The historical film "12.12: The Day" is now the sixth highest-selling Korean film of all time, according to its distributor Plus M Entertainment.

The film had drawn 12,986,918 moviegoers as of press time Friday, surpassing the record of the 2012 film “The Thieves," which attracted 12,984,701 moviegoers, according to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network for tickets.

"12.12: The Day" ranks No. 9 in the all-time box office chart for ticket sales in Korea for all films, including foreign works.

The film was released on Nov. 22, 2023 and is directed by Kim Sung-su. It follows the nine hours during the historic day of Dec. 12, 1979, when a military coup d’état was about to break out in Seoul. Actors Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung play fictional versions of former president Chun Doo Hwan and a military leader who opposes him.

“12.12: The Day” was the second film of 2023 to hit the 10 million milestone in ticket sales, following “The Roundup: No Way Out.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]