“12.12: The Day” surpassed 5 million ticket sales as of Tuesday, signaling it might become the second film to hit the 10 million mark this year.

The number of cumulative viewers of “12.12: The Day” is increasing fast. It attracted 1.7 million viewers over three days, from Friday to Sunday.

The number stood at 5,068,151 as of Wednesday at 10 a.m. It hit the one million mark on Nov. 25, two million on Nov. 28, three million on Friday and four million on Sunday, according to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network for tickets.

Media reports say that the film is gaining traction over time through word of mouth, unlike most films that lose momentum after attracting viewers during the opening weekend and see a decline in sales later.

The rate of increase is faster than those of “Ode to My Father” (2014), which sold 14.26 million tickets, and “Masquerade” (2012), which sold 12.32 million.

The film is set against the backdrop of Dec. 12 1979 military coup that ended the short period of democratization after former President Park Chung Hee’s assassination.

Most of the characters are based on real historical figures, such as Chun Doo-kwang, played by Hwang Jung-min, who is based on former President Chun Doo Hwan.

Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon and Kim Sung-kyun play key roles in “12.12: The Day” alongside Hwang. The film is directed by Kim Sung-su, who is known for films such as “Beat” (1997), “Musa” (2001) and “Asura: The City of Madness” (2016).

BY LEE CHAE-MIN [lee.chaemin1@joongang.co.kr]