The 2013 remake of “Oldboy” is under harsh criticism after its release on Wednesday, dashing hopes for those who were anticipating it to surpass the original 2003 film.

The new remake of Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy” was directed by the Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee. On the first day of release, 23 left negative comments on the U.S. film review website Rotten Tomatoes, while 17 reviewed the film positively though not for comparison with the original.

One film watcher evaluated the film as “one of the most frustratingly accomplished disappointments this year” and another said, “Revenge, like octopus, is a dish best served cold, but Spike Lee‘s disappointingly straight remake of ‘Oldboy’ is a lukewarm meal at best.”

Despite dominant reviews on the review page saying the remake is not as good as the original, 93 percent of users voted in a survey saying they wanted to watch the film.

According to Box Office Mojo, the new “Oldboy” is slated to air in 583 movie theaters, far fewer than the films “Frozen” or “Homefront,” shown in thousands of movie theaters.

By Yoon Ha-youn, Intern reporter
(yhayoun@heraldcorp.com)