Ahead of its domestic debut this week, the science-fiction film Mickey 17 debuted in director Bong Joon-ho‘s home country of South Korea to a fabulous response. Starring Robert Pattinson in his first leading role since The Batman in 2022, the movie delivered the year’s top opening weekend haul in Korea, in addition to delivering Pattinson‘s biggest-ever debut in the country. Mickey 17 features the star as a clone who discovers that he isn’t a human being, and deals with the fallout of this realization. As with Bong‘s previous few films, Mickey 17 combines elements of dark humor and social commentary.
The movie made $9 million in its first four days of release in Korea, which coincided with the Independence Day holiday period. This puts it higher than titles such as Dune: Part Two, Alien: Romulus, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Mickey 17 is Bong‘s first film since Parasite, which not only emerged as a blockbuster hit, but altered the identity of the Oscars, transforming the event into a more international affair. It won the Best Picture honor, in addition to picking up three other Oscars. Prior to that, it won the prestigious Palme d’Or after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.
Produced on a reported budget of nearly $120 million, Mickey 17 was premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it received mostly positive reviews. The movie is currently sitting at a “fresh” 88% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. It continues Bong’s success streak, which began in earnest over two decades ago, when he directed Memories of Murder. His first English-language film was Snowpiercer, which was headlined by Chris Evans, but under-performed at the box office. That being said, it inspired a largely successful television spin-off. Bong then directed the acclaimed Netflix movie Okja.
‘Mickey 17’ Will Get a Grand Global Launch this Week
On Mickey 17, he reunited with that film’s cinematographer, Darius Khondji, and cast member Steven Yeun. The movie also features Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. Mickey 17 will be released in over 1,500 IMAX locations around the world on Friday, when it debuts in North America, alongside other major territories such as China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., Australia and all of Latin America.
via Collider