plan as the next lineup on the 22nd, and promoted that it will start global pre-sale through the Asian Content & Film Market (ACFM), which will open on the 20th. ACFM is the 20th content platform market this year. It is Asia's largest content business platform registered by more than 2,700 officials from 1,000 companies in 52 countries around the world, and ABO Entertainment is also planning to start overseas sales with 'Pig Village' and 'Crime City 5' as its flagship works.
The annual release 'Pig Village' is an action film set on the U.S.-Mexico border. Director Lee Sang-yong, who directed and directed Ma Dong-seok's production and lead of 『The Outlaws 2" (22) and 『The Outlaws 3" (23). In particular, 'Pig Village' distinguishes itself as an English-language film that enters Hollywood with the aim of producing 100% in Korea. For this reason, casting is also global for now. Hollywood stars Michael Rooker from the `Guardians of the Galaxy" series, Colin Woodell from the Netflix series `Heartbeating, newcomers Lisette Olivera and Alian, and joins Ma.
The fifth story of the 'Crime City' series, which will be released next, 'Crime City5' (directed by Lee Sang-yong), was also listed in the 2027 lineup. 'Crime City 5', which is sometimes reported through leading foreign media such as Screen Daily, is drawing attention as a series that returns after a three-year break since 'Crime City 4' (24, director Heo Myung-haeng), which was criticized. It is the "Crime City" series, which has surpassed 40 million cumulative audiences by proving its popularity and influence as a representative action franchise in Korea, but as the sequel continues, problems such as repetitive stories, weak villains, and obvious actions by Ma Dong-seok have been pointed out, resulting in likes and dislikes of the audience. Nevertheless, 'Crime City 4' was sold in advance to 164 countries, including North America, and attention is being paid to how 'Crime City 5' will be sold overseas.
In addition to 'Pig Village'5', Ma Dong-seok is planning eight episodes of the 'Criminal City' series and is preparing several action movies, including 'Hell Diver'Villain War' remake and 'Ashes'. Ma Dong-seok's factory-type action, which is nothing new other than thick bare fists, has been released through theaters and OTT platforms for several years, and the audience's response is lukewarm and cold.
That's why the series of "The Outlaws" created extreme likes and dislikes as the years went by, and many fans became "devastated" and their favorability toward Ma Dong-seok also fell. As a proof of this, KBS2's Saturday drama Twelve' (directed by Kim Bong-han, Ma Dong-seok, directed by Kang Dae-gyu, and directed by Kang Yoon-sun) showed disastrous results this year.
In particular, 'Holy Night' (24, directed by Jang Jae-hyun) started a massive promotion, calling it 'Original'Original'Occult Action, putting spoons on the topic when the Korean-style occult genre syndrome was hot, but 'Holy Night', which opened the lid, became a problematic work, producing audience discontent with its sloppy development and story. It was released in May for Children's Day and Buddha's Birthday, which are considered golden holidays, but it only attracted 770,000 cumulative viewers, and suffered a crushing box office defeat far below the break-even point of 2 million. It left a bitter aftertaste with the stigma of 'North Korean night' not 'Holy night'.
However, Ma Dong-seok's opportunity continued. It was an action that became boring, but Ma Dong-seok couldn't put himself down in the end. Ma Dong-seok, who made a comeback to the drama after five years through the fantasy action hero 'twlv', which is based on the 12 Eastern gods, was also 'Kang'. 'Twelve' has made an unprecedented history of harsh criticism from the first broadcast with awkward, shabby CGs and loopholes that are inversely proportional to the huge setting. Criticism of the quality that did not improve as the episode continued was intensified, and the viewership in the eighth episode plunged to 2.4%, leading to a gloomy ending.
When will Ma Dong-seok, who has now become an `unrequired supply' to the audience and viewers, succeed in making a comeback by attempting a new transformation. Domestic content with high-quality stories, directions, and colorful actions is pouring in every day, and the trend is changing rapidly. Naturally, the public's eyes are getting higher, and the desire for well-made content is getting bigger, and it is regrettable that Ma Dong-seok's plans to predict 'Pig Village' and 'Crime City 5' are also too obvious. It is unclear whether Ma Dong-seok's factory-type action, which is still in place in the past, can continue to be made.
soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
