Miracle in Cell No. 7

Miracle in Cell No. 7

Theatrical release poster dscsc
Hangul 7번방의 선물
Directed by Lee Hwan-kyung
Produced by Kim Min-ki
Lee Sang-hun
Written by Lee Hwan-kyung
Yu Young-a
Kim Hwang-sung
Kim Young-seok
Starring Ryu Seung-ryong
Kal So-won
Park Shin-hye
Music by Lee Dong-jun
Cinematography Kang Seung-gi
Edited by Choi Jai-geun
Kim So-youn (Rec Studio)
Production
company
Fireworks/CL Entertainment
Distributed by Next Entertainment World
Release dates
  • January 23, 2013
Running time
 127 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean

Miracle in Cell No. 7 (Hangul: 7번방의 선물; RR: 7beonbangui Seonmul; lit. "A Gift from Room 7") is a 2013 South Korean film starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won and Park Shin-hye.[1][2] The film is a heartwarming comedy and family melodrama about a mentally challenged man wrongfully imprisoned for murder who builds friendships with the hardened criminals in his cell, and they help him see his daughter again by breaking her in.[3][4][5]

The film's early working title was December 23 (Hangul: 12월 23일).[6][7]

Plot

Lee Yong-go is a mentally impaired father with the intellect of a six-year-old, who lives in a run-down house along with his daughter of the same age, Ye-sung. One day, he gets into a physical altercation with the police commissioner, who has just purchased the last Sailor Moon backpack for his daughter, a gift Yong-go was saving up to buy for Ye-sung. Soon after, the police commissioner's daughter dies in a freak accident, in which she slips on ice and suffers a fatal blow to the back of her head while she is taking Yong-go to another store that sells the same backpack. When he tries to resuscitate her, a woman witnesses him and mistakes him to be molesting her. Yong-go is falsely accused of the abduction, murder, and rape of a minor. The police quickly took advantage of his disability and forced him to admit committing the crimes while ignoring exonerating evidence. Yong-go, who is sentenced to death, is imprisoned and assigned to Cell No. 7, the harshest cell in a maximum security prison.

At first, the other men in the cell, lead by gang leader So Yang-ho, do not take kindly to Yong-go after reading in his file that he murdered and molested a child, but when Yong-go saves Yang-ho from being fatally stabbed by a rival gang leader, Yang-ho repays the favor by smuggling Ye-sung into Cell No. 7. Over time, they come to believe in his innocence, and make it their goal to help reverse the verdict at Yong-go's retrial .

Cast

Box office

The film took 4.6 million admissions (the equivalent of more than US$30 million) in its first two weeks due to strong word of mouth. Despite the release of The Berlin File, it drew in 15% more audience members on its third week, with seat booking at 75.8%.[8][9][10] 32 days after its release, it became only the eighth film in Korean cinema history to break the 10 million mark in ticket sales.[11][12][13][14] This was especially notable since Miracle in Cell No. 7 had no big stars, and a modest budget with a break-even point of 1.7 million admissions, making its eventual profit the highest among the films that reached 10 million.[15]

The film exceeded 12 million viewers 46 days after its release.[16][17] On March 15, 2013, 52 days after its release, ticket sales reached 12.32 million, making it the fifth highest grossing Korean film of all time.[18][19][20]

Analysts say among the reasons for its success was the long lunar new year holiday and families going to see the film in groups. The film proved to be especially popular among middle-aged and elderly Koreans.[21]

Awards and nominations

2013 49th Baeksang Arts Awards[22][23]

2013 7th Mnet 20's Choice Awards

2013 50th Grand Bell Awards

2013 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards

2013 33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards

2013 21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards

2014 34th Golden Film Festival

References

  1. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (1 February 2013). "Actor, actress take to their roles". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
  2. ↑ An, So-hyoun (8 February 2013). "Interview: Ryu Seung Ryong Says He Gained Respect from His Wife with ′The Gift of Room 7′". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  3. ↑ Park, Eun-jee (28 December 2012). "Two heartwarming films for when you can’t feel your toes". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  4. ↑ Jang, Sung-ran (18 January 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO.7 to Screen in 4 Languages". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  5. ↑ Conran, Pierce (30 January 2013). "In Focus: Miracle in Cell No. 7". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  6. ↑ Ho, Stewart (1 June 2012). "Park Shin Hye to Make Her Return to the Big Screen After Two Years". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  7. ↑ Lee, Tae-ho (18 October 2012). "Park Shin-hye, Ryoo Seung-ryong's New Film Wraps Up Shooting". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  8. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (4 February 2013). "‘The Gift of Room 7’ Breaks 4 Million Views in 12 Days". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  9. ↑ Kim, Hyun-min (5 February 2013). "THE BERLIN FILE is No. 1 in First Week of Release; MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Also Performing Well". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  10. ↑ Paquet, Darcy (7 February 2013). "Box Office: January 24-February 6, 2013". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  11. ↑ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' Draws Over 10 Million Viewers". The Chosun Ilbo. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  12. ↑ Moon, Gwang-lip (25 February 2013). "Ryu Seung-ryong joins top actor club". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  13. ↑ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' grabs 9 mil. viewers". Yonhap. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
  14. ↑ Conran, Pierce (25 February 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Soars Past 10 Million Admissions". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  15. ↑ Ji, Yong-jin (26 February 2013). "Mighty Start, Bright Prospect". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  16. ↑ Lee, Eun-sun (6 March 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Is 5th Most Popular Korean Film". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  17. ↑ "‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ exceeds 12 million mark". The Korea Herald. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  18. ↑ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' third most-viewed Korean film". Yonhap. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  19. ↑ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' third most-viewed Korean film". The Korea Herald. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  20. ↑ Ji, Yong-jin (19 March 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Passes MASQUERADE to Become 3rd Most Successful Korean Film". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  21. ↑ Kim, Nemo (19 March 2013). ""Miracle in Cell Number 7" is the 3rd most popular Korean film of all time". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  22. ↑ Hicap, Jonathan M. (5 April 2013). "49th Baeksang Arts Awards nominees revealed". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
  23. ↑ Ji, Yong-jin (13 May 2013). "RYU Seung-ryong Wins Grand Prize at Baeksang Arts Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-05-14.

External links