The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure () is a 2022 South Korean period adventure film directed by Kim Jeong-hoon and starring Kang Ha-neul and Han Hyo-joo. A spiritual sequel of 2014 film "The Pirates", the film is about adventures of pirates who gather in the sea and search for the royal treasures that have disappeared without a trace. It was released in IMAX format on January 26, 2022 coinciding with Korean New Year holiday. On box office, it became the first Korean film to register 1 million viewers in 2022 on 11th  day of its release. it is at 1st place among all the Korean films released in the year 2022, with gross of US$10.31 million and 1.32 million admissions. The film is available for streaming on Netflix from March 2, 2022. In December 2018, the production of sequel to 2014 film "The Pirates" was announced. The film is directed by Kim Jeong-hoon, originally scheduled for the return of Kim Nam-gil and Son Ye-jin, and was expected to start filming in June 2019. In March 2019, Lee Kwang-soo joined the cast replacing Yoo Hae-jin, the member  of original film cast. Due to various reasons and schedule conflicts of main leads, the filming was cancelled in May 2019. It took another ten months for producers to modify the script, cast the actors, and start the film with a new story. In March 2020 it was reported that Kang Ha-neul was considering to appear in the film. Han Hyo-joo reunited with Kang Ha-Neul, as she confirmed her casting in the film, marking her return to cinema after two years since "". In April 2020, Chae Soo-bin joined the cast of the film. In June 2020  the cast line-up of the film was completed and filming was planned to start in July. Filming began in July 2020, and concluded in January 2021. In September 2020, a staff member of the special effects team was tested positive for COVID-19, but other members were found negative. Previously the schedule was also delayed due to the rainy season. Production. The film was produced with an estimated cost of . Release. The film was originally scheduled to be released on the Chuseok festival holidays in 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 in South Korea. On October 29, 2021 , it was announced that it will be theatrically released during the 2022 Korean New Year holiday. The film was released in IMAX format on January 26, 2022. On January 21, it was also released in 4DX, Superflex G, Superflex, Super 4D, and Dolby Atmos formats in 3 theatres. The film was made available for streaming globally on Netflix from March 2, 2022. Reception. Box office. The film was released on 1703 screens on January 26, 2022. As per Korean Film Council (Kofic) integrated computer network, the film opened at no 1 place with 120,025 admissions on the Korean box office . It is the best opening for a film released in 2022 in South Korea so far. It maintained its no 1 position at the Korean box office for consecutive 14 days after its release by gathering 1,122,499 cumulative admissions. Critical response. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 60% approval rating, based on 5 reviews with an average rating of 6/10. Kim Na-young writing for MK Sports termed the film as "spectacular adventures of pirates", and praised the performance of actors writing, "The actors' performances are also flawless." Kim found the story of the film "obvious" but not  boring. When comparing it with previous film Kim said, "It's the second story, which is not a continuation story, but another work." Concluding, Kim stated, "If you have seen the first movie, it will be fun to compare and watch, and if you see this film, it is fun to look for the first story again." Kim Hyun-soo of Cine21 comparing the film with previous version "The Pirates" (2014) wrote, "The harmonious combination of naval battles and intense ground battles that have increased so much is the exclusive highlight of this series. Praising performances of the cast and  action sequences Kim stated, "The action of the three-way composition created by Kang Ha-neul, Han Hyo-joo, and Kwon Sang-woo is enough to attract attention." Johnny Loftus of Decider reviewing the series praised the performance of Han Hyo-joo writing "[she] is a revelation as the bold and courageous Captain Hae-rang." Concluding Loftus wrote, "Sword Fights on the decks of ships? Treasure maps? Mysterious islands shrouded by fearsome storms? "The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure" has it all, and a charismatic cast to boot."