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Korea Weekend Box Office – Oct. 3-5

October 7, 2008 / Mark / 1 Comment

The long-awaited, big historical drama MODERN BOY opened in the No. 1 spot. But it was not a big opening — just 330,000 admissions over the weekend (400,000 since it opened last Thursday), and 2.72 billion won ($2.06 million, thanks to the lousy exchange rate).

MAMMA MIA finally overtook THE DIVINE WEAPON, with about 3.55 million admissions. Actually, WEAPON is still slightly ahead with admissions, even though MAMMA MIA is winning at the box office.

GO-GO 70’S had a bit of a disappointing opening in third, with just $1.13 million over the weekend. Very sad to think that more people tried out MODERN BOY. With any luck, GO-GO will win out in the long run.

BABYLON AD had an even more tepid opening, with less than $800,000 since it opened.

Sad to see MY DEAR ENEMY drop to No. 9 so quickly. Would have been nice to see it get better word of mouth.

This Week	Title……………………………………..	Release Date	Screens Nationwide	Weekend Revenue (bil. won)	Total Revenue (bil. won)
1.	Modern Boy (Korean)	10.02	429	2.24	2.72
2.	Mamma Mia!	9.04	306	1.65	23.29
3.	Go-Go 70s (Korean)	10.02	423	1.50	1.93
4.	The Divine Weapon (Shingijeon – Korean)	9.04	302	0.95	23.17
5.	Babylon AD	10.02	175	0.85	1.00
6.	Truck (Korean)	9.25	249	0.74	3.03
7.	Hellboy 2	9.25	249	0.55	2.26
8.	Rough Cut (Yeonghwaneun Yeonghwada – Korean)	9.11	199	0.46	8.48
9.	My Dear Enemy (Meotjin Haru – Korean)	9.25	256	0.35	2.16
10.	The Club	10.02	149	0.26	0.32

(Source: KOBIS – Figures represent 98% of nationwide box office)

PIFF Report and Random Notes

October 6, 2008 / Mark / 1 Comment

Kind of a strange Pusan International Film Festival this year. Usually the festival opens on a Thursday, and the Asia Film Market then opens the following Monday. The result is that the first three days of the festival are more about the movies, with film fans flooding the theaters and snatching up all the tickets, then the business stuff kicks in.

But this year, with the Film Market running Friday to Monday, the business was going on during the busiest days of the festival, overshadowing the movies and making tickets extremely hard to find. I have returned to Seoul now, but from what I have heard, the festival is quiet empty now. I think PIFF made a mistake moving the Film Market and have disrupted the event’s equilibrium. My vote (not that I have one) is to move things back the way they were.

On the other hand, the weather this year was almost perfect. Aside from a little rain on Sunday afternoon, the weather was sunny and warm by day, slightly cool at night. Just right.

Park Jin-young and Lee Byung-hun were the main celebrities to show up this year, attending the opening party briefly. Moon Bloodgood was there but the Marmot was not (nyeh). There were plenty more actors, of course (like Kelly Lin), but I am more a dork for directors and producers than for actors, so missed most of the actor-heavy events.

I think Kim Jung-eun got the biggest response on the red carpet walk during PIFF’s opening ceremonies. I was a little surprised, as I never really considered her A-list, but people really went nuts when she showed up.

Also, there was so much construction going on in Haeundae, I was really surprised. Had not seen the area like that before. That neighborhood is going to be totally transformed (yet again) in a couple more years. Minus — losing the old character, and many cheaper lodgings. Plus — losing the old character and lousy lodgings, and gaining a much better selection of bars and restaurants.

Rumor has it that the “technical difficulties” that occurred during the outdoor screening of THE SKY CRAWLERS was actually the equipment operator forgetting to gas up the generator that powered the outdoor projector.

I also heard someone say that the Busan city government has told the Pusan Film Festival folks to get with the times and start spelling the festival the same way as the city. Which would make it the Busan International Film Festival, or BIFF.

MODERN BOY is not a good film. At all. I wanted it to be good. I hoped it would be good. It is not good. It looks wonderful — great re-creations of Seoul in the 1930s. But the story is shallow, the history puddle-deep (typical 386 generation nonsense), and the editing a mystery. Plus Kim Hye-soo is totally wrong for her role.

This KUNSTHALLE artist thingy looks like it could be interesting. Certainly a well made website.

John McCain is the shortest candidate for US president since 1920. If he won the race, he would be the shortest president since William McKinley in 1900.

Random Notes – Vol 3, No. 5

October 1, 2008 / Mark / 0 Comments

Just getting ready to head down to this year’ Pusan International Film Festival. Which for me principally means ironing a lot of shirts, then stuffing them into a suitcase to get all wrinkled anyway.

I was thinking that I would be able to cut back on my time there this year, just go for a few days during the film market, but some additional work suddenly turned up and now I need to go down for the opening night, too. But for various reasons, my workload should not be too bad. I might even have the time to watch a few films (what a crazy thought).

At the moment, the weather forecast for Busan says warm (but not brutally hot) and sunny… at least until Sunday or Monday, when that typhoon down by Hong Kong now might start moving up this way.

The Chosun Ilbo recently had an article on the grand old Dansungsa movie theater going bankrupt. Except that it was not the grand old Dansungsa, at least not in my mind. The original building was one of the great movie theaters (I saw BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS there, soon before it was torn down), but the ugly multiplex that replaced it was not. Anyhow, here is a pic of the original theater and its replacement.

PJ O’Rourke has cancer. Odds are he will survive it, but in the meantime, it is good to see him tackling the subject with all the wit and bad taste that O’Rourke is famous for. In fact, that is probably the best column of his that I have read in years.

Korea Weekend Box Office – Sept. 26-28

September 30, 2008 / Mark / 0 Comments

After three weeks of being the bridesmaid, MAMMI MIA was at last the bride last weekend. Or, to be less annoyingly cute, MAMMA MIA took over the top spot in the box office after three weeks of landing in second, behind THE DIVINE WEAPON. Pretty amazing staying power for the ABBA tribute film and yet another sign of the power of the musical in Korea. Just imagine how well the film might had done if Pierce Brosnan could sing?

Just 60,000 admissions behind THE DIVINE WEAPON, could MAMMA MIA end up being the more successful film by the time their runs are over? Oh well, I guess the horserace really does not matter much… but still, it has been fun to watch.

As for new films, TRUCK, HELLBOY 2 and MY DEAR ENEMY all opened this weekend, with TRUCK doing the best. Not surprising HELLBOY 2 did not do so well, as the theater I saw it in was pretty much empty. Still, it did much better than the original HELLBOY, which opened in seventh with just $250,000, and dropped out of the top 10 less than two weeks later.

This Week	Title……………………………………..	Release Date	Screens Nationwide	Weekend Revenue (bil. won)	Total Revenue (bil. won)
1.	Mamma Mia	9.04	413	1.84	20.68
2.	Truck (Korean)	9.25	337	1.41	1.66
3.	Divine Weapon (Shingijeon – Korean)	9.04	439	1.41	21.67
4.	Hellboy 2	9.25	355	1.20	1.36
5.	My Dear Enemy (Meotjin Haru – Korean)	9.25	389	1.15	1.36
6.	Rough Cut (Yeonghwaneun Yeonghwada – Korean)	9.11	305	0.92	7.60
7.	Our English Teacher (Ulhakgyo Iti – Korean)	9.11	219	0.21	4.08
8.	Don Quiote	9.25	87	0.18	0.19
9.	Mirror	9.18	245	0.14	1.28
10.	In Bloom	9.25	128	0.10	0.12

(Source: KOBIS – Figures represent 98% of nationwide box office)

Plenty of interesting looking Korean films at the moment, but I am going to try to catch them at PIFF, I think. If I have any strong opinions about them, I will try write about them soon.

Korea Weekend Box Office – Sept. 19-21

September 26, 2008 / Mark / 0 Comments

Another neck-and-neck weekend for THE DIVINE WEAPON and MAMMA MIA!, with WEAPON winning by just 12,000 admissions and only $10,000 (I guess WEAPON sold more student tickets, giving MAMMA MIA a revenue advantage). After three weeks, both films are doing quite well, both on the verge of zipping past the 3 million attendance mark.

Similarly, OUR ENGLISH TEACHER beat THE MIRROR by attendance, but since I rank by revenue, THE MIRROR came out on top. THE MIRROR is, of course, the Hollywood remake of that goofy Korean horror film INTO THE MIRROR.

I wonder how HELLBOY 2 will do in Korea. I saw it last night and the theater was just about empty.

Johnny To and Wai Ka-fai’s violent cop thriller MAD DETECTIVE opened in 15th, so did not make this chart. Just $15,000 on 8 screens.

This Week	Title……………………………………..	Release Date	Screens Nationwide	Weekend Revenue (bil. won)	Total Revenue (bil. won)
1.	The Divine Weapon (Shingijeon – Korean)	9.04	568	2.74	19.34
2.	Mamma Mia!	9.04	468	2.73	17.52
3.	Rough Cut (Yeonghwaheun Yeonghwada – Korean)	9.11	367	1.61	5.99
4.	The Mirror	9.18	248	0.76	0.89
5.	Our English Teacher (Ulhakgyo Iti – Korean)	9.11	360	0.75	3.67
6.	The Children of Huang Shi	9.18	278	0.46	0.57
7.	Loner (Oetoli – Korean)	9.18	241	0.29	0.35
8.	Earth	9.04	149	0.14	1.2
9.	Flower Over Boys	9.11	190	0.11	0.81
10.	Bangkok Dangerous	9.11	196	0.11	1.25

(Source: KOBIS – Figures represent 98% of nationwide box office)

Late…

September 24, 2008 / Mark / 0 Comments

Sorry for not updating. Crazy week. Hopefully I will have more time tomorrow evening to do the box office and make a couple of comments.

But if you must know, THE DIVINE WEAPON and MAMMA MIA are once again neck-and-neck at the box office. Both are doing quite well.

C’est Fini

September 18, 2008 / Mark / 5 Comments

At long, long last, it looks like I finally finished my book, POP GOES KOREA. I mean, sure I had “finished” it several times before… But there is finished and then there is finished, if you know what I mean. There are so many phases to making a book, it can be a little drawn out and frustrating.

First you finish your writing. Then you finish the editing (or answering your editor’s questions). Then you finish the color insert. And just now, I finished going over the galleys and re-checking everything.

By the way, the color insert looks really great. It took a little work and some back-and-forth, but the final product looks sharp and cool. I like the design concept for the section, and, despite space restrictions, I think we did a decent job at getting a large array of actors, singers and other entertainment icons in there.

Now POP GOES KOREA is off to the indexer, which will likely take a couple more weeks. Then my publisher, Stone Bridge, just needs to prep the book for actual printing.

Current plan calls for the printed book to be ready by November, and on store shelves by December. In time for the Christmas gift season (hint hint).

I’m Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor

September 17, 2008 / Mark / 6 Comments

Well, looks like Boa is finally ready to make her big push into the United States. The teaser video for her first American song and video is online. It’s called I’ll Eat You Up.

American Version:

Asian version:

Or you can go here for the American version. Or here for the Asian version.

Certainly respect in the American market has been the Holy Grail of the Korean music industry for some time. But with the exception of the reggae singer Skull (and, back in the 1950s and 60s, the Kim Sisters), there has been very little success by Korean pop singers over there.

I cannot claim to understand the tastes and trends of hip young people anywhere in the world, so I will refrain from speculating about how Boa’s American promotion will go. But best of luck to her.

Korea Weekend Box Office – Sept. 12-14

September 16, 2008 / Mark / 0 Comments

Much like last weekend, THE DIVINE WEAPON and MAMMA MIA! fought neck-and-neck for the top spot at the box office. And just like last weekend, THE DIVINE WEAPON won (although for some strange reason, Variety and Hollywood Reporter box office stories claimed that MAMMA MIA won. But not true).

FINAL CUT, the movie-within-a-movie tale of gangsters in the film business, had an okay opening, landing in third. Kim Soo-ro’s latest comedy was fourth.

Two Japanese films in the top 10 — 20TH CENTURY BOYS in sixth and BOYS OVER FLOWERS in seventh.

Looks like THE DARK KNIGHT is pretty much finished. But it did crawl past 4 million admissions, for a solid showing (although far, far from the records it set in North America).

WALL-E fell out of the top 10 this week, coming in at 11th. WALL-E’s run in the theaters is nearly finished, but at least the film topped 1 million admissions. Would be a crime for a film that good to have done anything less.

This Week	Title……………………………………..	Release Date	Screens Nationwide	Weekend Revenue (bil. won)	Total Revenue (bil. won)
1.	The Divine Weapon (Shingijeon – Korean)	9.04	598	3.97	12.04
2.	Mamma Mia!	9.04	516	3.70	10.83
3.	Rough Cut (Yeonghwaneun Yeonghwada – Korean)	9.11	402	1.85	2.23
4.	Our English Teacher (Ulhakgyo Iti – Korean)	9.11	383	1.23	1.41
5.	Bangkok Dangerous	9.11	231	0.53	0.64
6.	20th Century Boys	9.11	269	0.45	0.64
7.	Boys Over Flowers	9.11	185	0.27	0.34
8.	Dark Knight	8.07	121	0.20	26.48
9.	Earth	9.04	213	0.17	0.77
10.	Star Wars: Clone Wars	9.04	249	0.098	0.48

(Source: KOBIS – Figures represent 98% of nationwide box office)

Oh, Hell(boy) Yeah

September 12, 2008 / Mark / 2 Comments

I was pleasantly surprised a couple of nights ago when I suddenly started to see a flurry of ads on TV for HELLBOY 2. I was getting worried the film might not be released in Korea.

Anyhow, here is a little list of some notable films coming out in the next couple of months:
Sept. 18
– Mad Detective

Sept. 25
– Hellboy 2
– My Dear Enemy (the new Jeon Do-yeon film)

Oct. 2
– Burn After Reading
– Gogo 70s
– Modern Boy

Oct. 8
– Dream (the new Kim Ki-duk film)

Oct. 16
– Sagwa (will the three-year-old film finally see the light of day?)

Oct. 23
– Body of Lies

Nov. 5
– Quantum of Solace

Btw, I am really curious about a lot of the coming Korean films. MY DEAR ENEMY is the latest by Lee Yoon-ki, who directed the much praised THIS CHARMING GIRL and the absolutely lousy LOVE TALK (and AD-LIB NIGHT, but I did not see that). So I consider MY DEAR ENEMY to be something of a tie-breaker. In ENEMY, Jeon Do-yeon plays a jobless, broke 30-year-old who tries to collect some money from an ex-boyfriend. But he is broke, too, so together they meet up with his various ex-girlfriends and try to get money from them. Intriguing set up and Jeon looks great in the trailer.

Why MODERN BOY and GO-GO 70’S are being released head-to-head, I have no idea. They are both looks back at Korea’s past — MODERN BOY at the 1930s and GO-GO 70’S at the 1970s (obviously).

I was really looking forward to MODERN BOY when I first saw some still images in the spring. Plus I quite like its director ~~Song Hae-sung (FAILAN)~~ Chung Ji-woo (HAPPY END). However, advanced word I heard from the film was not good, which is allegedly why the film’s release was delayed five months. Regardless, I think the trailer for MODERN BOY looks pretty promising — great cgi of Seoul from the 1930s, great clothes and production design. I still have hope for this film.

The trailer for GO-GO 70’S does not inspire confidence. The music sounds way more like Korea’s 1980s music than 1970s. And the clothes and concert scene looks like a hyperactive cabaret. Very, very dubious.

As for SAGWA, I saw it at the Tokyo Filmex in 2005 and quite enjoyed it. Not a great film, but definitely worth a watch. Moon So-ri is great, as always. No idea why it took Chungeorahm so long to get it into the theaters.