K-pop idols, such as Red Velvet’s Irene, are bombing at the box office as they seek big film careers

Red Velvet leader Irene’s film debut in Double Patty, which hit cinemas on February 17, drew criticism for her unnatural acting

Park Jeong-hwa of Exid expressed regret about her own acting skills in Dragon Inn Part 2: The Night of the Gods – ‘I’m not satisfied with the results’

Reading Time:2 minutes

Irene from girl group Red Velvet has drawn criticism over her poor acting skills. Photo: SM Entertainment

Published: 12:15pm, 24 Feb 2021Updated: 12:15pm, 24 Feb 2021

By Kwak Yeon-soo

A growing number of K-pop idols are taking up the challenge of appearing on the silver screen, but many are facing criticism over their poor acting skills.

Red Velvet leader Irene’s film debut in Double Patty, which hit cinemas on February 17, drew criticism for her unnatural acting. The feature attracted 4,450 cinema-goers during the period from last Friday to Sunday, raising total admissions to 11,268, according to box office data from the Korean Film Council.

But the star, who previously had a lead role in the 2016 web drama Game Development Girls, reacted humbly, saying she “learned a lot” from her first movie role.

Irene from girl group Red Velvet. Photo: SM Entertainment

Meanwhile, Park Jeong-hwa of girl group Exid returned to the silver screen in Dragon Inn Part 2: The Night of the Gods, which was released on February 10.

The sequel to last year’s Dragon Inn Part 1: The City of Sadness again sees her in the lead role. The film is set in a Chinese restaurant called the Dragon Inn, where problem solvers get together to defeat villains. The first instalment sold only 3,038 tickets while the second instalment has sold about 1,700 so far.