I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor

Translator: Dreamscribe

‘Joker’ has landed in South Korea.

Early in the morning on May 31st, despite being the first show of the day, movie theaters nationwide were packed with audiences. This was unprecedented, and because of the commotion, reporters and various news teams were filming at the theaters.

“We’re at a movie theater in Gangnam, and although it’s morning, as you can see, a rare sight is unfolding with crowds of people lining up from the entrance. They’re here to watch the movie ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’…”

Of course, it was a situation that had been foreseen. Kang Woojin’s Academy Award for Best Actor, Director Ahn Ga-bok’s win for Best Director, and even the Best Picture award. It was the premiere day of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, which had turned not only Korea but the entire world upside down about a month ago.

How entertaining would it be? How amazing would it be?

Audiences from across the country flocked to the theaters, bursting with soaring expectations. Even though it was a weekday, every screening time, morning, noon, and afternoon, was sold out. The only slots with a few remaining seats were in the late-night hours.

And so.

“Whoa- look at all these people. This is seriously insanely popular.”

“Is it true that the theater is almost full for the first showing?”

“But that’s only natural, right? ‘Pierrot’ swept the Academy Awards, and even during its limited premiere in the U.S., it was completely sold out. You don’t even need hesitate with a movie like this.”

“This is gonna be epic, right?? Hurry up and start already.”

Numerous viewers seated in the first ‘Pierrot’ screenings nationwide exclaimed at the packed theaters while eagerly waiting for the movie to start on screen.

After a ten-minute wait that felt like an hour.

-Ssss.

“It’s starting.”

On the giant screen, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ began to play. Soon, the audience could witness Kang Woojin’s ‘Joker’. A cigarette in his mouth, red hair, pale face, and thick red lips stretched into a wide smile- the ‘Joker’.

-[“Kekekeke! Hahahaha, hahahahaha!”]

His bizarre yet booming laughter echoed through the entire theater.

-[“Heeheeheehee, hahahaha kekeke!”]

In response, every viewer gulped. They had expected something intense, but seeing it firsthand was several times more shocking than they had imagined. It was already a ‘Joker’ that had conquered Hollywood, and Korea was instantly swept up as well.

The impact was immediate as soon as the first showing of ‘Pierrot’ ended.

[‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ / Released May 31, 2023]

[Rating 9.8]

[Viewer & Netizen Reviews / 897 Participants]

-The scene where he completes the Joker face with flour and blood in the beginning was the best scene of my life… / b****

-No way…Kang Woojin’s acting is seriously insane…how will any other actor play Joker after this?? / t****

-I felt like I witnessed something far beyond acting. I completely understand why Kang Woojin won the Oscar for Best Actor / 1****

-Kang Woojin did what Kang Woojin does / g****

-wow ㅋㅋㅋㅋKang Woojin’s acting is for real…. Everyone, bring 4,248 pairs of underwear and it still won’t be enough / z****

-It had fun, catharsis, direction, and message all in one, and Kang Woojin was a monster / 4****

-When the Joker fully awakened and charged forward with no backing down, I literally got chills… this is fucking amazing / j****

-Watching Kang Woojin’s Joker made me feel like I could become that way too / 3****

-Just watch it. Words can’t describe it / c****

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋyou can see why Kang Woojin dominated the world in this movie ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ/ q****

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Those who watched ‘Pierrot’ rushed to leave their reviews and spread word like wildfire across communities about the extraordinary film they had just witnessed. Of course, it was the same on social media, and on YouTube, videos related to ‘Pierrot’ were everywhere.

Korea shook all day from the impact of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’.

Even Kang Woojin in LA was receiving real-time updates and messages about the situation. Though he played it cool as part of his persona, inside, he was smiling with satisfaction.

‘Good, good, the reviews are excellent. Hmm, I’m curious about the audience numbers. With all these sellouts, the results are going to be record-breaking- I’ll need to check tomorrow right away.’

On June 1, a day after the release, South Korea saw the massive announcement of Pierrot’s opening day performance.

『[Breaking News] ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Surpasses 1 Million Viewers in a Single Day!』

‘Pierrot’ achieved a miracle by surpassing 1 million viewers in just one day. To be exact, it recorded 1.04 million. This figure easily surpassed the first-day records of Korea’s current top three films, ‘Leech’, ‘Island of the Missing’, and ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.

However, this was only the beginning.

『’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Surpasses 1 Million Viewers on Opening in Korea, Now Expanding Globally!』

From here on, it extended beyond Korea into a global release.

Meanwhile.

As Kang Woojin was immersed in the final stages of filming for ‘John Persona’, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ began its global release as scheduled. This meant audiences in about 40 countries, including Korea, the U.S., Japan, France, and the United Kingdom, would now see the ‘Joker’.

Foreign media around the world went wild.

‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ had already been hugely popular due to its nonstop buzz and headlines since its early days, and since it had detonated a nuclear bomb at the Academy Awards, advance ticket sales were tremendous in any country.

『CNM / ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Hits Screens, Audience Surge Leads to Sell-Outs! Will It Break Records?』

Hollywood and the rest of the world turned their attention to Pierrot’s performance. With this overwhelming trend and level of attention, it looked set to shatter long-standing box office records. Naturally, ‘Columbia Studios’ and Kang Woojin had high expectations. And the official announcement of Pierrot’s overwhelming success didn’t take long.

In just five days after its release, ‘Pierrot’ had achieved.

『LA TIME / Monumental Record! ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Surpasses 1 Billion Dollars Worldwide in 5 Days!』

『BBX / ‘Joker’ Resonates Worldwide! ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Rakes in Over 1 Billion Dollars in Box Office Success』

『ABY / 1 Billion Dollars Earned in Just 5 Days, Lands at 15th All-Time Worldwide! The Box Office Storm of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Is Terrifying』

It displayed an incredible force by surpassing 1 billion dollars. This figure exceeded what many media outlets had predicted prior to its release, and to achieve that in only five days was nothing short of monstrous. Astonishingly, it landed in the top ten highest-grossing films in Hollywood history in just five days.

An unbelievable pace.

Kang Woojin was so shocked by the result that he nearly fainted. It broke his usually composed persona.

“1 billion dollars???!! How much is 1 billion dollars? Whaaaat?!! 1 trillion??! 1 trillion won?!”

It was an amount he had never seen in his life. For reference, the total production cost of ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ was slightly over 200 million dollars. The film had already recouped its production cost and far beyond. Even considering how the early days generate the most revenue, 1 billion dollars in five days was truly a record-breaking feat.

Following that, ‘Pierrot’ surpassed 1.3 billion dollars on the seventh day.

『NT / ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Surpasses 1.3 Billion Dollars, Climbs to 10th Highest-Grossing Film Worldwide!』

On the eighth day, it reached 1.5 billion dollars, and by the tenth day, it had exceeded 1.6 billion dollars, climbing to sixth place in all-time global box office history. This meant it had earned over 2 trillion won, a sum so staggering that Woojin found the soaring box office numbers more surreal by the day.

“……2 trillion won?”

By the time the film had been out for ten days, Korea had already announced:

『’Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Surpasses 10 Million Viewers in 10 Days… Fastest Ever!』

It had surpassed 10 million viewers.

While ‘Pierrot’ was taking over the world, it seemed that wasn’t the end, more bullets were being loaded. ‘Beast and the Beauty’ held its first test screening with the full team, including Kang Woojin and Miley Cara. When Woojin saw the image of ‘Beast’ on a medium-sized screen, he was overwhelmed with awe.

‘Whoa- damn, the CG quality is insane!’

The skin-tight suit he had worn for so long had completely vanished; only ‘Beast’ and ‘Bella’ were displayed on screen. Even watching not as the actor who played Beast, but as an audience member full of nostalgia for the original, the live-action version of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ looked incredibly well-made.

After the test screening ended, the room was filled with applause.

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!

It was in recognition of the outstanding quality of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ and also praise for the recent explosive success of ‘Pierrot’. Miley Cara, who hadn’t seen her boyfriend much lately due to their busy schedules, also showed affection.

“Congratulations, really. I think ‘Pierrot’ will keep doing well for a long time. Aren’t you going to buy me something delicious?”

‘Something delicious’ was just an excuse, she meant she wanted to go on a date. With more than 2 trillion won rolling in, Kang Woojin replied as if such a request was nothing.

“Let’s go to Korea. Have you ever been to Jeju Island? Once my schedule frees up, I’ll cook something delicious at my villa.”

“Are we flying on your private jet?”

“Yeah.”

Then, by mid-June, as ‘Pierrot’ entered its 20th day since release, the box office result was staggering.

『LA TIME / Finally Surpassed 2 Billion Dollars, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Is Breaking Every Record!』

It had surpassed 2 billion dollars.

The fact that this happened in less than a month was almost unbelievable. Soon after, media around the world began listing the records ‘Pierrot’ had achieved so far.

『ABY / Records Achieved by ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, Now Over 2 Billion Dollars』

-[‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’, which swept the Academy Awards, is creating a worldwide box office sensation. The world has fallen for Kang Woojin’s ‘Joker’, and it’s no exaggeration to say Columbia Studios’ Cinematic Universe has been a massive success.”]

[The records ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ has set so far are numerous. Currently third in global all-time box office, first in global box office for 2023, fastest to reach 1 billion dollars, fastest to reach 2 billion dollars, highest-grossing global opening ever…]

It was more than enough to become a legend, and Kang Woojin had firmly established himself as a monstrous world star.

Around this time, ‘Beast and the Beauty’, which had finished its test screening, had to begin serious marketing and fix a release date. However, they had no choice but to delay it slightly, the momentum of ‘Pierrot’ was simply too powerful.

Meanwhile, the movie ‘Guest’, which had already begun filming, was moving forward without delays.

“Kang Woojin! Looking forward to working with you!”

“Yes, likewise.”

Kang Woojin’s special cameo shoot also went smoothly. Of course, the arrival of the star caused a frenzy among the hundred-plus crew members during the shoot.

Meanwhile, Columbia Studios, which had been celebrating non-stop due to Pierrot’s legendary success, rushed to produce ‘Bat: The Birth of a Hero’, which was virtually the second chapter of the ‘Joker’. With the opening chapter of its Cinematic Universe having become a mega-ultra-hit, it was a natural step.

Eventually.

-[“Next up is a story about a movie currently shaking up Hollywood and the world. Yes, it’s the film you all know, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ has now surpassed 2.4 billion dollars. This milestone was reached on its 35th day after release.”]

With over 2.4 billion dollars in earnings, ‘Pierrot’ had exceeded 3 trillion won, and by the time it passed 40 days, it surpassed 2.5 billion dollars.

『BBX / ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ Surpasses 2.5 Billion Dollars, Now Ranked Second in All-Time Global Box Office』

It had climbed to second place in all-time global box office history.

At this moment, Kang Woojin deeply felt it.

‘3 trillion won……fuck, 3 trillion won??!’

This wasn’t just Korean box office success, it was global. The power of what the Void space had measured as EX+++ grade. But this was only the success related to its theatrical release. Columbia Studios had said it would continue selling to countless platforms after release. In other words, this was only halfway.

‘Wow, fuck, seriously, ‘EX+++Grade’ was really this insane!!’

Thanks to the legendary box office of ‘Pierrot’, Kang Woojin’s bank account was exploding, and the numbers growing by the second were only the beginning of what was to come.

Second week of July.

By then, ‘Pierrot’ had been out for over a month and two weeks, and the all-time box office rankings in Korea had already changed.

[All-time Box Office in South Korea]

[All-time Movie Rankings (Combined)]

-1. Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain / Total Audience: 22,108,419

-2. Leech / Total Audience: 20,483,558

-3. Island of the Missing / Total Audience: 20,321,451

-4. The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger / Total Audience: 16,833,712

-5. Sea Battle / Total Audience: 16,715,955

-6. Unstoppable Force / Total Audience: 15,557,118

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Kang Woojin had conquered positions one through four. And even at that very moment, ‘Pierrot’ was still gaining viewers. Naturally, countries like Japan and nearby Asian nations were experiencing a similar phenomenon. As a result, the entire world bestowed upon Woojin a title that symbolized global dominance.

『LA TIME / Kang Woojin, the monstrous genuis actor who has achieved something utterly unparalleled across the globe!』

Of course, it was a sentiment acknowledged by the global public.

-Only someone like Kang Woojin deserves to be called a true world star.

-I agree, but isn’t Kang Woojin’s level of influence way too high a bar for anyone else?

-My God! A little longer and Pierrot will reach number one in worldwide box office!!

-Amazing…honestly, when Kang Woojin first appeared in Hollywood, I didn’t give him much credit….now you’d have to be crazy to criticize him

-Ugh, now I suddenly want to watch Joker again. Gotta go see Pierrot once more.

-Guys, want to hear something truly scary? After Pierrot, Kang Woojin still has massive films lined up like Beast and the Beauty and John Persona.

-This year, and next year too, maybe even the year after that will be Kang Woojin’s

Then, around the end of a particularly hot July, ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ once again shocked the world. And Kang Woojin, upon seeing the result, was no different.

‘……2.7 billion dollars- is this right?? Wow, what the hell is this?!’

At last, ‘Pierrot’ had reached 2.7 billion dollars, breaking a record that had stood firm for over a decade. It dethroned a legendary film that had held the top spot for years, and ‘Pierrot: The Birth of a Villain’ became…

‘First place!! Seriously the world’s number one??!!’

It had risen to become the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide.

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