[Courtesy of CJ Entertainment]
The film was awarded the "Palme d'Or", also known as the Golden Palm award, at Cannes in May. Since it opened in South Korea on May 30, Parasite has been viewed by more than 10 million people.
Data released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) showed that Parasite garnered 10,000,249 moviegoers as of July 21, becoming the fourth film to break the 10 million mark this year in a country with a population of about 51.7 million after "Extreme Job", "Avengers: Endgame" and "Aladdin".
Parasite received positive feedbacks from critics for picturizing the contrast between the livelihood of the disrespected lower-class and that of the snobby high-class. Viewers felt sympathetic as the film depicts a tragic story about a lower-class family meticulously planning its secretive entry into a high-class family like a parasite.
Moviegoers have watched the film, again and again, to find hidden messages in the film in the so-called "Parasite Phenomenon". "Director Bong has smartly placed messages all over the film and they are easy to miss if you are watching the film for the first time," Kim Kyo-seok, a pop-culture critic, said, adding active online discussions have caused curiosity.
It was Bong's second film to break the 10 million mark. The director's 2006 monster film, "The Host", attracted more than 13 million viewers. Armed with eye-popping special effects, the 2006 film created sympathy and bondage between Bong and viewers by depicting how ordinary South Korean families stride through the daily life which strikes them with a force similar to that of natural disasters.
Actor Song Kang-ho, 52, also starred in both of Bong's films. The veteran actor, who is often reflected as Bong's persona, played the father of a lower-class family in Parasite, coloring tragic and horrible scenes with a touch of comedy.
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