The romance film Even If This Love Disappears Tonight, starring Choo Young-woo and Shin Shi-ah, has kicked off 2026 with impressive box office momentum, surpassing 500,000 total viewers on New Year’s Day.
According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated ticketing system, the film recorded 514,003 cumulative admissions as of 9:00 a.m. on January 1, just nine days after its release a notably fast pace for the romance-melodrama genre.
Faster Than Recent Romance Hits
The achievement stands out when compared with recent box office successes. The 2025 romance hit Secret reached the 500,000-viewer mark after 13 days, while Hear Me (2024) crossed the same milestone in 12 days. Even the original Japanese film on which Even If This Love Disappears Tonight is based took 26 days to reach 500,000 admissions.
By beating these benchmarks, the film is establishing a new speed record for romance and melodrama releases, signaling strong word-of-mouth and sustained audience interest.
A Film Drawing All Generations
Industry observers note that audiences of all ages families, couples, and friends have chosen the film as their first theatrical outing of the new year. Its emotional storytelling and accessible romance appear to be resonating across demographics, helping maintain steady ticket sales even after the holiday period.
With current trends holding strong, the film is expected to continue its upward trajectory throughout the coming weeks.
A Story About Memory and Love
Even If This Love Disappears Tonight tells the story of Seo-yoon (Shin Shi-ah), a young woman who loses her memories each day, and Jae-won (Choo Young-woo), who patiently fills in the gaps and chooses to remember love for the both of them. Their youth melodrama explores devotion, loss, and the quiet persistence of love—even when memories fade.
As 2026 begins, Even If This Love Disappears Tonight is proving that heartfelt romance still holds powerful appeal at the Korean box office.
Editor’s Insight
The box office performance of Even If This Love Disappears Tonight is a massive wake-up call for the Korean film industry. By hitting 500,000 viewers in just nine days, Choo Young-woo and Shin Shi-ah haven’t just delivered a hit; they’ve proven that the “tear-jerker” melodrama is still a heavy hitter when the casting and chemistry are right. In a market often dominated by high-budget action or dark thrillers, this film found a gap in the New Year schedule and filled it with pure, unfiltered emotion.
What makes this run particularly impressive is that it’s outpacing recent genre giants like Secret and Hear Me. While the original Japanese source material was a slow-burn success, this Korean reimagining has hit like a lightning bolt, likely due to the “visual chemistry” of its leads and a marketing campaign that turned it into a mandatory New Year’s outing for couples and families alike. It’s a classic story of memory loss and devotion, but in the hands of this new generation of actors, it feels fresh enough to break records. As 2026 kicks off, this film is proof that sometimes, a good cry is exactly what the audience is looking for.