[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

A Year-End Medley (Korea) Opened Dec. 29 Romance Directed by Kwak Jae-yong  Emros Hotel manager So-jin (Han Ji-min) secretly loves her best friend Seung-hyo (Kim Young-kwang). However, So-jin dares not tell him about her feelings and Seung-hyo drops the news that he is marrying Young-joo (Go Sung-hee). Meanwhile, Hotel Emros is full of guests who came to stay for diverse reasons. The King’s Man (UK) Opened Dec. 22 Action Directed by Matthew Vaughn In the early years of the 20th cen

Jan. 7, 2022

Choi Woo-shik learns to value process through ‘The Policeman’s Lineage’

Through the story of two very different police officers, the Korean film “The Policeman’s Lineage” by director Lee Kyu-man asks an ethical question: Is it OK to do bad to achieve a greater good? Kang-yoon (Cho Jin-woong) is a cop who is not afraid of conducting illegal investigations or even joining hands with criminals to make an arrest. On the other hand, there is Min-jae (Choi Woo-shik), a cop with strict ethics. Min-jae is sent to Kang-yoon’s team to secretly keep a

Jan. 5, 2022

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' becomes 1st foreign film to top Korean annual box office in 10 yrs

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" topped the annual South Korean box office last year to become the first foreign film to achieve the feat in 10 years, data showed Wednesday. The latest Marvel Studios superhero film garnered a combined 5.56 million people for 17 days since its official release on Dec. 15, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It became the No. 1 hit movie of the year, far outnumbering the homegrown disaster film "Escape from Mogadishu," which

Jan. 5, 2022

Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu to star in Netflix‘s ‘Kill Boksoon’

Global streaming platform Netflix on Tuesday announced that it will produce director Byun Sung-hyun‘s “Kill Boksoon,” an action thriller with big names Jeon Do-yeon and Seol Kyung-gu. Jeon will play legendary assassin Kill Bok-soon, who is put into a life-threatening situation before renewing her contract with her employer M.K. Enterprise. Kill is also a single mother of a 15-year-old daughter. Seol will play Cha Min-kyu, the CEO of M.K. Enterprise. The two actors are wor

Jan. 4, 2022

[Herald Interview] Playing villain in ‘Special Cargo’ gave Song Sae-byeok ’bad headaches‘

Even for veteran performer Song Se-byeok, 42, who debuted in 1988 as a stage actor, understanding the reckless character of Kyung-pil in the upcoming film “Special Cargo” by Park Dae-min was not easy. “Special Cargo” is a crime-action film that centers around a professional delivery driver named Eun-ha (Park So-dam). She delivers anything that cannot be delivered legally. One day, Eun-ha receives a mission to deliver a young boy named Seo-won (Jung Hyeon-jun) who is bei

Jan. 4, 2022

Park So-dam returns as professional driver in car chase film ‘Special Cargo’

Park So-dam, one of the stars of the Oscar-winning “Parasite,” is returning to the big screen as a driver in the upcoming car chase film “Special Cargo” directed by Park Dae-min. “Special Cargo” is a crime-action film that centers around a special professional delivery driver Eun-ha (Park So-dam). She delivers anything that cannot be delivered legally. One day, Eun-ha receives a mission to deliver a young boy Seo-won (Jung Hyeon-jun) that a criminal group is

Jan. 3, 2022

[Herald Interview] Bae Doo-na and Gong Yoo believe ‘The Silent Sea’ mark meaningful step for Korean sci-fi genre

With the success of Korean original content on Netflix in 2021, the makers and stars of “The Silent Sea,” the streaming provider’s last Korean release of 2021, might have felt under pressure. But actors Bae Doo-na and Gong Yoo are more than satisfied with their Netflix sci-fi mystery and hope the project can lead to the development of the genre in Korea. “I am well aware of the different opinions from the critics and the viewers. And I totally respect them all,”

Jan. 3, 2022

'Spider-Man' tops 6m admissions for 1st time since pandemic

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" has surpassed a cumulative 6 million admissions for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began in South Korea, box office data said Monday. The latest Marvel superhero film attracted 705,000 people from Friday-Sunday, bringing its combined total to 6.07 million, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. It is the first time a film has reached the 6 million line since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country in January in 2020. &

Jan. 3, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The King’s Man (UK) Opened Dec. 22 Action Directed by Matthew Vaughn 　 In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against the worst tyrants and criminal masterminds that joined hands to start a war and wipe out millions of people. Conrad (Harris Dickinson), who had witnessed World War I, hopes to join the army and fight for the country but his dad, Duke of Oxford, (Ralph Fiennes) is against the idea.  Spider-Man: No Way Home (US) Opened Dec. 15 Act

Dec. 31, 2021

Can ‘Policeman’ be next Spider-Man in 2022?

Despite the toughened social distancing rules, Korean action film “The Policeman’s Lineage,” directed by Lee Kyu-man, is set to be released Wednesday, with hopes of becoming a hit akin to “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Marvel ‘s latest Spider-Man film, which was released Dec. 15 here, has sold more than 5 million tickets, according to box office figures released by the Korean Film Council, setting a high mark for a film since the pandemic began. The charm of Lee

Dec. 30, 2021

Romance film ‘A Year-End Medley’ invites audiences to world without COVID-19

It is not the end of the year without a romance film about multiple couples’ Christmas and New Year holidays. Last year there was “New Year Blues” directed by Hong Ji-young and this year we have romance film master Kwak Jae-yong’s “A Year-End Medley.” “It does not feel like Christmas or New Year holiday anymore due to COVID-19. I want to recreate the holiday vibe that we used to enjoy,” Kwak said during a press conference held on Monday at CGV Yon

Dec. 28, 2021

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ conquers local box office

“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Marvel‘s latest Spider-Man film has sold 4,825,696 tickets in South Korea since its release on Dec. 15, becoming the most popular film of the year. During the Christmas holiday (from Dec. 24-26), Jon Watts’ hero film sold 1,299 627 tickets, according to box office figures released by the Korean Film Council. “Spider-Man: No Way Home“ depicts the story of Spider-Man after his identity is revealed. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) asks Doc

Dec. 28, 2021

’Spider-Man’ likely to become most-watched film in theaters this year

Hollywood’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” by Jon Watts is likely to overtake director Ryoo Seung-wan’s “Escape from Mogadishu,” which sold more than 3.61 million tickets this year. Ryoo’s film, which is so far the most-watched film this year, was released with support from the Korean Theater Association. The association’s members include the top three multiplex operators: CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox. Earlier in June, the association decided to fo

Dec. 24, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Spider-Man: No Way Home (US) Opened Dec. 15 Action Directed by Jon Watts 　 With Spider-Man‘s identity now revealed, Peter (Tom Holland) asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. But Doctor Strange’s spell goes wrong and dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. 　 Encanto (US) Opened Nov. 24 Animation Directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard In the deep mountains of Colombia, there is a special place call

Dec. 24, 2021

Erick Oh’s ‘Namoo’ makes 94th Oscar shortlist

South Korean director Erick Oh’s short animation “Namoo,” which means tree in Korean, on Wednesday made it onto the 94th Oscar shortlist after being nominated in the animated short film category. The Academy Awards will announce the final list of nominees on Feb. 9 and the awards ceremony will take place on March 27, 2022. Oh’s new animation follows the journey of a man’s life -- from beginning to end -- next to a tree that collects all of his memories. Oh creat

Dec. 22, 2021

Netflix series ‘The Silent Sea’ starring Bae Doo-na pioneers Korean sci-fi drama

For most of the cast and staff of Netflix’s “The Silent Sea,” they jumped at the chance to join the production of the sci-fi thriller series, quickly overcoming any hesitancy.  “I think I was a little reluctant about starring in a Korean space-related project. Even after receiving the scenario, I was uncertain about the moon exploration series. But my attitude completely changed after watching the director‘s short film ‘The Silent Sea,’” B

Dec. 22, 2021

'Spider-Man' tops 3 million admissions on 7th day

"Spider-Man: No Way Home," the latest Spider-Man series film, has topped a cumulative 3 million admissions at the fastest pace in the pandemic era, box office data showed Wednesday. The blockbuster attracted 196,000 people on Tuesday, bringing its combined total to 3.18 million on the seventh day following its release, according to the data by the Korea Film Council. Its pace outmatched that of the biggest pandemic-era hit, "Deliver Us From Evil," which needed 11 days to ac

Dec. 22, 2021

Indieground streams 87 independent films to wrap up 2021

To mark the end of the year, the Korean Film Council is screening a selection of films from Indieground’s “2021 Independent Movie Library.” 　 The movie library is part of an Indieground project to promote Korean independent films to the public and find new distribution channels for filmmakers. For this year’s “Independent Movie Library,” a total of 727 films were submitted and 87 films -- 22 features and 65 short films -- were selected. A special screenin

Dec. 21, 2021

‘Special Cargo’ invited to 2022 International Film Festival Rotterdam

“Special Cargo” featuring Oscar-winning “Parasite” star Park So-dam will be screened at 2022 International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Harbour program, according to the film distributor NEW. The film festival will be held offline from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6 next year. Founded in 1972, the annual film festival has been held at the end of January at various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In 2020, the festival premiered the black-and-white version of “Paras

Dec. 21, 2021

Korean streaming platform Tving reveals new original content list for 2022

The number of subscribers at CJ ENM’s streaming platform Tving has increased dramatically since October last year on the back of its original content, the company said. The number of paid subscribers to Tving increased by 256 percent as of Dec. 18, a rise which the company attributed to the popularity of its 60 original and exclusive content that it started offering in January. To further expand its reach, the streaming platform operator on Tuesday unveiled a list of new Tving original

Dec. 21, 2021