The 2023 film ‘Rebound’ by director Jang Hang-jun will be re-released on the 3rd of next month. Courtesy of Barunson E&A

‘Rebound,’ the previous film by Jang Hang-jun, director of ‘The Man Who Lives With the King,’ is gearing up for a belated resurgence.

Distributor Barunson E&A announced on the 16th that ‘Rebound’ will be re-released on the 3rd of next month.

The film ‘Rebound,’ released in 2023, tells the miraculous story of a high school basketball team that no one noticed. It is based on the true story of the basketball team of Busan Jungang High School, which created a sensation at the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament.

Starring Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Shin-young, and Jung Jin-woon, and directed by Jang, the film drew around 690,000 viewers at the time of release, resulting in sluggish box-office numbers, but it received strong word-of-mouth, including a 98% score on the CGV Egg Index, which is based on actual audience ratings. ‘Rebound’ attracted particular attention because writer Kim Eun-hee, who is married to the director, took part in the adaptation.

Poster for the film ‘Rebound’

Expectations were high for ‘Rebound,’ Jang Hang-jun’s first feature in six years after ‘Gieok-ui Bam,’ but when it failed at the box office, he expressed deep regret. With ‘Rebound’ having remained the director’s ‘sore spot,’ the film has now gained a chance to bounce back.

Producer Im Eun-jeong, head of Onda Works, is said to have tapped Jang to direct ‘The Man Who Lives With the King’ after watching this film.

Jang, who first took the helm in 2002 with ‘Turn On the Lighter,’ became a ten-million-admissions director 24 years after debut thanks to the success of ‘The Man Who Lives With the King.’ As of the previous day, ‘The Man Who Lives With the King’ had been seen by about 13,467,000 people, securing eighth place on the all-time box-office chart.