[Herald Interview] ‘Sinkhole,’ disaster movie with comedy twist: Cha Seung-won

Veteran actor Cha Seung-won, 51, is not afraid of challenges. When choosing movies, he tries to pick something out of the ordinary. “I don’t like films that have a single genre. I am into stories with twists. I liked ‘Sinkhole’ because it is a movie about the disaster, but there are comedy elements to it. I love how humor is being used in an extreme situation,” Cha emphasized during an interview via Zoom with a group of local reporters. “It was really funny

Aug. 20, 2021

Politically censored S. Korean films to be released online

The Korean Film Archive announced that it will sequentially post a collection of South Korea’s earlier films censored by the state through the Korean Movie Database online history archive center, starting Thursday. The KOFA received donations and preserved some 10,000 materials regarding censorship from the Korea Council for Performing Arts Promotion, the predecessor of the current Korea Media Rating Board, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. In the past, the materials had only been avai

Aug. 20, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Sinkhole (Korea) Opened Aug. 11 Comedy Directed by Kim Ji-hoon Although he has an annoying neighbor (Cha Seung-won), office worker Dong-won (Kim Sung-kyun) is very happy that he finally has become a homeowner after saving up for more than 10 years. Dong-won invites his co-workers over to his new place for a housewarming party, but the next morning the building falls into a giant sinkhole. The Suicide Squad (US) Opened Aug. 4 Action Directed by James Gunn Intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Vi

Aug. 20, 2021

Korean hit films set to be remade in US, Spain

Korean movies have been increasingly drawing interest from global production studios and streaming platforms for local adaptations amid the rising presence of Korean content in the world's show business. "The Villainess," directed by Jeong Byeong-gil, is set to be adapted for television by Amazon Studios, according to Next Entertainment World (NEW), the movie's Korean distributor. Amazon Studios is behind hit TV series "The Wilds" through its Amazon Prime Video service and O

Aug. 19, 2021

‘Sinkhole,’ ‘Escape From Mogadishu’ conquer box office over Liberation Day weekend

Over the three-day Liberation Day weekend Aug. 14-16, South Korean films “Sinkhole” and “Escape From Mogadishu” conquered the local box office. Disaster comedy “Sinkhole,” directed by Kim Ji-hoon, was released Aug. 11 and took the No. 1 spot, attracting more than 740,000 viewers over the holiday weekend for a total to date of over 1.14 million. It passed the 1 million mark faster than any other film this year.　 “Sinkhole” is set at Chungwoon Vil

Aug. 17, 2021

'Sinkhole' surpasses 1m admissions at fastest pace of 2021

South Korean disaster comedy film "Sinkhole" has surpassed a cumulative 1 million admissions on the sixth day of its release, the fastest pace among homegrown flicks released this year, data showed Tuesday. The film, released last Wednesday, attracted 741,000 people over the Saturday-Monday Liberation Day holiday, bringing its combined total to 1.14 million, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. It topped the 1 million threshold on Sunday, becoming the eighth 2021 film to

Aug. 17, 2021

[Herald Interview] Lee Kwang-soo returns as relatable office worker in disaster comedy ‘Sinkhole’

Lee Kwang-soo, 36, returns to the big screen as a relatable young office worker in the disaster comedy “Sinkhole,” directed by Kim Ji-hoon. “Sinkhole” centers on the residents of Chungwoon Villa, one of the cheaper apartment buildings available in pricey Seoul. It took Dong-won (Kim Sung-kyun), an office worker, over 10 years to finally become a homeowner. Soon after moving in, Dong-won invites his co-workers over to his new place for a housewarming party. After the o

Aug. 15, 2021

Documentary ‘Assassins’ focuses on aftermath of murder of N. Korean leader’s half-brother

Ryan White’s documentary “Assassins” tells the story of Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam -- the two women who killed Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam -- and what happened to them afterward. The documentary features surveillance footage of the murder of Kim Jong-nam and shows how the two women were arrested. It also shows how they were duped into smearing the lethal chemical agent VX on Kim Jong-nam’s face at Kuala Lumpur Internatio

Aug. 12, 2021

DMZ Docs aims to be leading documentary film festival in Asia

The 13th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will kick off in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 9 under the theme of “peace, communication and life.” DMZ Docs, which uses images taken by Korean documentary photographers every year for its poster, unveiled this year’s poster, titled “Baek Gi-wan’s fist.” The image, taken by photographer Noh Sun-tag, shows the clenched fist of social activist Baek Gi-wan who passed away in February. “The fist r

Aug. 12, 2021

Disaster-comedy 'Sinkhole' sets opening-day record for S. Korean movie this year

Disaster-comedy film "Sinkhole" has attracted over 147,000 moviegoers on the first day of its release, marking this year's highest opening-day attendance for a South Korean movie, data showed Thursday. The film drew 147,304 viewers upon its debut on Wednesday, pushing two-week box office leader "Escape from Mogadishu" to No. 2, according to data compiled by the Korean Film Council. "Sinkhole" logged the third-highest first-day score among all movies released this

Aug. 12, 2021

[Herald interview] Former ambassador recalls harrowing escape from Mogadishu in 1991

The blockbuster film “Escape From Mogadishu,” released July 28, has drawn more than 1.85 million theatergoers, becoming the biggest box office hit so far in a year that is seeing many of the films originally set for release last year finally make it to screens despite the continued pandemic. The harrowing escape scene and the exotic location -- the film was shot in Morocco for three months last year before the pandemic halted virtually all international travel -- are certainly rivet

Aug. 12, 2021

Movie about K-pop to be created with Hollywood producer

Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM on Tuesday announced that a movie about k-pop titled “K-Pop: Lost in America (working title)” will be created jointly with Hollywood producer Lynda Obst. Obst is known for collaborating with director Christopher Nolan to co-produce the science fiction film “Interstellar.” She also produced many hit movies including “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” directed by Gurinder Chadha and “Sleepless in Seattle “ direct

Aug. 10, 2021

S. Korean cinema chains remain in slump in Q2 amid COVID-19

South Korean cinema chain operators remained in a slump in the second quarter of 2021 but found a glimmer of hope for a rebound amid the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic, financial data showed Tuesday. CJ CGV, the No. 1 multiplex operator under the wing of entertainment giant CJ Group, said its operating loss reached 57.3 billion won ($49.9 million) over the April-June period, narrowing from an operating deficit of 130.5 billion won a year ago. Its sales shot up 288 percent to 161.7 billi

Aug. 10, 2021

Hwang Jung-min returns as abductee in ‘Hostage: Missing Celebrity’

For veteran actor Hwang Jung-min, playing a character who shares his name in the upcoming movie “Hostage: Missing Celebrity” was huge challenge. “When I was asked to play Hwang Jung-min, I was concerned with how I should act in the movie, because I had never experienced being kidnapped before and was not able to imagine how I would behave if I was really abducted,” Hwang said during an online interview after the press preview on Thursday. Director Pil Gam-seong’s

Aug. 8, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Escape from Mogadishu (Korea) Opened July 28 Action, Drama Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Set in 1991 Somalia, South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Han Shin-sung (Kim Yoon-seok) and National Security Planning Agency agent Kang Dae-jin (Jo In-sung) are competing against North Korean Ambassador (Heo Jun-ho) for South Korea’s membership in the United Nations. When a civil war breaks out in the African country, South and North Korean diplomats have to cooperate to escape the country together. Th

Aug. 6, 2021

Immersive tech locks 'Guimoon' audiences in abandoned building

For veteran actor Kim Kang-woo, playing a role in a horror movie for the first time in his 19-year career gave him mixed feelings. “Having shot ‘Guimoon: The Lightless Door,’ I feel that an actor in the horror genre is required to have the skill to cover a wide range of emotions. It was difficult, but very exciting. I don’t know why I didn’t do any horror movie earlier,” Kim said in an online interview after the film’s press preview Tuesday. The film,

Aug. 4, 2021

'Mogadishu' tops 1m admissions on 7th day of release

Homegrown actioner "Escape from Mogadishu" has topped a cumulative 1 million admissions on the seventh day of its release, becoming the first South Korean flick to achieve the feat this year, box office data showed Wednesday. The film, released on July 28, attracted 121,000 people on the previous day, bringing its combined total to 1.03 million, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, the film became the first South Korean-made title shown in 202

Aug. 4, 2021

Yoo Teo to star in new film by A24, CJ ENM

Actor Yoo Teo is joining A24’s “Past Lives,” written by screenwriter Song Celine, US online entertainment publication Deadline reported Monday. Shooting of the film starring Yoo and Greta Lee will begin later this year with John Magaro co-starring in a key supporting role. “Past Lives” will be the first movie directed by Song, and will portray the story of a couple from childhood reuniting in South Korea, but the exact plot has not been revealed. Yoo played the

Aug. 3, 2021

Seoul Cinema to hold special farewell screenings

Seoul Cinema, which earlier announced its closure by the end of August, will hold a series of special farwell screenings. Free tickets will be provided for all films that are being screened from Aug. 11 to Aug. 31, the last day of its operation, on a first-come, first-served basis, the theater said Monday. On weekdays, 100 free tickets will be given out daily, while 200 free tickets will be given out on weekend days. In addition to the recently released action film “Escape From Mogadis

Aug. 2, 2021

Homegrown action film 'Mogadishu' tops S. Korean box office over weekend

Homegrown actioner "Escape from Mogadishu" topped South Korea's weekend box office in the first week of its release, revitalizing pandemic-hit theaters, data showed Monday. The film, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, sold more than 561,000 tickets over the Friday-Sunday period, bringing its combined total to over 788,000 since its release last Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The big-budget tentpole starring popular actors like Kim Yun-seok and Zo In-sung is based

Aug. 2, 2021