Hyun Bin’s highly anticipated film Harbin is struggling to keep its momentum as audience numbers continue to decline, raising concerns about its ability to break even.

On January 16, the Korean Film Council reported that Harbin attracted only 31,915 viewers the day before, bringing its total admissions to 4,282,201. While the movie has held onto the No. 1 spot at the box office for an impressive 23 days, its initial strong performance has slowed dramatically.

In its first nine days, Harbin consistently drew over 100,000 viewers daily. However, mixed reviews from audiences caused a noticeable decline, with daily admissions dropping to 56,648 by January 6. Now, weekday numbers are struggling to even hit 50,000.

The film’s break-even point is estimated to be 6.8 million viewers, leaving it with a daunting gap of 2.52 million admissions to achieve profitability. Even with the Lunar New Year holiday approaching, the current trend suggests the goal might be out of reach.

Adding to the pressure, Harbin is facing tough competition from highly anticipated new releases like Dark Nuns starring Song Hye Kyo and Secret: Untold Melody featuring EXO’s D.O. These films are expected to grab audience attention, making it even harder for Harbin to sustain its box office run.

Harbin, directed by Woo Min Ho, tells the story of An Jung Geun’s assassination of Ito Hirobumi in Harbin, focusing on the intense journey of those involved and those trying to stop them. The film stars Hyun Bin alongside Park Jung Min and Jo Woo Jin.

Despite its strong start, Harbin now faces an uphill battle to regain momentum and draw more viewers. Fans are wondering if the star-studded cast and historical plot will be enough to save the film from its financial struggles.

Source: [1]

Choi Si Hoon, known from Single’s Inferno and newlywed husband of singer Ailee, is facing backlash after being linked to a controversy from Wavve’s queer reality show ToGetHer.

Fans discovered that Choi is allegedly the CEO of the influencer agency representing Ri Won, a cast member now at the center of a growing scandal.

The situation started when castmate Han Gyeol spoke up, claiming Ri Won once suggested an overseas trip that felt more like a shady meeting than a casual hangout.

“I thought it was a fun vacation invite at first,” Han Gyeol said, “but when they started talking about meals and date-like things, I realized something was wrong. It felt like an inappropriate setup.”
Han Gyeol added, “Using someone’s sexuality as a shield for suspicious actions is not okay in this industry.”

Ri Won responded by saying it was all a misunderstanding and that the trip was mentioned casually during a conversation about food. “We joked about going to that country after talking about food,” Ri Won said.

However, things got more intense when Ri Won admitted to having a past as a 'beotbang' (adult streaming) BJ. “I know I’m not trustworthy right now, and I appeared on TV while hiding my past. That’s why I shared some proof—I was desperate,” Ri Won explained.

Ri Won also shared a blurred message from another cast member that accused them of fake dating and lying about knowing someone from Billboard. “You said you’d introduce me to a Billboard contact. Then give me their name and title,” the message read. “You just keep switching your targets.”

Ri Won replied, “He’s the team leader at Billboard Korea and also my influencer agency CEO.”
This comment led online users to dig deeper—and some claimed the CEO Ri Won mentioned is none other than Choi Si Hoon, Ailee’s husband.

Currently on his honeymoon with Ailee, Choi is now getting unwanted attention. Some netizens brought up his alleged past as an adult BJ and now, his possible involvement in this controversy.

On Ailee’s Instagram post from April 30, one fan wrote, “Unnie, sorry to bother you during your honeymoon, but please search Choi Si Hoon’s name. A female BJ said she’s signed to his company, and he supposedly arranged a meeting for her with a just-turned 19-year-old girl.”

As the issue grew, Ri Won spoke out again on May 1 to calm things down. “The person I mentioned in the messages was just someone who gave me advice,” Ri Won clarified. “He’s not my agency CEO, like some people assumed. I thought he could help with music, but he never made any business offer.”

Ri Won ended by saying, “I’m sorry for causing any confusion and discomfort to others with my personal remarks.”

So far, Choi Si Hoon and Ailee have not made public statements about the situation.

Source: [1]