The film 'Bogotá: City of the Lost' is struggling at the box office.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated database on January 7, the movie 'Bogotá: City of the Lost' (directed by Kim Seong Je), which was released on December 31, has only attracted a cumulative audience of 336,348 viewers.

Despite being a new release, the film is currently ranked third at the box office, falling behind 'Harbin' (directed by Woo Min Ho) and 'Firefighters' (directed by Kwak Kyung Taek), both of which premiered earlier.

'Bogotá: City of the Lost' tells the story of Guk Hee (played by Song Joong Ki), who travels to Bogotá, Colombia—a land of new hope—after the IMF crisis. There, he becomes entangled with influential figures in the local Korean community, such as Soo Young (portrayed by Lee Hee Joon) and Sergeant Park (played by Kwon Hae Hyo).

Filming for the movie began in 2019, and after five years, it was finally released, earning the label of a "shelved film." The production faced numerous setbacks, including the suspension of on-location filming in Colombia due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Despite overcoming these challenges, the film is struggling to attract audiences, drawing disappointment.

Additionally, 'Hopeless' (directed by Kim Chang Hoon) and starring Song Joong Ki, released in October 2023, also vastly underperformed at the box office, drawing only 260,000 viewers. This marks Song Joong Ki’s second consecutive box office flop.

This has sparked a discussion online where some netizens are wondering if Song Joong Ki has lost his touch. The online community has been divided regarding this latest issue as some believe it is a temporary setback in Song Joong Ki's career. They commented:

"It’s possible he’ll have another hit eventually, and even if he doesn’t, it’s not a huge deal…"

"Mediocre movies are bound to flop. Why spend 15,000 won on a ticket when you can subscribe to an OTT platform and watch a variety of things?"

"I’d rather see him in a drama. Watching movies these days feels like a chore..."

"People in Korea have higher standards now—it’s no longer an era where people watch movies just because a certain actor is in it."

"This feels like 'Emergency Declaration' all over again."

"Oh, I didn’t even know it was released."

"I wasn’t aware of the movie until I watched Please Take Care of My Refrigerator and got curious. I was thinking of seeing it this weekend."

"His dramas feel like a guaranteed hit, but I’m not drawn to his movies at all."

"Bogotá? The only Bogotá I know is from Infinite Challenge—that Colombia capital quiz!

"Bogotá looks super boring."

"Song Joong Ki’s movies tend to be dull..."

"I don’t even feel curious anymore about how he’ll portray a role. No matter what he does, it feels like he’s always playing the same character from his past works."

"People say he’s not good at genre roles, but considering how well he did in *Vincenzo*, it seems like he just needs to choose his projects more carefully. These days, people don’t pick movies just based on the actor anymore."

SEE ALSO: Why has Song Joong Ki’s movie career hit a rough patch?