Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days () is a 2018 South Korean fantasy action film directed by Kim Yong-hwa and based on a webtoon by Joo Ho-min, "Along With the Gods". It serves as the sequel to the 2017 film "". It stars Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Ma Dong-seok and Kim Dong-wook. The film was released on August 1, 2018. Plot. The three grim reapers Gang-rim (Ha Jung-woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Lee Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi) will guide  their 49th soul Kim Soo-hong (Kim Dong-wook) to the underworld trials. Meanwhile, God of the House (Ma Dong-seok) will recover the grim reapers' memories from 1,000 years ago. Reception. Critical response. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of . Elizabeth Kerr of "The Hollywood Reporter" gave a mixed review and wrote, "Though the two films were shot simultaneously, there’s a sense of 'more' to "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" that doesn't really do it any service. Like many a sequel  bent on topping its predecessor to prove the first entry wasn't a fluke, the end result is just a bigger, noisier, less focused slog rather than continued world-building." Noel Murray of "Los Angeles Times" gave a mixed review and wrote, "While "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" is awkwardly bloated, it does eventually develop some momentum. Once viewers get accustomed to a movie that can move within minutes from courtroom drama to dinosaur attacks, they may enjoy the overwhelming spectacle of it all." Box office. South Korea. Prior to its release, "Along with the Gods: The  Last 49 Days" set the record for the highest pre-sale tickets in South Korea's box office history with 60.5% reservation rate. The rate reached 42 million, outdoing the record of the 2017 film "The Battleship Island" which reached the same number of reservations on the day before the opening of the film. The film also broke the opening day record in South Korea by attracting 1,263,788 viewers on the first day of its release, which is more than twice the amount of "" (422,339 viewers). On the second day of its release, the film attracted more than 2 million  viewers. On August 4, the film attracted 1,466,416 viewers, making the film set a record of the most viewers in a single day, surpassing "" that attracted 1,333,310 viewers in a single day before. On August 5, it was reported that "Along with the Gods" had attracted 5,409,817 viewers on its fifth day, making the film the fastest to reach such number, surpassing "Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds" which set the record in a week, and "", the first most viewed film in Korea, which set the record in a six days. "Along with the Gods" placed first in the  weekly box office. The film accumulated $46.2 million from 6.2 million admissions. "Along with the Gods" holds the record for the fastest film to reach 7, 8 and 9 million views in South Korean box office history. It passed 10 million views on August 16, 2018. The film passed 12 million views as of August 30, 2018, becoming the 13th most-watched film of all time in South Korea. Taiwan. On its first day of release, "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" scored 37 million"." It became the film with the biggest opening week gross for any  Korean film in Taiwan, scoring 5.8 million in ticket sales in a week. The film had the third-highest first week sales after "" and "" in Taiwan. Hong Kong. Prior to its official release, "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" scored 8 million in pre-sale in Hong Kong. On its day of release in Hong Kong, the film earned 3.18 million, topping the box office. On August 9, the film reached 10 million and scored 20 million on its fourth day of its release, achieving the highest first week sales in Hong Kong. Other countries. "Along with the  Gods: The Last 49 Days" had the biggest opening week gross for any Korean film in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan. Sequels. Third and fourth installments are currently in development, with Kim Yong-hwa returning to direct the sequels.