The film "Escape" focuses on the pursuit of a North Korean soldier who deserts the army. Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment Filmmakers seek to adapt to changing viewer habits By KTimes "In our view, it's a 1-hour and 78-minute movie," said director Park Chan-wook in May 2022 when he met with Korean journalists at the Cannes Film Festival for his film "Decision to Leave." He explained, "If we say it's 2 hours and 18 minutes long, viewers might get the preconceived notion that it's a boring film.
" Park's concerns, from two years ago, have now become a common focus within the Korean film industry. Rather than exceeding the two-hour mark, there is a growing emphasis on keeping movie runtimes within 100 minutes. This is in response to the rise of various short-form content and the need to compete with over-the-top services (OTT).
The trend of decreasing runtimes is evident in this year's major Korean film releases. "Citizen of a Kind," released on Jan. 24, had a runtime of 114 minutes, while "Troll Factory," released on March 27, was just 109 minutes long.
"Following," which premiered on May 15, had an even more concise runtime of 103 minutes. Many of this summer's blockbuster contenders also have runtimes of around 100 minutes. "Hijacking," released on June 21, is 100 minutes long, "Handsome Guys," released on June 26, is 101 minutes, "Escape," released on July 7, is 94 minutes, and "Project Silence," released on July 12, is 96 minutes.
"Escape," initially screened at the Cannes Fi.
