A critically acclaimed movie, received with a lot of love from press and the entertainment industry, "Passionate Goodbye" led by FTISLAND vocalist Lee Hong Ki is taking its final bow in theaters in Seoul next week.

What went wrong? 

Faced with stiff competition from big-Hollywood and big-budget movies, Hong Ki's charisma and acting chops, the rich storyline and powerful performances from all the cast were not enough.   Dutifully, Hong Ki did all the promotion rounds - guesting on as many variety shows and talk shows he could.  But still it didn't bring people into theater seats. 

Prior to June 4th, the movie was playing in 100+ theaters in South Korea.  Now, it's only played in less than 30 moviehouses.  "Passionate Goodbye" is scheduled to end its theatrical run on June 9th, probably a movie on the shorter end of a theatrical run stick. 

Prior to the movie airing, in his interview with Ceci, Hong Ki revealed his thoughts when asked about whether he expected the movie to be a huge hit, considering his popularity.   In a surprising answer, he shared, "I have a different wish with this piece. I want to raise awareness about the hospice and the transition into dying."  More than being a big hit he wanted to send the message across, he "wanted to share that the scary concept of death can also be a path to happiness." When pressed whether he really didn't care about the movie's overall performance in the box office, Lee Hong Ki admitted, "Of course, I want it to do well, who wouldn't? But more than that I want the message to reach the audience well.  That's how I feel I am successful.'"

Almost like a premonition of sorts?

It can also speak to the general culture or preferences in Korea for topics such as those in the film, or the characters portrayed.  Even with its short theatrical run, "Passionate Goodbye" is said to have recovered the costs of production as rights were bought by other countries globally, which is a feat in itself. It is also said to be in talks to be turned into a made-for-TV movie.

As "Passionate Goodbye" makes its final rounds, Lee Hong Ki tweeted thoughtfully recently, "Somehow we can't expect too much at first try. ^.^ Fighting!"  The singer's ever supportive band were also tweeting messages with FTISLAND leader Jong Hoon quoting a biblical passage, "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy" from the Psalms, and guitarist Seunghyun speaking of "Really short moments of healing" in another tweet where he shared a group picture in an amusement park with the rest of the members. 

Clearly, the movie's sad plight in the theaters is a painful moment for the 23-year old actor and those close to him, but sometimes we do need losses to truly appreciate our coming successes. 

FTISLAND is due with a comeback in Japan on June 12th with 'Rated FT', followed by a summer arena tour. 

"Passionate Goodbye" will also hit theaters in Japan later in the month.  Perhaps it will be sweeter the second time around?