Released in 1999, the teen romantic comedy masterpiece 10 Things I Hate About You is a perfect modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's comedy 'The Taming of the Shrew' set in a high school.

The film's most significant feature is its complete reversal of the original's submissive view of women, reflecting the emerging 'feminist subjectivity' culture of the late 90s.

Julia Stiles plays the protagonist 'Kat Stratford,' an independent character who does not conform to the male gaze, reads Sylvia Plath, and is passionate about a female rock band.

The film portrays Kat not as a 'troublesome girl in need of healing' but as a 'subject with beliefs deserving of respect,' marking a significant advancement in the teen romance genre. The name of the school, 'Padua,' is also derived from the original setting in Italy, 'Padova,' elegantly incorporating literary wit.

This work is the monumental debut that etched Heath Ledger, an unknown actor from Australia, into Hollywood and the world.

The scene where he grabs the microphone in the schoolyard stands and dances to Can't Take My Eyes Off You is considered one of the most romantic confession scenes in film history.

Unlike the typical pretty boy image that Hollywood was consuming at the time, Heath Ledger perfectly embodied the rough yet warm-hearted and playful 'Patrick Verona.'

His legacy as a great actor was solidified through films like Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight, leaving a page of youthful vibrancy that resonates deeply with film fans worldwide who miss him.

The gloomy yet lush landscapes of Seattle and Tacoma visually capture the essence of the American Northwest, a mecca for alternative rock and grunge music in the late 90s.

The upbeat yet rebellious soundtrack featuring bands like Letter to Cleo and Save Ferris shapes the film's tone and manner, adding cultural significance as a text representing the identity and liberation of youth at the time.

This film, released locally in the U.S. on March 31, 1999, during the Easter weekend, achieved remarkable commercial success relative to its production budget.

• Production budget: approximately $16 million (relatively low-budget even by the standards of the time)

• North American (U.S./Canada) box office gross: $38,178,166 (about $38.2 million)

• Worldwide total gross: $60,414,032 (about $60.4 million)

It debuted at number two at the box office, earning about $8.3 million in its opening weekend, a valuable achievement despite being released on the same day as the mega-hit sci-fi film The Matrix. Despite its genre limitations and a clearly defined target audience (teenagers to early twenties), it gained word-of-mouth popularity and had a long run.

At the time of its release, critics praised it, stating, "Unlike other light teen films, the dialogue is intelligent and full of wit."

Particularly, the chemistry and screen presence of Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger received widespread acclaim. Thanks to this success, it was remade into a TV series of the same name on ABC Family in 2009, solidifying its status as a classic that continues to be consumed in American pop culture.

In South Korea, it was released somewhat later than in the U.S., on November 13, 1999. At that time, the Korean theater industry did not have a unified computerized network, so the exact national audience count was not recorded, but it is noted to have attracted about 68,000 viewers based on Seoul's audience numbers.

Although its box office performance was modest, the film's true success began after its theatrical run through the video rental market, weekend classic films on terrestrial TV (like KBS), and cable movie channels. In the early 2000s, it gained immense popularity among middle and high school students and college students as a "hidden gem of a teen movie," spreading through downloads and VOD markets.

Especially after the unfortunate news of Heath Ledger's passing in 2008, domestic fans' desire to see his charming youthful days and pure smile intensified, leading to a surge in streaming.

Even today, it consistently ranks at the top of teen romance recommendation lists on OTT platforms like Netflix and Disney+, and it is still regarded as a 'life movie' that is frequently discussed among Korean audiences, even over 25 years after its release.