Action-comedy film 'The Roundup: No Way Out' garners more than 4.5 mln viewers

[Courtesy of ABO Entertainment]

SEOUL -- "The Roundup: No Way Out" has swept over the South Korean box office with an accumulated 4.5 million admissions only five days after its release. In the action film, Ma Dong-seok, an action film actor also known by the English name of Don Lee, plays a tough detective who investigates a drug crime involving yakuza, a crime group that originated in Japan.

Data released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on June 5 showed that the film attracted 4,512,386 moviegoers. As of May 31, the film's release date, more than one million people watched the movie, including about 480,000 who attended the charged preview. The film is the threequel of the detective series that was kicked off in 2017 with a hit film "The Outlaws," which garnered some 6.8 million admissions. The sequel of the film, "The Roundup," was released in 2022 to attract more than 12.6 million viewers.

In the third installment, Don Lee showcases boxing techniques against villains. The 52-year-old said he previously practiced boxing to become a professional boxer but took a break due to a shoulder injury. South Korean actor Lee Joon-hyuk was chosen to play the film's primary antagonist, and Japanese actor Munetaka Aoki portrayed a Japanese gangster.

Don Lee has played various aggressive roles in South Korea's film scene. The actor who obtained U.S. citizenship after immigrating to the United States in 1989 has also worked as a trainer for two UFC fighters -- Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman. The celebrity who appeared in more than 80 films made his Hollywood debut through a 2021 superhero film "Eternals."

Kim Joo-heon jhkim123@ajunews.com

Action-comedy film 'The Roundup: No Way Out' garners more than 4.5 mln viewers

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