Category: Korean movies (Page 25 of 31)

Greetings from Hong Kong! The Hollywood Reporter has graciously sent me to the Hong Kong Filmart, to spend the week writing about movie deals and industry schmoozing and the like. For my money, the Pusan International Film Festival is more fun, but HK Filmart has perhaps more in terms of movie business. This week is always incredibly busy, but I will try to check in once or twice to comment on how things are going.

Meanwhile, back in the world of Korean movies, 300 had the big opening, just like we suspected — took in just over $7 million, counting from the early Wednesday night opening.

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY continues to chug along, once again in second place.

Otherwise, not a whole lot to note. 300 kind of overpowered most of the competition… plus I need to get some sleep for a long day tomorrow. Cheers.

(Source: Film2.0)

Well. This week’s box office could have been posted three hours ago. But as I was compiling it, I was confronted by the question: “What the heck is SMOKIN’ ACES?” Never heard of the film. A quick Metacritic search later and I had my answer: A dumb mobster/hitman movie, starring Jeremy Piven. Lots of guns and insubstantial style and, again, dumbness. So I did a quick check on the Internet and discovered a screening was starting in 20 minutes near my house. I went. I saw.

I was mildly amusing, but not as much as I had hoped. I am still relying on 300 to slake the violence-loving-nerd beast within. In the meantime, I am back from the theater, ready to report on the top-10.

Anyhow, leading the box this week, once again, is MUSIC AND WORDS BY, now having earned about $4 million since its release. At least it lead this box office report. KOBIS had the No. 1 spot going to THE ILLUSIONIST (like SMOKIN’ ACES, lots of technique and style, but rather dumb). But on this chart, THE ILLUSIONIST was No. 2.

In general, not a lot happening on this chart. MIRACLE ON 1ST STREET had now sold over 2.5 million tickets, making it a solid (although not spectacular) hit. Even YOBI: THE FIVE-TAILED FOX made a mini-surge, rising to 12th this week (up from 19th last week), having now topped 458,000 admissions.

Look for lots more excitement next week, as oodles of new releases hit the screens. Will 300 be as big a surprise in Korea was it was in North America last weekend (where it made $70 million)? I doubt it. But I know I will be sending at least $7 to Warner Bros.

(Source: Film2.0)

Early word coming in THE HOST, which was released in the United States and China last weekend. Box Office Mojo reports that THE HOST pulled in $320,000 in 71 theaters. That works out to No. 23…

But since it was on a relatively small number of films, that gives it the 8th best per-screen average. And 4th best among films on over 20 screens.

China numbers will not be out until later today or early tomorrow… will update as soon as I know.

The New York Post is reporting that Magnolia (the distributor of THE HOST) is taking Google to court, demanding Google turn over the identities of the users who uploaded the entire films THE HOST and ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUY IN THE ROOM. THE HOST, of course, is getting its big North American release in March, so Magnolia is worried that is people watch it online for free, then they will not see it in the theaters (not to state the obvious).

I made a quick check on Youtube, and could not find THE HOST (just some trailers and behind the scenes stuff. However, I did find the complete BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE (no subtitles).

(And for no particular reason, here are some Youtube Muppet links — opening theme,Rita Morena and Animal, Peter Sellers and whiskey and wild wild women, Banana Boat song, Beaker singing Feelings, Muh-na-ma-nah, Swedish Chef).

Oh, the New York Times likes THE HOST, too.

UPDATE: Not just the New York Times. Rotten Tomatoes currently gives THE HOST a 94% freshness rating — 50 good votes, only 3 negative. Impressive.

Looks like the coming movie line-up is beginning to take shape, as more films are making the release schedule over at Cine 21. This is an interesting time of year, as local studios unload a lot of films ahead of the summer crunch, when the Hollywood big guns come out (and local big guns, like THE HOST). And with SPIDER-MAN 3 getting released on May 4 in Korea, the big summer season will be starting earlier than ever.

Some notable releases (in my humble opinion) on the way:

March 22 – SOO. This is the first Korean-language film made by the famous Korean-Japanese director Choi Yang-il (better known as Yoichi Sai, who made BLOOD AND BONES, DOING TIME and WHERE IS THE MOON?).

April 5 – THE SHOW MUST GO ON. The new Song Gang-ho film that Lotte Entertainment has high hopes for. I do not know much about it, but I will mindlessly brag that I have a ticket to the world premiere in Hong Kong in a couple of weeks.

April 12 – ACROSS THE YEARS. The latest film by Im Kwon-taek, a follow-up to his huge 1993 hit SOPYONGJE. Oh Jeong-hae, who played Song-hwa in SOPYONGJE, returns to her famous role, but no Kim Myung-gon, who is now the Minister of Culture & Tourism.

April 19 – BREATH. Kim Ki-duk’s latest, about a man on death row and the woman who loves him. Not to be confused with MAUNDY THURSDAY.

MEET MR. DADDY. The new film by Park Gwang-su. About a man who meets his estranged daughter for the first time in a long time while on his way to a soccer game during the 2002 World Cup.

May 3 – ADEUL. The latest by Jang Jin.

May 17 – SECRET SUNSHINE. Lee Chang-dong’s first film since stepping down as Minister of Science & Technology. Maybe for his next film, he could direct Kim Myung-gon?

Another quiet week in Korean cinema, with everyone claiming victory this week. Well, not everyone, but things were quiet enough that three different titles were boasting they were No. 1.

Tops on my chart was the Drew Barrymore romantic comedy MUSIC AND LYRICS BY, which pulled in 89,100 admissions in Seoul. Nationally, however, MIRACLE ON 1ST STREET was by far the most popular film (according to our friends at KOBIS). KOBIS gave MIRACLE 19.3% of the weekend’s audience share, versus 15% for MUSIC.

And another film claimed the top spot — the No. 2 film on my chart, PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. HAPPINESS claimed to be the top film, based on … uh, I do not know. They just seem to be claiming the top spot (by audience share).

Jeong Yun-cheol’s second film, SHIM’S FAMILY, looks like it will not begin to approach the success of his debut, MARATHON. Okay, so maybe he was not trying to top MARATHON… but still, that was a pretty weak response to a movie in 170+ theaters.

Very strange to see the top two films this week appearing on so few screens, just 143 and 141. I cannot remember the last time something like that happened. Korea is usually pretty quiet in March and April. But with Warner Bros really pushing 300 at the moment, it will be interesting to see how that film does when it makes its debut on March 15.

(Source: Film2.0)

Not much time to write about box office this week. And not much to say about this week’s numbers.

(Source: Film2.0)

Oscar Notes:

Interesting article in the New York Times today about Deepa Mehta and her Oscar-nominated film WATER. I still have not seen the film myself, but would like to check it out. I mention it because Ms Mehta has signed on to direct Prime Entertainment’s $25-million JULIA PROJECT, starring Cate Blanchett as Julia Mullock, an American woman who married Korea’s last crown prince. You can read Ms Mehta talk about both films here and here.

Just went to the opening party last night for Chin Won-suk‘s new production company 24/7 Pictures (website will be www.24-7pictures.com, but it has not been built yet). Chin was the director of TOO TIRED TO DIE and E-DREAMS, and is currently working on EXPATS, a movie about gangsters, disreputable English teachers and a cunning plan down in Busan.

Anyhow, it was a nice little shindig, with a pretty amusing cross section of guests from the industry. A few of actors, a bunch of production people, and a few odd hangers-on such as myself. And, of course, the compulsory pig head. Good luck to Won-suk and his new company.

Otherwise, not much to report. Just been working on the book recently. It is rather amusing the whole book process. Surprisingly different than writing spot news or even longer features for a magazine. I am wrapping up another chapter now and will be starting either SM Entertainment or the Online chapter next (have not decided yet).

Another holiday Monday, another extra day to juice the box office. Seollal (Lunar New Year), however, is not a big movie-going holiday, especially this year when it fell on a Sunday, minimizing the amount of free time people would have (most people spent Sunday and/or Monday in the car, coming and going to their families).

Nevertheless, a pretty big wave of new releases hit this weekend, opening to ride the holiday to a little extra revenue. A full six of the top 10 films this week are new releases.

Ha Ji-won’s MIRACLE ON 1ST STREET landed in the top spot this week, taking in just under 1 million admissions, or about $6.5 million, from its early Wednesday night opening until the end of Monday (which is much closer to an opening week than weekend).

No. 2 went to Cha Tae-hyun’s HIGHWAY STAR, where he played an aspiring rocker turned trot star in a wrestling mask. Is anyone else as annoyed by this manufactured trot comeback as I am? I have been known to enjoy a little ppongjjak music from time to time, but the sudden flurry of press and other trot-related product feels really forced and artificial to me.

VOICE OF A MURDERER is nearing the 3-million-attendance mark, which is not too shabby at all.

FLAG OF OUR FATHERS was the biggest foreign film, coming in at No. 5 overall (up nicely from its No. 7 early projection), with a little over $1 million in revenue. Undoubtedly MASTER KIMS performed better nationwide, though. I was almost tempted to go see ROCKY BALBOA, which opened in No. 7… but only almost.

I was nicely surprised by the success of THE QUEEN. Always good to see Helen Mirren doing well, thanks to a little Oscar buzz (at a guess). So was that the first movie ever in which Ms Mirren did not get nude?

What the heck is a Terabithia?

And, amazingly enough, 200 POUND BEAUTY finally fell out of the top 10 (it was No. 11). YOBI, THE FIVE-TAILED FOX was twelfth.

(Source: Film2.0)