[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Innocence (Korea) Opened June 10 Crime, Drama Directed by Park Sang-hyun A hotshot attorney from a big law firm, Jeong-in (Shin Hye-sun) defends her long-estranged mother Hwa-ja (Bae Jong-ok) in a murder trial. Hwa-ja, suffering from dementia, is accused of tampering with makgeolli served at her husband’s funeral, leading to the death of one of the guests. Delving into the case, Jeong-in finds suspicious signs of a scheme surrounding the town’s Mayor Chu In-hoe (Heo Joon-ho) and se

June 12, 2020

Actor-turned-director Jung Jin-young says directorial debut ‘Me and Me’ a sad comedy

It is not easy to truly see ourselves as we are seen in the eyes of others. The confusion stemming from the gap between the “me” I know and the “me” that others see may be overwhelming. Jung Jin-young said his first film as a director, “Me and Me,” depicts such confusion experienced by a “delicate being.” “The film can be considered a sad comedy about the loneliness of a delicate human being,” Jung said at the film’s premiere Tu

June 10, 2020

Number of moviegoers rebounds in May

The number of moviegoers in South Korea rebounded from a month earlier in May on the back of an extended holiday and relaxed social distancing, data showed Wednesday. A total of 1.53 million movie tickets were sold in May, up from an all-time low of 970,000 tallied in the previous month, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is the first on-month growth in 2020, since the film industry was hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The monthly figure came to 16.84 millio

June 10, 2020

Lee Joo-young goes to bat for hope in ‘Baseball Girl’

  There are moments in life when we persevere, believing in our dreams and efforts, even as the rest of the world does not. Such trust in oneself makes the impossible possible. That is the message of upcoming indie film “Baseball Girl,” the story of 18-year-old Joo Su-in, who strives to join a professional baseball team. Directed by Choi Yun-tae, the film features rising actress Lee Joo-young as Su-in and Lee Joon-hyuk as Su-in’s coach Choi Jin-tae. According to Lee J

June 9, 2020

Discounts, new releases bring back moviegoers

Despite lingering criticism that a return to cinemas is premature while COVID-19 continues to spread, government-issued discount coupons for movie tickets seem to have done their part in luring South Koreans back. Last week, the state-funded Korean Film Council distributed discount coupons for tickets to films screened Thursday through Sunday. Over those four days, 485,000 people went to the movies. According to data from the Korean Film Council, over 84,000 people went to the cinemas each da

June 8, 2020

Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jung-jae promise great chemistry in ‘Deliver Us From Evil’

Top actors Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae, who showed great chemistry in the noir film “New World” seven years ago, are teaming up again for a new action flick. Their synergy in “Deliver Us From Evil” is unlike anything viewers have seen before, they say. The two actors and the director, Hong Won-chan, held a promotional press conference Friday ahead of the film’s release in July. While the 2013 film was notable for the bromance between the two actors, this time

June 8, 2020

‘Parasite’ bags 5 trophies at Daejong Film Awards, including best picture

Once considered the nation’s most prestigious awards in cinema as the equivalent to the Oscars, the Daejong Film Awards went ahead Wednesday evening in a less than glamorous atmosphere, with empty seats and absent winners, including director Bong Joon-ho of the best picture-winning “Parasite.” The 56th edition of the event, also known as the Grand Bell Awards, took place with no audience for the first time since its establishment in 1962 due to the ongoing novel coronavirus s

June 6, 2020

Shin Hye-sun, Bae Jong-ok to star in ‘Innocence’

Crime-drama “Innocence,” featuring actresses Shin Hye-sun and Bae Jong-ok, is ready to hit local theaters on Wednesday. Originally slated to open in February, the film has been postponed twice due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. In the upcoming film, Shin plays a hotshot attorney from a big law firm, Jeong-in, who defends her long-estranged mother Hwa-ja, played by Bae, in a murder trial. Hwa-ja, suffering from dementia, is accused of tampering with makgeolli served to g

June 5, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Intruder (Korea) Opened June 4 Mystery, Thriller Directed by Sohn Won-pyung Having lost his wife in a mysterious car accident, Seo-jin (Kim Mu-yeol) finds it difficult to overcome her death and suffers from psychological problems. One day, he receives a call that reconnects the family to his long-lost sister Yu-jin (Song Ji-hyo), who had gone missing 25 years ago. Seo-jin experiences strange changes in his family after Yu-jin comes to live with them. Oddly faithful to her parents and niece, Y

June 5, 2020

'Parasite’ bags 5 trophies at Daejong Film Awards, including best picture

Once considered the nation’s most prestigious awards in cinema -- equivalent to the Oscars -- the Daejong Film Awards went ahead Wednesday evening in a less than glamorous atmosphere, with empty seats and absent winners, including director Bong Joon-ho of the best picture-winning “Parasite.” The 56th edition of the event, also known as the Grand Bell Awards, took place with no audience for the first time since its establishment in 1962 due to the ongoing novel coronavirus spr

June 4, 2020

S. Korea's 'Peninsula,' 'Heaven' among Cannes' 2020 official selection

"Peninsula" by South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho and "Heaven: To The Land of Happiness" by fellow Korean director Im Sang-soo were selected among the 73rd Cannes Film Festival lineup Wednesday (local time). The two Korean films made the list of the 2020 Official Selection, consisting of 56 movies, which would have been screened had the festival not been canceled due to the new coronavirus pandemic. The organizers did not distinguish which films were picked as either for

June 4, 2020

'Parasite’ wins Best Film, Best Director at Daejong Film Awards

The Best Film prize at the 56th Grand Bell Awards -- South Korea’s major film festival, also known as Daejong Film Awards -- held at Grand Walker Hill Seoul on Wednesday went to Oscar-star “Parasite.” “It is a great honor to receive the Best Film award at the Daejong Film Awards at these difficult times,” said Kwak Sin-ae who heads the film’s production company, Barunson E&A, reading the acceptance speech on behalf of director Bong who is on long leave

June 3, 2020

'A French Woman’: about a woman who belongs nowhere

Following a sequence of surreal scenes in the film “A French Woman” by director Kim Hee-jung, the viewers will be hit by an unexpectedly realistic message especially apt in this period of the pandemic. “A French Woman” follows Mi-ra, a Korean with French citizenship, who visits her home country for the first time in a long time. Reunited with her old friends Young-eun and Sung-woo, Mi-ra travels back and forth in time, visiting moments in her past, especially those rela

June 3, 2020

Gao Ming’s ‘Damp Season’ bags grand prize at Jeonju film fest

Chinese director Gao Ming’s “Damp Season” won the grand prize for international competition at the 21st Jeonju International Film Festival on Monday. Sixteen trophies in five categories were handed out at the awards ceremony held at CGV Jeonju Gosa in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. “Damp Season” uses the damp summer of Shenzhen, China, to portray the relationship of a young couple who grow apart in the humid season. In selecting the winning film, the jury noted

June 2, 2020

Big-name actors coming to big screen in July

  With a series of films confirming summer release dates amid the prolonged novel coronavirus pandemic, some big-name actors are set to return to big screen in the coming month. Film distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday confirmed that highly-anticipated zombie flick “Peninsula” would hit local theaters in July, featuring veteran actors Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun. A sequel to the 2016 smash-hit thriller “Train to Busan” by director Yeon Sang-ho, the

June 1, 2020

Movies go half-price to attract theatergoers

Though fears concerning the novel coronavirus persist among the public, the film industry is ushering people to cinemas with discount coupons for movie tickets. The Korean Film Council, a state-funded institution, will be giving out discount coupons for movie tickets over a three-week period starting Monday, as part of its measure to revive the industry now staggering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Cinemagoers will be able to receive a 6,000 won ($4.90) discount per movie ticket

May 31, 2020

CGV adopts system that checks whether moviegoers have masks on properly

CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex chain, said Friday it has adopted camera systems that automatically check moviegoers' temperatures and whether or not they have their masks on properly amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19. The company, an affiliate of Korean entertainment giant CJ Group, said it has introduced the Smart Pass system in 115 of its domestic multiplex theaters. Smart Pass recognizes whether a person is properly wearing a mask, with the system requesting the wearer to pro

May 29, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Underwater (US) Opened May 27 Action, Horror, Sci-Fi Directed by William Eubank A huge earthquake hits a subterranean drilling station at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and mechanical engineer Norah Price (Kristen Stewart) and her colleagues Rodrigo and Paul make their way to the escape pod bay. They discover that all of the escape pods have already been deployed, and Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel) is the only other person in the area. While crossing the ocean floor to reach the main part

May 29, 2020

‘Intruder’ questions universal beliefs about family at a time of forced togetherness amid pandemic

Mystery thriller “Intruder” is finally opening in local cinemas on June 4. Due to delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the first South Korean film to make its box office debut since early March. “I’m feeling nervous and rather burdened as well, but it’s my hope that our film becomes an exemplary precedent for films to follow,” director Sohn Won-pyung said Wednesday during a press conference after a press screening. The film revolves around S

May 28, 2020

YouTube film fest to stream discussion with 'Parasite' actor, director

A conversation among Song Kang-ho, the star of Oscar-winning South Korean film "Parasite," and the film's writer-director, Bong Joon-ho, will be streamed during an upcoming online global film festival organized by YouTube, according to the organizer's website Wednesday. We Are One: A Global Film Festival, a 10-day free online film festival on YouTube, will stream on June 8 (US time) an 82-minute recording of a conversation between Song and Bong at the 2019 Locarno International Film

May 27, 2020