Distributing rights for South Korean director Park Chan-wook's upcoming movie "The Handmaiden" have been sold in 116 countries even before its completion, the film's distributor said Wednesday.

It's the second time a South Korean movie has been sold to more than 100 countries prior to release, CJ Entertainment said, adding the first was Bong Joon-ho's "Snowpiercer" in 2013.

The transactions were made through the European Film Market, with Amazon Studios having bought the distributing rights in the U.S.

"Many people were satisfied by the visual aesthetics of the seven-minute highlight," Kim Sung-eun, head of CJ E&M's overseas business department, said.

Set in 1930s Korea and Japan, "The Handmaiden" centers on an heiress (Kim Min-hee) and a count (Ha Jung-woo) who covets her assets. The count hires a maid (Kim Tae-ri) on the heiress's behalf.

The film, currently in post-production, is scheduled to open in the first half of this year. (Yonhap)