“The Moon” Starring EXO’s D.O. Flops with Only 500,000 Viewers Despite High Production Cost

Despite high expectations, “The Moon” falls short of 500,000 viewers, reflecting the disparity in the Korean cinema industry 

“The Moon,” led by EXO D.O. (Do Kyung-soo) and Sol Kyung-gu, directed by Kim Yong-hwa and produced by CJ ENM, Korea’s largest investment and distribution company, failed to gather over 500,000 viewers. 

Despite receiving praise for its visual effects (VFX), which was funded with over 28 billion won, the film only attracted 500,000 viewers while its profitability threshold was set at 6 million viewers. 

“The Moon” had a cumulative viewership of 500,655. Within just three weeks of release, the film fell below the top 10 daily viewer rankings, trailing behind major releases as well as children’s animations. It also faced stiff competition from other films.

Moreover, audience reviews were not favorable. Despite earning praise for its VFX, “The Moon” received criticism for its overly simplistic and clichéd storyline. 

Despite this, director Kim hinted that the film’s box office failure might be attributed to the audience’s perceived distance from Korean science fiction (SF) films. He stated, “I feel that there is a significant gap in how Korean SF films are perceived by the audience. I hope to return with even better space movies once the culture of respecting Korean science and technology is established.” 

Film critic Kim Dohoon pointed out that the era when viewers flocked to the theaters to see Korean SF films just because they were made in Korea, similar to Hollywood SF films like “Gravity” and “The Martian,” has come to an end. He emphasized that without developing creative stories, Korean filmmakers cannot attract audiences to the theaters.