[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Roundup (Korea) Opened May 18 Crime Directed by Lee Sang-yong Cop Ma Seok-do heads to Vietnam to extradite a suspect. But soon after his arrival, he discovers murder cases and finds out that the vicious Korean killer (Son Sook-ku) has been committing crimes against Korean tourists for several years. Ma Seok-do decides to chase after the killer but it is not easy as Korean cops do not have investigative power in Vietnam.  Operation Mincemeat (US) Opened May 11 Drama Directed

May 20, 2022

From ‘Eternals’ to ‘Roundup,’ Don Lee dons a unique identity

“Ma Dong-seok is his own genre.” Korean moviegoers often say this in reference to the Korean-American movie star, also known as Don Lee, in recognition of his unique screen presence and charisma. A recent survey by online research firm PMI on Koreans aged 20-60 asked what word comes to mind when hearing his name. The answers were in the order of: “muscular/huge,” “tough/strong,” “Mavely (a combination of “Ma” and “lovely”),&rd

May 19, 2022

'The Roundup' off to record-setting start at box office

The action comedy "The Roundup" has set the best opening-day record among Korean films released during the COVID-19 pandemic, box-office data showed Thursday. The sequel to the 2017 hit comedy "The Outlaws" garnered about 467,000 viewers upon its debut Wednesday, accounting for 89 percent of the tickets sold on the day, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It marked the largest first-day score for a homegrown film since the new coronavirus broke out in early 2020, ou

May 19, 2022

‘Cassiopeia’ director focuses on father-daughter dynamic

Although “Cassiopeia” might seem like a woeful movie about a young lawyer in her 30s suffering from Alzheimer’s, the film’s director Shin Youn-shick said he focused more on portraying the father and daughter dynamic. “When I was working on the script. I watched the movie ‘The Intern’ to cool my head. That was also when I had a desire to work with (the actor) Ahn Sung-ki again,” the director said during a press conference held at Megabox theaters

May 18, 2022

[Feature] Major movie projects link foreign directors, Korean actors to draw global audiences

Famous Korean stars Song Kang-ho, Kang Dong-won, IU and Lee Joo-young entered the theater to take part in a press event held at Yongsan CGV on May 10. Just like every other press event with Korean reporters, the stars introduced their roles in the new film, shared their experiences from the set and posed for photos. However, there was one difference. Director Hirokazu Koreeda joined the event via video conference from Japan. There was also an interpreter for the director. The situation was s

May 17, 2022

S. Korean cinema chains still in red in Q1 but optimistic about possible rebound

South Korea's major cinema chains remained in the red in the first quarter of this year amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, but the lifting of distancing rules will likely provide them fresh momentum for a possible turnaround in the coming quarters, data showed Tuesday. CJ CGV, the No. 1 multiplex operator under the wing of entertainment giant CJ Group, said its operating loss reached 54.9 billion won ($42.9 million) for the first three months of 2022, narrowing from an operating deficit of 6

May 17, 2022

'Doctor Strange 2' tops 5m admissions

Hollywood blockbuster "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" surpassed 5 million admissions Tuesday, data showed. The latest Marvel Studios' flick hit the milestone at 7:20 a.m., on the 13th day of its theatrical release in South Korea, according to the official box-office data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It became the fastest movie to top 5 million in the past three years, outmatching the country's biggest pandemic-era hit "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the film

May 17, 2022

Cho Kuk documentary ‘The Red Herring’ raises over W2b

“The Red Herring,” a documentary directed by Yi Seung-jun about the embattled ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk, has raised a total of over 2.6 billion won ($2 million) from over 51,000 people on the crowdfunding platform Tumblbug as of Sunday, far exceeding its original goal of 50 million won. “I was very surprised by the Tumblbug funding result. I am moved by the support. Thank you,” Cho said in a video clip released on Tumblbug Monday. “I want to have a talk with t

May 16, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (US) Opened May 4 Action Directed by Sam Raim Set a few months after the events of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a powerful sorcerer who must protect the earth from mystical menaces. He battles these unexpected enemies with a teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) with the power to travel across the alternate universe. In the process of doing this, he travels into the multiverse. I

May 13, 2022

Don Lee returns with crime film sequel ‘The Roundup’

Korean American actor Don Lee, better known as Ma Dong-seok in Korea, is returning as a beast-like cop called Ma Seok-do in “The Roundup,” a sequel to the hit crime film “The Outlaws” (2017). “What differentiates the film (from the first movie) is that it has a different villain. Also, the scale of the crime differs, as well as the process of how the cops catch them. The jokes and action in the film were also upgraded,” Lee said during a global press confer

May 12, 2022

Ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk recommends political film ‘The Red Herring’ to conservatives

Ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk made a surprise appearance via video to ask conservative Korean moviegoers to watch “The Red Herring” during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration day, Tuesday. “What I want the people to know is that there are different perspectives on the situation and that there are different experiences and different testimonies,” Cho said in the video. “I hope this documentary will be watched by man

May 11, 2022

'He’s like the sun’: Director Koreeda praises veteran actor Song Kang-ho

Even for veteran director Hirokazu Koreeda, who won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 for “Shoplifters,” directing a movie in a foreign country was a challenge. During a press conference at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on Tuesday, the Japanese director said he got a lot of help from “Parasite” star Song Kang-ho while filming his movie, “Broker.” “Before shooting the film, I had a meeting with director Bong Joon-ho. We talked over a mea

May 11, 2022

'Doctor Strange 2' tops 3m admissions in first week

Hollywood blockbuster "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" has topped a cumulative 3 million admissions at the fastest pace in the pandemic era, box-office data showed Monday. The latest Marvel Studios' flick attracted 1.7 million people from Friday to Sunday, bringing its combined total to 3.5 million, according to the data by the Korea Film Council. It surpassed the 3 million threshold Saturday, the fourth day of its theatrical release, becoming the sixth film to achieve the

May 9, 2022

[Newsmaker] Iconic Korean movie star Kang Soo-youn dies at 55

Kang Soo-youn, the iconic Korean movie star who brought home the nation’s first acting award from the Venice film festival, died on Saturday at the age of 55. The tragic news came two days after she was taken to hospital on Thursday for a cardiac arrest. Kang died of a cerebral hemorrhage at 3 p.m. at a hospital in southern Seoul, her family said. Kang’s funeral committee is led by Kim Dong-ho, founder of the Busan International Film Festival and the current Gangneung Internatio

May 8, 2022

Two Korean female directors in 20s win top prizes at Jeonju IFF

Canadian nature documentary “Geographies of Solitude” has won the Grand Prize in the international competition section at this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival. The feature debut by Jacquelyn Mills was among the 20 winners announced by the 23rd Jeonju IFF organizing committee Thursday. The festival comes to an end Saturday after a 10-day run. “Geographies of Solitude” is about Zoe Lucas, an environmentalist who has been cataloging the flora and fauna of

May 6, 2022

[Newsmaker] Fans and film industry send prayers to actor Kang Soo-youn

Korean movie stars, directors and fans are praying for Kang Soo-youn’s recovery after the veteran actor was taken to a hospital with cardiac arrest on Thursday. According to a Gangnam Severance Hospital official, the actor remains unconscious while detailed information is yet to be announced. Director Yeon Sang-ho, who is scheduled to make his Netflix return with Kang in an upcoming sci-fi film “Jung_E,” was shocked to hear about the actor. “I was really surprised when

May 6, 2022

'Doctor Strange 2' dominates S. Korean box office on Children's Day

Hollywood blockbuster "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" garnered a 2 1/2-year high of over 1 million moviegoers on Children's Day, data showed Friday. Marvel Studios' latest superhero movie drew 1.06 million viewers on Thursday alone, accounting for 82.5 percent of the day's total ticket sales at local theaters, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It is the first time that a flick has topped the 1 million mark in attendance on one day since Nov. 30, 2019, wh

May 6, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

I Want to See Your Parent’s Face (Korea) Opened April 27 Drama Directed by Kim Ji-hoon An eighth grade boy, who attends a prestigious middle school, dies by suicide and leaves a note with the names of the four students who bullied him. The parents of the four students are summoned to the school. In the process of finding out what happened to the boy who died, the parents of the alleged offenders team up and try to prevent the truth from being revealed.  Toxic (Korea) Opened Ap

May 6, 2022

Actress Kang Soo-youn taken to hospital with cardiac arrest

South Korean actress Kang Soo-youn has been taken to hospital with cardiac arrest, according to local reports on Thursday. Citing the police and emergency authorities, local reports said she was found with cardiac arrest at around 5 p.m. in Gangnam and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation while being taken to a nearby hospital. Born in 1966, Kang became the first Korean actor to receive an award at a major international film festival as she was honored with the best actress award at the 1987 V

May 5, 2022

39th Busan International Short Film Festival wraps up

The 39th Busan International Short Film Festival, which was held in person for the first time in three years, closed Monday at the Busan Cinema Center with Mehrdad Hassani’s ”Adjustment“ winning the International Competition prize and the Korean Competition prize going to “Nowhere Else” directed by Lee Kyeong-won. “At this year’s film festival, which was held at the beginning of a process to return to normal, we realized the value of watching a movie

May 4, 2022