The movie Before We Knew, starring the late Kim Sae Ron, quickly fell out of the box office rankings shortly after its release, contrary to early expectations.
According to the Korea Film Council on the 8th, Before We Knew, which premiered on the 4th, started at 6th place on its opening day and remained within the top 10 for a while but has completely dropped out of the rankings as of the 7th. The cumulative audience count so far has only reached 8,934.
Set during the tumultuous age of seventeen, the film portrays the chaotic romance of youth sparked by the sudden confession of a childhood friend. It is based on the high-teen webtoon of the same name, which garnered over 17 million views.
This movie also drew attention as the posthumous work of the late Kim Sae Ron, who passed away last year. Kim Sae Ron played the lead role of Yeoul, and actor Lee Chae Min co-starred as Hosoo, the boy secretly in love with Yeoul.
However, the film took a long time to reach audiences after filming. Though shooting was completed in 2021, it was released nearly five years later.
Director Kim Min Jae said ahead of the release, “It took a long time for this film to come to the world due to various circumstances. There was fear, but I’m glad it finally came out.”
He also expressed deep affection for Kim Sae Ron. The director recalled, “Sae Ron was the best actor to me. When you explained one thing, she would deliver results three times over.”
He added, “Sometimes during filming, we struggled to get the scenes we wanted, but Kim Sae Ron exceeded expectations in completing them. Her chemistry with the other actors was excellent.”
He continued, “She was the best actor I’ve ever met. She seemed born to act and was a beautiful friend. It’s a huge regret that she isn’t here now, but as a director, it was a great honor just to have worked with her.“