'12.12: The Day' surpasses 4m ticket sales on 12th day of release

"12.12: The Day," a historical film depicting South Korea's military coup in 1979, surpassed 4 million ticket sales on the 12th day of its release on Sunday, its distributor said.

The accumulated ticket sales of the title topped the 4 million threshold shortly after midnight, the distributor, Plus M Entertainment, said.

Since its release on Nov. 22, the film has been rapidly gaining popularity, reaching the 1 million sales mark on its fourth day and 3 million sales mark on the 10th day. The films' break-even point is set at 4.6 million sales.

Industry insiders predict that the movie could become the second 10 million-seller of this year following "The Roundup: No Way Out" if it continues its sales run.

Directed by Kim Sung-su, "12.12: The Day" recounts the heart-pounding nine hours of confrontation between Chun Doo-kwang, head of the Defense Security Command, who orchestrates a military coup to seize power on Dec. 12, 1979, and Capital Defense Cdr. Lee Tae-shin who risks everything to oppose the coup.

The movie is based on real events but incorporates fictional elements and characters.

Actors Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung play the two main roles. (Yonhap)