'Spider-Man: Homecoming' tops 6 mln in attendance

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" has surpassed 6 million in the accumulated number of viewers on the 13th day of its run, data showed Tuesday.According to a computerized tally from the Korean Film Council, the latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise added 124,129 to its domestic audience tally of 6.02 million on Monday.The movie, starring Tom Holland and Michael Keaton, has dominated local box office charts since it opened in South Korea on July 5. It became this year's most vi

July 18, 2017

German actor Thomas Kretschmann to visit Korea to promote new film

German actor Thomas Kretschmann will visit South Korea for promotional activities for "A Taxi Driver," a Korean historical film that stars the actor, the movie's distributor said Tuesday.Kretschmann will fly into the country Sunday to attend the film's VIP preview event scheduled for two days later at a Seoul theater, Showbox said. The movie's domestic release is set for Aug. 2. (Showbox)Directed by Jang Hoon, the film tells the story of a Seoul taxi driver named Man-seop who happens to take Ger

July 18, 2017

Park Seo-joon, Kang Ha-neul play opposites in upcoming buddy movie ‘Midnight Runners’

A buddy flick brimming with youthful energy and the classic opposites-attract bromance chemistry starring Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul will hit theaters this summer.“I play someone who acts before he speaks,” said Park, who is currently having a moment as the romantic lead in the KBS drama series “Fight My Way,” at a press conference for “Midnight Runners” in southeastern Seoul, Monday. Contrasting Park’s character Ki-joon is Hee-yeol, played by Kang, who is more of a thinker than a doer, Kang

July 17, 2017

Song-Song families have not yet met: agency

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s families have not yet met ahead of the celebrity couple’s upcoming October wedding, according to Song Joong-ki’s agency Blossom Entertainment Monday.　Earlier Monday, local outlets reported that the two families had met last week in Seoul.　 Song Joong-ki (left) and Song Hye-kyo wave to fans at the Baeksang Arts Awards ceremony in Seoul on June 3, 2016. (Yonhap)The reports claimed that Song Joong-ki’s parents, who live in Daejeon, had come to Seoul to meet with Son

July 17, 2017

North Korean spy films to hit theaters in coming months

A slew of spy films centering on the tension between the two Koreas will be hitting local theaters later this year.　Three films, tentatively titled “VIP” starring Jang Dong-gun, “Steel Rain” starring Jung Woo-sung, and “Maneuver” starring Hwang Jung-min are set for release in Korean cinemas in the second half of 2017.　 Still from “VIP” featuring Kim Myung-min (left) and Jang Dong-gun (Warner Bros. Korea)“VIP,” which has been confirmed to open in August, is about a special joint investigation uni

July 16, 2017

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ becomes this year’s most viewed foreign film in Korea

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" became this year's most viewed foreign film in South Korea in just 10 days after its opening, its local distributor said Sunday.The latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise was watched by more than 5.37 million moviegoers as of Saturday, according to the film's distributor Sony Pictures. This surpassed American film "Beauty and the Beast" that drew some 5.31 million viewers in the first half of 2017. (Marvel Studios)The movie, starring Tom Hollan

July 16, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Flipped(US)Romantic comedy, drama. Directed by Rob ReinerJuli Baker (Madeline Carroll) instantly recognizes that Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) is meant to be the love of her life, after meeting him for the first time as second grade students. Bryce continues to resists Juli’s enthusiastic advances until the sixth grade, dating other girls to ward her off. Juli finally begins to wonder if she was wrong about Bryce and their destiny, just when Bryce begins to look at his longtime admirer in a new

July 14, 2017

‘Taxi Driver’ ponders painful uprising through everyman’s perspective

The upcoming historical drama “A Taxi Driver” doesn’t want to wallow in the pain of the 1980s Gwangju Democratic Movement, when hundreds of civilians died while protesting the authoritarian military regime.　“It’s about the hope of people who did not let go, who strived to go on with life amid the pain,” said actor Song Kang-ho after the film’s press screening in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Monday.　Song, who starred in “Age of Shadows” (2016), plays the focal character Man-seob, a middle-aged taxi driv

July 11, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Day After(Korea) Opened July 6Drama, comedy. Directed by Hong Sang-sooBong-wan (Kwon Hae-hyo) is accused at the dinner table by his wife Hae-joo (Cho Yun-hee) of having an affair. He feigns indignation and focuses on his meal, but the truth is that Bong-wan is heartbroken over a recently ended affair with an employee at his tiny publishing house, Chang-sook (Kim Sae-byeok). Chang-sook quits after friction with Bong-wan, and a new employee, Areum (Kim Min-hee), comes to work there. Spider-Man

July 7, 2017

'Spider-Man' smashes S. Korean box office on opening day

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" smashed the South Korean box office on its opening day, taking up nearly 85 percent of ticket sales, data showed Thursday.The latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise was watched by 544,308 moviegoers Wednesday, according to the computerized box-office tally from the Korean Film Council.The movie, starring Tom Holland and Michael Keaton, will likely maintain its momentum. The film's ticket reservation rate stood at 78.3 percent as of 8 a.m. Thurs

July 6, 2017

Movie on Gwangju uprising picked to close Canada's Fantasia Fest

"A Taxi Driver," a new South Korean movie on the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, was selected as the closing film of this year's Fantasia Film Festival in Canada, according to its distributor Thursday.The genre-oriented film contest launched in 1996 is popular among hardcore film fans and distributors largely from North America. It runs July 13-August 2.Distributor Showbox said this is the first time for a Korean movie to close the prominent festival. "A Taxi Driver" is also part of the

July 6, 2017

Seoul International Cartoon, Animation Fest highlights Polish cartoons, Japanese masters

Polish cartoons and works by Japanese masters will color the city this month at the 21st edition of the Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. 　The annual event, set for July 26-30 this year, will open with the Polish-English animation “Loving Vincent” and showcase, for the first time worldwide, the trilogy of films by legendary Japanese science fiction writer Keikaku Ito.　The festival, which celebrates animated films from all over the world, will take place at the SETEC convention ce

July 5, 2017

Claudia Kim to star in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ sequel

Actress Kim Soo-hyun, known as Claudia Kim to the international audience, will be starring in the sequel to the Warner Bros. film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”Kim will star as a young woman introduced as an attraction at a wizarding circus, according to reports.The actress, who is fluent in English, previously starred in Hollywood films such as “The Dark Tower” (2017) and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015). Claudia Kim (Artist’s Facebook)The film is the second flick to be based on J.

July 4, 2017

Cha In-pyo to co-produce, act in upcoming Hollywood flick ‘Heavenquest’

Actor Cha In-pyo will venture into Hollywood as both an actor and producer in the upcoming film “Heavenquest: A Pilgrim’s Progress.” The film is co-produced by TKC Pictures, a film production company and management agency established by Cha, and the US-based King Street Pictures.　The film, based on John Bunyan’s 1678 novel “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” is an action fantasy flick.　At its helm is rookie American director Matt Bilen. The film will begin shooting in Los Angeles and northern California.

July 3, 2017

'Anarchist from Colony' nabs top spot over 'Transformers' on opening weekend

Director Lee Joon-ik's latest historical film "Anarchist from Colony" led the weekend box office, taking up 48.8 percent of all tickets sold, data showed Monday.According to the computerized tally from the Korean Film Council, "Anarchist" added 817,982 to its audience tally of 1.18 million over the June 30-July 2 weekend. (Megabox)Based on a real life court case, the movie depicts Korean anarchist and independent fighter Park Yeol and his Japanese wife's struggle to let the world know of the mas

July 3, 2017

Culture ministry considering measures to ban conglomerates' screen monopoly

The government will work out measures to prevent further widening disparity between conglomerate-invested big-budget films and films from minor studios, officials said Friday.   Conglomerates such as CJ Group and Lotte Entertainment have come under fire for dominating screens using their own movie distribution and cinema chain units, marginalizing films from smaller companies or indie and art-house films.      The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had a meeting with an advisory committee f

June 30, 2017

Probe requested into leak of Kim Soo-hyun's new film 'Real'

 The production company of the new Korean action thriller "Real" said Friday it has asked the police to investigate the leak of part of the film's scenes.   Cove Pictures said the previous day that part of the scenes featuring its lead actor Kim Soo-hyun and actress Choi Jin-ri were illegally filmed at a theater and leaked online, just one day after it was released in domestic theaters Wednesday.Actor Kim Soo-hyun plays a lead role in "Real." (Yonhap)   "We made a final decision to take legal me

June 30, 2017

‘Anarchist from Colony’ released with English subtitles in Songdo

“Anarchist from Colony,” the latest box office hit directed by Lee Joon-ik and starring Lee Je-hoon, is now screening with English subtitles in select theaters in Korea and will have limited screenings in the US.English subtitled screenings of the movie were released Friday at MegaBox’s Songdo location in Incheon. This photo provided by Megabox Plus M shows actor Lee Je-hoon (C) as Park Yeol in the new Korean historical film "Anarchist from Colony." (Yonhap)As “Anarchist from Colony” had a succe

June 30, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Real(Korea)Opened June 28Science fiction, thriller. Directed by Lee Sa-rangJang Tae-young (Kim Soo-hyun) is a ruthless casino owner and gangster boss with a ferocious temper, who suffers from a dual personality disorder. He seeks the services of a psychoanalyst (Lee Sung-min), who hypnotizes Jang and delves into his deep subconscious to “murder” the second self. In a whirlwind of neon lights, debauchery-filled drug hazes, gang wars and a mysterious doppelganger who keeps chasing him, Jang comes

June 30, 2017

Son Hyun-joo named Best Actor at 2017 Moscow International Film Festival

Son Hyun-joo took home the top prize for his role as a homicide detective on “Ordinary Person” at the 2017 Moscow International Film Festival on Thursday evening. Son is the third Korean actor to win the award at the film festival following Kang Soo-yeon (“Come Come Come Upward”) in 1989 and Lee Deok-hwa (“I Will Survive”) in 1993. Son Hyun-joo (Keyeast)Son, who could not attend the ceremony due to his filming for tvN’s upcoming drama “Criminal Minds” -- the Korean adaptation of popular American

June 30, 2017