The Match passes 2 million moviegoers – Lee Byung Hun and Yoo Ah In film still #2 at box office
Michelle Topham 
Korean film The Match grabs 2,000,933 movie theater attendees
The South Korean Go-themed film The Match has officially passed 2 million moviegoers almost a month after it was released.
According to the Korean Film Council, it took the movie just 27 days to hit that target, with The Match now being the second Korean film to surpass 2 million moviegoers in 2025 so far after Hitman 2 achieved the same milestone earlier in the year.
The film officially broke through the 2 million moviegoers barrier early on the morning of April 21st with 2,000,933 attendees.
The Match is also still showing on over 1,700 screens around South Korea, and is #2 at the box office after falling from the top spot when YADANG: THE SNITCH hit #1.
It is also the #3 film at the Korean box office in 2025 so far.
The Match achieves profitability
Even more of a big deal for The Match actors and production team, the movie has finally passed its break-even point (1.8 million moviegoers), and is now profitable.
Obviously, that profitability also doesn’t include future ticket sales, or future licensing to potential platforms like Netflix.
In response to the profitability news, the production team also thanked the audience for attending:
We went through unexpected hardships, but the audience’s support has brought us a miraculous healing moment.
Those hardships, of course, include the film being delayed from its original Netflix release way back in 2023 after co-star Yoo Ah In was brought up on drug charges.
Hence, why the film has only recently been released in South Korea, and is still not being released on Netflix.
Where will The Match release in the west?
With the film’s success at the box office in South Korea, and with a prior deal to release The Match on Netflix put on hold due to Yoo Ah In’s legal problems, that should hopefully open the doors for it to hit Netflix internationally soon.
The Match stars Lee Byung Hun, Yoo Ah In, Ko Chang Seok, Hyun Bong Sik, Moon Jeong Hee, and Kim Kang Hoon.
It tells the story of master Go player, Cho Hun Hyun (played by Lee Byung Hun) going up against his protégé Lee Chang Ho (Yoo Ah In) after his student decides to go against his mentor’s teachings.
Look out for it coming to Netflix in the not too distant future!
About the Author
Rachel M. Reeves 
