The Nut Job in Korea

Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, is the star squirrel of The Nut Job. He is banished from his park and is forced to live in the city. (Photo courtesy Open Road Films)
Surly, voiced by Will Arnett, is the star squirrel of The Nut Job. He is banished from his park and is forced to live in the city. (Photo courtesy Open Road Films)

 

The fact that “The Nut Job,” produced by Redrover, ToonBox Entertainment, and Gulfstream Pictures is hugely popular in the US, but not in Korea, is receiving a lot of attention in the industry. 

Experts are saying that the animation is aimed at overseas markets rather than the local market. A chronic problem in movie distribution in the local market also contributes to the animated film’s poor results in Korea. 

According to the Korean Film Council on February 3, “The Nut Job” only attracted 304,409 viewers from January 29 to February 2. Nevertheless, many say that the animation has been improving in viewership, since its box-office ranking edged up from seventh to third as of February 2. 

In fact, the film is faced with a lack of movie screens or problems with show times. It is mostly shown in the morning, with the last show time being around 2 pm.

The popularity of “Frozen,” which has attracted the largest number of viewers so far among currently-running animated movies, is cited as another unfavorable factor for “The Nut Job.”

Meanwhile, Redrover announced that its animation surpassed US$50 million at the US box office, after its release on January 17. According to Box Office Mojo, “The Nut Job” ranked second as of January 31, and its accumulated sales is expected to reach US$50.25 million.

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