Japanese animations rank high at S. Korean box office

Three Japanese animations were among the top five films on the weekend box-office chart in South Korea, industry data showed Monday, proving their unwavering popularity among local audiences. The Japanese animation "Suzume" posted 712,473 admissions from Friday to Sunday to top the box office for the second consecutive week, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council. Director Makoto Shinkai's latest film, which is centered on a high school girl and a mysterious you

March 20, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Suzume” (Japan) Opened March 8 Adventure/Animation Directed by Makoto Shinkai “Suzume” revolves around a 17-year-old girl’s quest to stop an apocalypse triggered by the opening of magical doors all over Japan. The film is Shinkai’s third film in the series after “Your Name” (2017) and “Weathering with You” (2019), which both center around natural catastrophes like earthquakes and climate-related disasters. “Soulmate” (S

March 18, 2023

Jeonju International Film Festival establishes donation committee

Jeonju International Film Festival has established a donation committee to spread the culture of donation and social contribution, while part of the proceeds will be delivered to a nongovernmental organization. Under the slogan of “glorious value,” which also reads “cinematic value” in Korean, the donation committee is JIFF’s first-ever move to support those in need, since the festival’s establishment in 2000. JIFF said it will receive applications for donat

March 17, 2023

Lee Sun-kyun takes on unprecedented comic role in ‘Killing Romance’

Hit TV drama star Lee Sun-Kyun from “Pasta” (2010) and “My Mister” (2018) is trying his hand at an unprecedented comical role in upcoming romance thriller “Killing Romance,” directed by Lee Won-suk and written by “The Beauty Inside” writer Park Jeong-ye. “Killing Romance,” also starring actors Lee Ha-nee and Gong Myung, revolves around a former actor Hwang Yeo-rae, who is known for her terrible acting skills and eventually leave the ind

March 17, 2023

‘Rebound’ re-creates underdogs’ valiant fight against champions

Director Jang Hang-jun of upcoming sports comedy film “Rebound” said he prioritized matching the actors to their real-life characters as a basketball coach and high school players. The film, based on the true story of a basketball team at Busan Jungang High School in 2012, follows basketball coach Kang Yang-hyun as he tries to bring together a team of underdog players. “To create a realistic mood in the film and stay similar to this true event, we shot the film at the actual co

March 14, 2023

Korean Cultural Center Washington to hold exhibition on animation, literature

The Korean Cultural Center in Washington said Monday that it is holding an exhibition on South Korean animation and literature from March 24 to Dec. 29. The Culture Ministry-run institution said the exhibition aims to offer opportunities for visitors to take an in-depth look into South Korean animation content based on well-known literary works, as well as increase their understanding in Korean culture. Titled “K-Animation With Literature,” the exhibition is co-hosted with animat

March 13, 2023

Japanese animation 'The First Slam Dunk' tops 4 mln admissions in S. Korea

The Japanese animated film "The First Slam Dunk" has drawn over 4 million moviegoers in South Korea, data showed Monday. The film adaptation of the popular Japanese basketball comic book series "Slam Dunk" topped 4 million admissions Sunday, 67 days after it hit local theaters on Jan. 4, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It was another record for the film, which became the most-viewed animated Japanese film released in the nation by garnering an accumulated

March 13, 2023

‘Black Rubber Shoes’ creator, cartoonist Lee Woo-young dies

Cartoon artist Lee Woo-young, one of the creators behind the original hit comic book and animated series, “Black Rubber Shoes,” in the 1990s and the 2000s, was found dead at his home in Incheon, according to police Sunday. Lee was discovered by his family member at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, in what was an apparent suicide. Lee’s family said that he was going through a rough time due to recent lawsuits regarding copyright issues. An autopsy will not be conducted at the request

March 12, 2023

Three Korean films confirm April release, gear up to top local box office

Three South Korean films will be released in April with the support of local multiplex theaters in an attempt to top local box offices currently dominated by foreign films such as Japanese animated films “Suzume” and “The First Slam Dunk.” According to local multiplex theaters CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, films “Rebound,” “Killing Romance” and “Dream” will open in April, along with sponsorships by multiplex theaters to revitalize loca

March 12, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Devil’s Deal” (South Korea) Opened March 1 Drama/Thriller Directed by Lee Won-tae “The Devil’s Deal,” set in Busan in 1992, centers on both the confrontations and collaborations among an ever-unsuccessful politician, Hae-yong (Cho Jin-woong), a political heavyweight Soon-tae (Lee Sung-min), and a gang boss Pil-do (Kim Moo-yeol), together with their instinctive desire and betrayal revolving around power and money. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

March 10, 2023

Kwak Si-yang, Jo Yoon-seo to star in occult horror film

Actors Kwak Si-yang and Jo Yoon-seo will star in the occult horror film, “Three Evil Island” (working title), directed by Chae Ki-jun, according to film distributor The Content On. “Lovers of the Red Sky” (2021) star Kwak will play Japanese journalist Matsuda Ryuhei, who accompanies Chae So-yeon (Jo Yoon-seo), a TV producer who specializes in investigating pseudo-religions. “Three Evil Islands” (working title) tells the story of the investigative reporting tea

March 9, 2023

‘Suzume’ director says he was inspired by 2016 drama ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’

Japanese director Makoto Shinkai of the latest adventure animation film “Suzume,” which references the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that took nearly 20,000 lives and left much devastation, said the key motif of a magical door that a protagonist tries to close to stop the disaster was inspired by the 2016 hit South Korean drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” “When I watched ‘Guardian,’ it was impressive that the characters use a concept of door to move a

March 8, 2023

Son Suk-ku to star as journalist in upcoming film

Actor Son Suk-ku from “My Liberation Notes” (2022) and “Big Bet” (2022) will star as a journalist in an upcoming crime action flick, tentatively named “The Comments Army.” A film adaption of Chang Kang-myoung’s award-winning novel of the same title, “The Comments Army” will be directed by Ahn Gooc-jin. Shooting officially began Monday, according to Acemaker Movieworks, the film's distributor. The film centers around Son’s character

March 7, 2023

Hyeri to star in Korea’s first cheerleading film ‘Victory’

Singer and actor Lee Hye-ri -- also known as Hyeri from Girl’s Day -- is starring in director Park Beom-soo’s “Victory,” the country’s first ever film on cheerleaders. Along with Lee, actors Park Se-wan and Cho Ah-ram and six other actors will star as a nine-member cheerleading group called Millennium Girls. “Victory” revolves around Pil-seon (Hyeri) and Mina (Park Se-wan) who form a high school cheerleading club. Hyeri’s acting career took off wit

March 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] Playing villains that ring a little too true

Unlike a typical noir action flick, director Lee Won-tae’s latest film “Devil’s Deal” realistically depicts the film’s setting, focusing specifically on the year 1992 in Busan. This was the year when both the presidential election and the general election took place. This made the actors think that the characters they were playing must have really existed in the real world at some place and time. “The set was so realistic that I could easily be absorbed into t

March 6, 2023

'The First Slam Dunk' becomes most-viewed animated Japanese film in S. Korea

"The First Slam Dunk" has become the most-viewed animated Japanese film released in South Korea ever, data showed Sunday. The film posted a total of 3.81 million admissions earlier in the day, outnumbering the top-selling animated Japanese film "Your Name." (2016), which sold 3.8 million tickets, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It took 61 days for the basketball animation to break the seven year-old record since it hit South Korean theaters on Jan. 4. &quo

March 5, 2023

Megabox to broadcast S. Korea's WBC 2023

Megabox, a South Korean cinema operator, Thursday announced that it would live stream South Korea’s World Baseball Classic matches in its theaters, starting March 10. The WBC is an international baseball tournament that has taken place every four years since 2009 The last tournament, scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes, considered Korea's next Major League Baseball hopeful, and Major Leaguer Kim Ha-s

March 4, 2023

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

“Count” (South Korea) Opened Feb. 22 Comedy Directed by Kwon Hyuk-jae Former boxing Olympic medalist Si-heon (Jin Seon-kyu), who now teaches at a high school in Jinhae, North Gyeongsang Province, decides to start a boxing team after discovering talent in his student Yoon-woo, played by Sung Yoo-bin. The film is based on the real-life story of South Korean boxer Park Si-hun, who won a gold medal in the men’s light middleweight category at the 1988 Summer Olympics. “Mis

March 3, 2023

‘Devil’s Deal’ tops local box office, sets new attendance record

Director Lee Won-tae’s first crime noir flick in four years, “The Devil’s Deal,” has topped the local box office Thursday, setting a new attendance record, according to the Korea Film Council. Data showed “The Devil’s Deal,” which opened on Wednesday, saw a total of 188,827 moviegoers on its first day. As of Thursday, the number of movie theater admissions came to 192,623. The figures represent the highest attendance compared to other films that have ope

March 2, 2023

Jang Hang-jun, Kim Eun-hee’s sports comedy ‘Rebound’ to open in April

Filmmaker Jang Hang-jun and his wife and star writer Kim Eun-hee’s sports comedy “Rebound” will hit local theaters in April, distribution company Barunson E&A said Monday. Based on the real-life story of a basketball team at a high school in Busan in 2012, director Jang has moved the eight-day high school basketball competition event to the screen. The production team for 2017 hit film “The Outlaws” has prepared for the film since 2013, and writer Kwon Sung-hui

Feb. 27, 2023