Oldboy Virus

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The current paper examines the contributing factors of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy cult status. The current paper will examine factors of both the macro-level (history, culture, and social and economic condition) and the micro-level (cult elements of the film). I will first talk about the background of transnationalism and , by which I will examine how Asian films takes its root in the United Stated and Europe. I will then turn to the broader social context of Oldboy by connecting the cinematic elements with the current economic and social condition of Korea. In the end, I reveal how the prominent cult elements of the film (ex., hero revenge, transgression, shock effects, and irony) might have appealed to and resonated with the the fans of the …show more content…

Oldboy experienced an immediate success world-wide upon its release. It is well received both domestically and internationally. First of all, the box office performance is unprecedented in Korea given its visceral,cult,and transgressive natures. In South Korea alone, the film has attracted 3,260,000 viewers, which place Oldboy the fifth place for the highest grossing film of 2003. Oldboy grossed a total of US$14,980,005 worldwide both from rental and box office ("old boy"). In addition, the film was also nominated by many film award, and won many international awards. For example, Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The film also become popular and successful in the United States which sebsequently lead to an American remake directed by Spike Lee (Spike lee). Oldboy received a score of 80% in film review website, Rotten Tomatos; Metacritic gives the film an score of 74 out of 100; the film was rated 8.4 out of 10 by viewers on IMDB; Oldboy is voted as one of the ten best Asian films ever made on CNN (CNN). In short, the worldwide fame of the Oldboy (awards), its remake, its popularity on the internet (rating) have incubated the long term commitment of the fan which in turn establish its cult

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