Did they say they would follow the title? The drama 'Knock Off' has blocked the future of the Disney Plus original series.
Disney Plus announced on the 21st of last month, "After careful consideration, we have decided to postpone the release plan for 'Knock Off'."
Starring actors Kim Soo-hyun and Jo Bo-ah, 'Knock Off' was scheduled to be released as early as mid-April, but no later than May. However, the project has been clouded by Kim Soo-hyun's involvement in a scandal with the late Kim Sae-ron. In fact, it has reached a level where release is virtually impossible.
The revelations against Kim Soo-hyun and the ongoing controversies have intensified daily. Ultimately, Kim Soo-hyun even held a press conference to shed tears and clarify the situation. However, despite his rebuttals and expressions, public sentiment remains cold.
As a result, Disney Plus had to weigh the necessity of releasing the project, its potential for success, and its buzz, making it difficult to erase negative prospects. They ultimately decided to postpone the release of the original series following 'Hyperknife', starring Park Eun-bin and Seol Kyung-gu, meaning they decided to 'Knock Off' the release of 'Knock Off'.
'Knock Off' is a drama about a man whose life is completely turned upside down due to the 1997 financial crisis, who becomes the king of the global counterfeit market. Season 1 was scheduled to be released in the first half of this year, and Season 2 in the second half, but all schedules have been disrupted due to Kim Soo-hyun's 'Knock Off' declaration.
It is uncertain whether the project will be completely removed from Disney's future release schedule. If that happens, the financial impact on the 'Knock Off' team would be significant. The total production cost for both seasons exceeds 60 billion won, a substantial portion of which is said to be Kim Soo-hyun's fee. Kim Soo-hyun reportedly received 500 million won per episode, totaling 9 billion won.
Industry speculation suggests that if 'Knock Off' is scrapped, Kim Soo-hyun may have to pay a penalty ranging from a minimum of 18 billion won to a maximum of 180 billion won. While the exact penalty is unknown, there is a clause stating that "in cases of legal violations or actions contrary to social norms that cause public controversy, compensation of 2-3 times the appearance fee must be paid," indicating that a high penalty is likely. Kim Soo-hyun also does not wish for the cancellation of 'Knock Off' to occur.
Among domestic actors, Kim Soo-hyun, who has been known as a guarantee of box office success, has unexpectedly thrown the 'Knock Off' card to Disney. Disney Plus has already been struggling, recording the lowest monthly user numbers among domestic OTT (online video service) platforms. In such a situation, facing this kind of variable has made it even more difficult.
Filming 'Knock Off', release 'Knock Off'. Everything has been 'Knock Off' for Kim Soo-hyun's 'Knock Off'.
