“Venom: The Last Dance” waltzed to a weekend win in South Korea, but failed to shake the country’s box office out of its recent torpor.
The third film in the “Venom” trilogy earned $2.66 million over the Friday to Sunday period, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That represented a dominant 62% market share.
Over the five days since its opening on Wednesday, it built up a cumulative of $4.13 million. At that pace, the new film will struggle to overtake the $15.2 million total earned by “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” which was released in 2021 during the worst of the Covid pandemic.
That is indicative of a downturn at the Korean box office which is beginning to look like it has become structural. Across the nation, Korean cinema receipts were worth just $4.32 million over the latest weekend. By a narrow margin that was...
The third film in the “Venom” trilogy earned $2.66 million over the Friday to Sunday period, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That represented a dominant 62% market share.
Over the five days since its opening on Wednesday, it built up a cumulative of $4.13 million. At that pace, the new film will struggle to overtake the $15.2 million total earned by “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” which was released in 2021 during the worst of the Covid pandemic.
That is indicative of a downturn at the Korean box office which is beginning to look like it has become structural. Across the nation, Korean cinema receipts were worth just $4.32 million over the latest weekend. By a narrow margin that was...
- 10/27/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
After working with some of the top directors in the region like South Korea’s Yeon Sang-ho and Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda, Uprising‘s Gang Dong-won told Deadline that he would like to work with directors Bong Joon-ho and Guillermo del Toro in the future, among others.
In Uprising, Gang plays a slave named Cheon-yeong, who develops a close friendship with his master (and nobleman) Jong-ryeo, who is played by Park Jeong-min.
Uprising premiered on Netflix this week after screening as the opening film at the Busan International Film Festival (Biff).
Netflix’s Uprising is set in 1592, against the backdrop of Joseon’s war against Japanese invasions. King Seonjo flees the capital to escape from the advancing Japanese army.
Gang got involved in the film after veteran director Park Chan-wook — who co-wrote Uprising with Shin Cheol — gave him a call. Gang admitted that he was curious about the project...
In Uprising, Gang plays a slave named Cheon-yeong, who develops a close friendship with his master (and nobleman) Jong-ryeo, who is played by Park Jeong-min.
Uprising premiered on Netflix this week after screening as the opening film at the Busan International Film Festival (Biff).
Netflix’s Uprising is set in 1592, against the backdrop of Joseon’s war against Japanese invasions. King Seonjo flees the capital to escape from the advancing Japanese army.
Gang got involved in the film after veteran director Park Chan-wook — who co-wrote Uprising with Shin Cheol — gave him a call. Gang admitted that he was curious about the project...
- 10/14/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
This year, Toronto International Film Festival was back. TIFF typically kicks off the North American fall festival season alongside Telluride, but it has had a rocky past couple of years. The pandemic in 2020 put a temporary pause on in-person festivities, and 2021-2022 featured a tentative rollout of hybrid festivities. Though 2023 committed to total in-person attendance, the SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023 limited the amount of American celebrity presence on the red carpet; festival buzz too had been similarly muted. This year’s edition, however, witnessed the famed festival in full swing. With 278 films in this year’s programming, the 2024 edition of TIFF was jam-packed with Berlin/Cannes favorites, Awards season’s to-be-darlings, and of course, a good chunk of independent cinema.
Among the Asian cinema contenders, Korean and Taiwanese cinema have held an especially strong presence this year. There were nine Korean and Korean-adjacent entries – almost 100% more than in 2022, when there were...
Among the Asian cinema contenders, Korean and Taiwanese cinema have held an especially strong presence this year. There were nine Korean and Korean-adjacent entries – almost 100% more than in 2022, when there were...
- 9/23/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ryoo Seung-wan, also known as “Action Kid,” is one of the major players in the Korean film industry today. He’s most famous for directing the 5th all-time highest grossing film in South Korean cinema history, action-comedy detective film “Veteran” (2015). In more recent years, he wrote and directed the South Korean entry for Best International Film at the 94th Academy Awards, “Escape from Mogadishu” (2021) – a Korean peninsular analog to “Argo” set in Mogadishu, Somalia.
This year, Ryoo Seung-wan showed up to Toronto International Film Festival with “I, the Executioner,” the long-awaited sequel to “Veteran.” Hwang Jung-min returns as Seo Do-cheol: still a dedicated detective, but this time also an unenthused husband and even more lackluster father. Though his son is mercilessly bullied at school, Seo Do-cheol is blasé about the situation. He has other priorities at hand – such as a serial killer on the loose, a viral Internet sleuth undermining his authority,...
This year, Ryoo Seung-wan showed up to Toronto International Film Festival with “I, the Executioner,” the long-awaited sequel to “Veteran.” Hwang Jung-min returns as Seo Do-cheol: still a dedicated detective, but this time also an unenthused husband and even more lackluster father. Though his son is mercilessly bullied at school, Seo Do-cheol is blasé about the situation. He has other priorities at hand – such as a serial killer on the loose, a viral Internet sleuth undermining his authority,...
- 9/23/2024
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Korean crime comedy action film “I The Executioner” has amassed more than $30 million of gross revenues on its sixth day of release, making it one of the fastest movies in local history to reach that mark.
Kobis, the cinema data service operated by the Korean Film Council, reported that the film had reached 3.71 million admissions and a gross haul of $27.2 million by the evening of Tuesday, its fifth full day in cinemas.
On Wednesday morning, the film’s distributor Cj Enm said that the film’s ticket sales total had surpassed 4 million by 9am local time. That would give an estimated box office total of $30 million, that will be confirmed by independent data later in the day.
Cj Enm has not disclosed a production budget for the title, but it said that with this level of business the film has now broken even. It is not clear whether that calculation...
Kobis, the cinema data service operated by the Korean Film Council, reported that the film had reached 3.71 million admissions and a gross haul of $27.2 million by the evening of Tuesday, its fifth full day in cinemas.
On Wednesday morning, the film’s distributor Cj Enm said that the film’s ticket sales total had surpassed 4 million by 9am local time. That would give an estimated box office total of $30 million, that will be confirmed by independent data later in the day.
Cj Enm has not disclosed a production budget for the title, but it said that with this level of business the film has now broken even. It is not clear whether that calculation...
- 9/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“I, the Executioner,” Ryoo Seung-wan’s sequel to his 2015 action-comedy “Veteran,” scales back on its predecessor’s laughs in order to focus more closely on — as well as to examine — the violence of its police protagonists. Although undoubtedly entertaining, Ryoo’s follow-up is also highly introspective, weaving a serial killer mystery that makes for a surprising mirror to the series’ lead.
Roguish detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) returns in a dynamic blast of an opening salvo, as the camera weaves in and out of (and above) an illicit casino, as a police sting operation unfolds. Amusing action soon ensues, reminiscent of the first film’s zesty, high-impact sequences, and with its central conceit in tow: Seo and his returning, idiosyncratic team are either hyper-competent or bumbling fools, depending on what the script demands. Sometimes, they’re both these things at once, as the film’s prologue provides a dose of the familiar.
Roguish detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) returns in a dynamic blast of an opening salvo, as the camera weaves in and out of (and above) an illicit casino, as a police sting operation unfolds. Amusing action soon ensues, reminiscent of the first film’s zesty, high-impact sequences, and with its central conceit in tow: Seo and his returning, idiosyncratic team are either hyper-competent or bumbling fools, depending on what the script demands. Sometimes, they’re both these things at once, as the film’s prologue provides a dose of the familiar.
- 9/17/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
Several new and returning films found success at the global box office this past weekend. Tim Burton’s comedy sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice maintained its lead in its second week of release. The film earned an additional $80 million worldwide between Friday and Sunday. Its total global ticket sales now stand at $264 million after 10 days in theaters.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice saw attendance drop 53% domestically but held strong internationally with a 44% decrease. The movie continues attracting large audiences worldwide. Britain remains its top market outside North America with $19 million in sales so far. Mexico and Spain have also contributed to the film’s robust global numbers. It debuted atop box office charts in both France and Germany this weekend.
The psychological horror remake Speak No Evil also premiered to solid ticket sales. Directed by James Watkins, the film stars James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis. It generated $11.5 million in the United States and $9.3 million in...
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice saw attendance drop 53% domestically but held strong internationally with a 44% decrease. The movie continues attracting large audiences worldwide. Britain remains its top market outside North America with $19 million in sales so far. Mexico and Spain have also contributed to the film’s robust global numbers. It debuted atop box office charts in both France and Germany this weekend.
The psychological horror remake Speak No Evil also premiered to solid ticket sales. Directed by James Watkins, the film stars James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis. It generated $11.5 million in the United States and $9.3 million in...
- 9/16/2024
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely
Crime action film ‘I The Executioner” topped the South Korea cinema box office weekend with an utterly dominant $15 million haul. The session represented the first half of a long holiday in Korea.
Data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic) showed that the film enjoyed a market share of 86% between Friday and Sunday. It was watched by 2.09 million spectators.
That represented the second biggest opening weekend score by any film this year in Korea, behind the $20.8 million attained by “The Roundup: Punishment” in late April. Nationwide, the latest weekend was the third-highest Friday-Sunday session of 2024, at $17.5 million, behind the first two weekends of release of “Punishment.”
The film known locally as “Veteran 2,” is a sequel to “Veteran,” which released in August 2015 and shares the same writer-director Ryoo Seung-wan and lead actor Hwang Jung-min as the new picture. “Veteran” earned $78.4 million from 13.4 million spectators, making...
Data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic) showed that the film enjoyed a market share of 86% between Friday and Sunday. It was watched by 2.09 million spectators.
That represented the second biggest opening weekend score by any film this year in Korea, behind the $20.8 million attained by “The Roundup: Punishment” in late April. Nationwide, the latest weekend was the third-highest Friday-Sunday session of 2024, at $17.5 million, behind the first two weekends of release of “Punishment.”
The film known locally as “Veteran 2,” is a sequel to “Veteran,” which released in August 2015 and shares the same writer-director Ryoo Seung-wan and lead actor Hwang Jung-min as the new picture. “Veteran” earned $78.4 million from 13.4 million spectators, making...
- 9/16/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabian film industry pioneer Faisal Baltyuor is opening the first arthouse cinema in Riyadh in what amounts to a milestone in the kingdom’s moviegoing trajectory ever since Saudi lifted its 35-year ban on cinema in late 2017.
The plush state-of-the-art 80-seat venue, called Cinehouse, is set to open in the Saudi capital later this month. The symbolic opening film will be a 1975 documentary titled “Development of Riyadh City” by Saudi helmer Abdullah Al-Muheisen. Before the religion-related Saudi ban on cinema went into effect, Al-Muheisen had been instrumental in laying the groundwork for the embryonic Saudi film industry. His vast body of work delved into social and humanitarian issues.
A curated program comprising local and international films at Cinehouse will follow after the “Development of Riyadh City” doc.
“For our opening film we actually went back to our Saudi film industry legacy,” said Baltyuor, a former CEO of the Saudi...
The plush state-of-the-art 80-seat venue, called Cinehouse, is set to open in the Saudi capital later this month. The symbolic opening film will be a 1975 documentary titled “Development of Riyadh City” by Saudi helmer Abdullah Al-Muheisen. Before the religion-related Saudi ban on cinema went into effect, Al-Muheisen had been instrumental in laying the groundwork for the embryonic Saudi film industry. His vast body of work delved into social and humanitarian issues.
A curated program comprising local and international films at Cinehouse will follow after the “Development of Riyadh City” doc.
“For our opening film we actually went back to our Saudi film industry legacy,” said Baltyuor, a former CEO of the Saudi...
- 9/7/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
"If the situation turns dangerous, are we allowed to response with force?" Capelight Pictures has debuted a new official US trailer for the Korean action thriller titled I, The Executioner, which will be screening at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival soon this month. It first premiered in Cannes in the Midnight section there and should get more good reviews. This is a sequel to director Ryoo Seung-wan's 2015 film titled Veteran, though with a new title for this next thriller. I, The Executioner follows detective Seo Do-cheol, head of the Violent Crime Investigation Division, as he faces a major crisis. TIFF hypes this up: "the film's critique of vigilantism and the abuse of social media and its reflection on societal disillusionment with the legal system are timely - rooted in a collective global consciousness. Spectacular action sets and carefully orchestrated editing — enhanced by the chilling sound design — offer a high level...
- 9/4/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Park Hoon-jung, an in-demand director of action-noir films, will begin production this month on “Tristes Tropiques.” The picture will be launched to distributors on the sidelines of the Toronto International Film Festival by Finecut, which is to handle sales rights.
The film follows a group of young assassins affiliated with the Tristes Tropiques organization, which specializes in jungle warfare and is under the absolute rule of Master.
The production will be located in Thailand and run from September to December. Finecut reports that it will boast an international cast adept at diverse styles of action, but it offers no details of either the Korean or foreign elements.
“Tristes Tropiques” is produced by director Park’s own production company, Gold Moon Film and is co-produced by Mindmark, a content IP company owned by the Shinsegae department stores and duty-free shopping group. Its recent slate also includes “A Normal Family,” “Victory,” “Love Reset” and “Honey Sweet.
The film follows a group of young assassins affiliated with the Tristes Tropiques organization, which specializes in jungle warfare and is under the absolute rule of Master.
The production will be located in Thailand and run from September to December. Finecut reports that it will boast an international cast adept at diverse styles of action, but it offers no details of either the Korean or foreign elements.
“Tristes Tropiques” is produced by director Park’s own production company, Gold Moon Film and is co-produced by Mindmark, a content IP company owned by the Shinsegae department stores and duty-free shopping group. Its recent slate also includes “A Normal Family,” “Victory,” “Love Reset” and “Honey Sweet.
- 9/3/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Seoul-based Finecut has boarded Tristes Tropiques, an upcoming action film by Korean director Park Hoon-jung.
Tristes Tropiques will be Park’s fourth film under Finecut, following New World (2013), V.I.P (2017) and The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion (2018).
Park’s latest film follows a group of young assassins affiliated with the organization “Tristes Tropiques,” trained by the tropical rainforest’s absolute ruler called “Master.” As they grapple with distrust, they vow to exact bloody revenge.
The film is set to begin shooting in Thailand in September and is expected to wrap by December.
Finecut added that Tristes Tropiques will feature a multi-national cast.
Park started his career as a writer, penning Ryoo Seung-wan’s The Unjust (2010) and winning the Best Screenplay award for his work on the film at the 15th Fantasia International Film Festival. Park also wrote the screenplay for Kim Jee-woon’s I Saw The Devil (2010).
Park made his debut...
Tristes Tropiques will be Park’s fourth film under Finecut, following New World (2013), V.I.P (2017) and The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion (2018).
Park’s latest film follows a group of young assassins affiliated with the organization “Tristes Tropiques,” trained by the tropical rainforest’s absolute ruler called “Master.” As they grapple with distrust, they vow to exact bloody revenge.
The film is set to begin shooting in Thailand in September and is expected to wrap by December.
Finecut added that Tristes Tropiques will feature a multi-national cast.
Park started his career as a writer, penning Ryoo Seung-wan’s The Unjust (2010) and winning the Best Screenplay award for his work on the film at the 15th Fantasia International Film Festival. Park also wrote the screenplay for Kim Jee-woon’s I Saw The Devil (2010).
Park made his debut...
- 9/3/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
The time has come for the annual presentation of the Toronto International Film Festival. The festivities will include many premieres of titles, whether it be their big world premiere, their North American premiere, or even just their Canadian premiere. Deadline has unveiled a number of upcoming films that attendees are expected to see this year.
Among those premiering are some star-studded affairs, such as the war drama Without Blood, which stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir and is directed by Angelina Jolie. The film is based on the Alessandro Baricco novel. Hard Truths from Mike Leigh stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste. That film is being described as an “Ongoing exploration of the contemporary world with a tragicomic study of human strengths and weaknesses.”
The Last Showgirl will premiere. The movie follows a seasoned stage dancer who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run and stars Dave Bautista,...
Among those premiering are some star-studded affairs, such as the war drama Without Blood, which stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir and is directed by Angelina Jolie. The film is based on the Alessandro Baricco novel. Hard Truths from Mike Leigh stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste. That film is being described as an “Ongoing exploration of the contemporary world with a tragicomic study of human strengths and weaknesses.”
The Last Showgirl will premiere. The movie follows a seasoned stage dancer who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run and stars Dave Bautista,...
- 7/22/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival have unveiled their lineup of 63 films from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. Notable titles include the world premieres of Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths and The Last Showgirl, the North American premieres of Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest and Justin Kurzel’s The Order, the Canadian premiere of Joshua Oppenheimer’s The End, along with many favorites from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Check out the lineup below.
Galas 2024 (in alphabetical order)
*Previously announced
Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe Cosima Spender | UK
World Premiere
Better Man Michael Gracey | USA
Canadian Premiere
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight Embeth Davidtz | South Africa
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
*Eden Ron Howard | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title
*Elton John: Never Too Late R.J. Cutler, David Furnish | USA
World Premiere
*Harbin Woo Min-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
Meet the Barbarians...
Check out the lineup below.
Galas 2024 (in alphabetical order)
*Previously announced
Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe Cosima Spender | UK
World Premiere
Better Man Michael Gracey | USA
Canadian Premiere
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight Embeth Davidtz | South Africa
Canadian Premiere
Sales Title
*Eden Ron Howard | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title
*Elton John: Never Too Late R.J. Cutler, David Furnish | USA
World Premiere
*Harbin Woo Min-ho | South Korea
World Premiere
Meet the Barbarians...
- 7/22/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The 49th Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled a star-studded lineup featuring a slew of highly-anticipated features this awards season.
IndieWire can confirm the Galas and Special Presentations programs that boast 63 films, including new titles from beloved directors like Mike Leigh, Morgan Neville, Jacques Audiard, and Edward Berger, whose papal drama “Conclave” will make its international premiere at the festival. (Meaning this American production will world-premiere at Telluride.)
The Galas program, sponsored by Dyson, includes buzzy Cannes titles like Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” and David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds.” Cronenberg will also be honored with the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award during the festival.
The Special Presentations section marks the premiere of Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl” starring Pamela Anderson, as well as Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ “Heretic.”
The Galas and Special Presentations programs for 2024 boast films from 25 countries, including 29 sales titles.
“This Special Presentations section can...
IndieWire can confirm the Galas and Special Presentations programs that boast 63 films, including new titles from beloved directors like Mike Leigh, Morgan Neville, Jacques Audiard, and Edward Berger, whose papal drama “Conclave” will make its international premiere at the festival. (Meaning this American production will world-premiere at Telluride.)
The Galas program, sponsored by Dyson, includes buzzy Cannes titles like Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” and David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds.” Cronenberg will also be honored with the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award during the festival.
The Special Presentations section marks the premiere of Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl” starring Pamela Anderson, as well as Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ “Heretic.”
The Galas and Special Presentations programs for 2024 boast films from 25 countries, including 29 sales titles.
“This Special Presentations section can...
- 7/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Fresh from the Cannes premiere of action thriller I, The Executioner, South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan is preparing to shoot espionage action feature Humint later this year.
Filming is set to begin in October with a cast including Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min, Park Hae-joon and Nana. Produced by Filmmakers R&k it will be distributed by New. International sales are handled by Contents Panda.
Humint stands for Human Intelligence, a term used in the military to refer to the collection of information through people rather than gathering intelligence via more technical means.
The story will depict North and South Korean...
Filming is set to begin in October with a cast including Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min, Park Hae-joon and Nana. Produced by Filmmakers R&k it will be distributed by New. International sales are handled by Contents Panda.
Humint stands for Human Intelligence, a term used in the military to refer to the collection of information through people rather than gathering intelligence via more technical means.
The story will depict North and South Korean...
- 6/13/2024
- ScreenDaily
Ryoo Seung-wan, the South Korean film director who was last month in Cannes with “I, The Executioner,” says that his next picture will be an espionage action movie.
It is pitched as “depicting North and South Korean secret agents clashing while [also] uncovering crimes occurring at the border with Vladivostok, Russia.”
Currently titled, “Humint,” a reference to espionage industry’s shorthand for collection of intelligence through humans, rather than signals or data, the new film is to be produced by his Filmmaker R&k company and distributed by New.
Ryoo also says that throughout his career he has sought to change genres and that “Humint” will represent a “more mature espionage action” picture than some of his previous efforts.
Ryoo will release “I, The Executioner” at an unspecified date in the second half of this year. He has already settled the casting of “Humint” and has scheduled full-scale production of the...
It is pitched as “depicting North and South Korean secret agents clashing while [also] uncovering crimes occurring at the border with Vladivostok, Russia.”
Currently titled, “Humint,” a reference to espionage industry’s shorthand for collection of intelligence through humans, rather than signals or data, the new film is to be produced by his Filmmaker R&k company and distributed by New.
Ryoo also says that throughout his career he has sought to change genres and that “Humint” will represent a “more mature espionage action” picture than some of his previous efforts.
Ryoo will release “I, The Executioner” at an unspecified date in the second half of this year. He has already settled the casting of “Humint” and has scheduled full-scale production of the...
- 6/13/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
from our special envoy Jean-Marc Thérouanne at the Cannes Film Festival.
From May 14 to 25, 2024, Far East Asia is represented in competition by the film “Caught by the Tides” by the master of Chinese cinema of the sixth generation, Jia Zhang-ke. This film, in small impressionist touches, tells the evolution of China in this first quarter of the 21st century. Jia Zhang-ke tries to describe it through the songs marking the collective memory. He multiplies the winks to his work of fifteen films, time markers flowing inexorably.
Jia Zhang-ke and Zhao Tao in Grand Théâtre Lumiere Gala presentation of Caught by the Tides. (Photo credit Fica)
The Indian subcontinent is back in competition, after a long 30-year eclipse, with the film All We Imagine As Light by director Payal Kapadia, recognized in Cannes by the Golden Eye Award for his documentary film Une nuit sans savoir selected at the Directors' Fortnight...
From May 14 to 25, 2024, Far East Asia is represented in competition by the film “Caught by the Tides” by the master of Chinese cinema of the sixth generation, Jia Zhang-ke. This film, in small impressionist touches, tells the evolution of China in this first quarter of the 21st century. Jia Zhang-ke tries to describe it through the songs marking the collective memory. He multiplies the winks to his work of fifteen films, time markers flowing inexorably.
Jia Zhang-ke and Zhao Tao in Grand Théâtre Lumiere Gala presentation of Caught by the Tides. (Photo credit Fica)
The Indian subcontinent is back in competition, after a long 30-year eclipse, with the film All We Imagine As Light by director Payal Kapadia, recognized in Cannes by the Golden Eye Award for his documentary film Une nuit sans savoir selected at the Directors' Fortnight...
- 6/1/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ryoo Seung-wan has been a pillar of the South Korean film industry for over 20 years, respected there for his keen social observation and thrilling action. But Europe’s great film festivals have feted him conspicuously less than some of his more internationally well-known peers. The Cannes Film Festival recently took a step toward correcting that record in 2024.
Ryoo, 50, made his first and only trip to Cannes back in 2005 with the gritty boxing drama Crying Fist, co-starring his brother, Ryoo Seung-bum, today a major star, and Korean cinema icon Choi Min-sik, then riding high thanks to his iconic role in Park Chan-wook’s Old Boy (2003).
“Crying Fist was very well received, but since we were in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the festival, it wasn’t screened in Cannes’ Grand Lumière Theater,” Ryoo recalls. “Back then, I was much younger and everything just felt fresh, fun and exciting. But I remember...
Ryoo, 50, made his first and only trip to Cannes back in 2005 with the gritty boxing drama Crying Fist, co-starring his brother, Ryoo Seung-bum, today a major star, and Korean cinema icon Choi Min-sik, then riding high thanks to his iconic role in Park Chan-wook’s Old Boy (2003).
“Crying Fist was very well received, but since we were in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the festival, it wasn’t screened in Cannes’ Grand Lumière Theater,” Ryoo recalls. “Back then, I was much younger and everything just felt fresh, fun and exciting. But I remember...
- 5/27/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: AI firm Flawless, distributor-financier XYZ Films (Mandy), and producer Tea Shop Productions (The Fall) have acquired Michel Gondry’s 2023 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight movie The Book Of Solutions for all English-speaking territories.
Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.
It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.
Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.
In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages...
Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.
It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.
Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.
In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages...
- 5/23/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Even eight years since its release and with a fair few recent releases pushing for its spot, none have been able to push Ryoo Seung-wan's “Veteran” out of the top 5 highest grossing Korean films (by attendance) of all time. Talk of a part 2 has floated since the feature's immense success and the moment is finally here when it is gearing up for its world premiere, with the official title it borrows from Tai Kato's 1968 Japanese classic “I, the Executioner”.
Synopsis
Detective Seo Do-cheol and his Major Crime Investigation Division tirelessly track down criminals day and night, often at the expense of their personal lives.
When the murder of a professor reveals links to past cases, suspicions of a serial killer arise, plunging the country into turmoil. As Major Crimes delves into the investigation, the killer taunts them by publicly releasing a teaser online, indicating the next victim, and intensifying the chaos.
Synopsis
Detective Seo Do-cheol and his Major Crime Investigation Division tirelessly track down criminals day and night, often at the expense of their personal lives.
When the murder of a professor reveals links to past cases, suspicions of a serial killer arise, plunging the country into turmoil. As Major Crimes delves into the investigation, the killer taunts them by publicly releasing a teaser online, indicating the next victim, and intensifying the chaos.
- 5/9/2024
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
"Catching perps is my job." Cj Entertainment in Korea has unveiled the first look trailer for a Korean action thriller titled I, The Executioner. This is actually a sequel to director Ryoo Seung-wan's 2015 film titled Veteran, though with a new title this time. It's premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival this month in the Midnight Screening section where they always show a few Korean action films every year. The veteran detectives renowned for always getting their man are back in action!" I, The Executioner follows detective Seo Do-cheol, head of the Violent Crime Investigation Division, as he faces a major crisis. The film promises to be an intense thriller, blending action and suspense. Starring Jung Hae-in, Hwang Jung-min, Jang Yoon-ju, and Oh Dal-su. There's only 60 seconds of footage in this trailer, but damn does it look badass! Fights in the rain, on stairs, all over the city. Looks like...
- 5/9/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
by Paweł Mizgalewicz
„Smugglers” is a pretty bright and fun crime film that also delivers some really insightful look at Korea as a Western-aspiring country and at the pains of poverty. Most impressing is perhaps that it manages so well to do all of it at once, without slowing down the pace. The main characters of this female-led story are far from mysterious, dark, Scorsese-like figures that would encourage us to ponder the intricacies of human psyche in its never ending lust for power. In “Smugglers”, going against the law is a pragmatic decision born out of economic despair. Struggling fisherwomen of 1970's Jeju town face the choice in the film's opening minutes – keep diving for stinky snails of diminishing quality, trying to make ends meet, or take a chance at moving Western merchandise left on the sea bottoms of the Korea Strait. American cigarettes, cosmetics, clothes and all...
„Smugglers” is a pretty bright and fun crime film that also delivers some really insightful look at Korea as a Western-aspiring country and at the pains of poverty. Most impressing is perhaps that it manages so well to do all of it at once, without slowing down the pace. The main characters of this female-led story are far from mysterious, dark, Scorsese-like figures that would encourage us to ponder the intricacies of human psyche in its never ending lust for power. In “Smugglers”, going against the law is a pragmatic decision born out of economic despair. Struggling fisherwomen of 1970's Jeju town face the choice in the film's opening minutes – keep diving for stinky snails of diminishing quality, trying to make ends meet, or take a chance at moving Western merchandise left on the sea bottoms of the Korea Strait. American cigarettes, cosmetics, clothes and all...
- 4/25/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Among the high-profile filmmakers selected for this year’s Cannes Film Festival is a wave of upcoming talent from Asia and the Middle East, including the first Indian feature chosen for Competition in 30 years and the first film from Saudi Arabia to ever make the Official Selection.
While Cannes has a reputation for bringing back familiar names year after year, the line-up for the 77th edition does feature several rising filmmakers and not just in the “discovery” strands of the selection.
Making her first appearance in Competition is Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia with All We Imagine As Light. It marks...
While Cannes has a reputation for bringing back familiar names year after year, the line-up for the 77th edition does feature several rising filmmakers and not just in the “discovery” strands of the selection.
Making her first appearance in Competition is Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia with All We Imagine As Light. It marks...
- 4/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
Rights to “I, The Executioner,” which will premiere as a Midnight Screening at the Cannes Film Festival this year, have been picked up by South Korea’s Cj Enm.
The crime-action film directed by Ryu Seung-wan (also written Ryoo Seung-wan) is a sequel to Ryu’s 2015 hit “Veteran” and in Korea goes by the title “Veteran 2.”
Few details of the story have yet been disclosed, but Cj describes the film as “combining Ryu’s trademark action with observations and messages about social change.” Ryu last year enjoyed major box office success with crime comedy “Smugglers.”
Hwang Jung-min, who recently enjoyed box office success in “12.12: The Day,” reprises his role from “Veteran.” He is joined in the sequel by Jung Hae-in (“Tune in for Love”) as a new member of the film’s Violent Crime Investigation Squad.
“I, The Executioner” was produced by Filmmaker R & K, the production shingle owned...
The crime-action film directed by Ryu Seung-wan (also written Ryoo Seung-wan) is a sequel to Ryu’s 2015 hit “Veteran” and in Korea goes by the title “Veteran 2.”
Few details of the story have yet been disclosed, but Cj describes the film as “combining Ryu’s trademark action with observations and messages about social change.” Ryu last year enjoyed major box office success with crime comedy “Smugglers.”
Hwang Jung-min, who recently enjoyed box office success in “12.12: The Day,” reprises his role from “Veteran.” He is joined in the sequel by Jung Hae-in (“Tune in for Love”) as a new member of the film’s Violent Crime Investigation Squad.
“I, The Executioner” was produced by Filmmaker R & K, the production shingle owned...
- 4/12/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes announced the official selection for this year, and the Asian representation is quite strong. India finds its way back to the main competition after 30 years, with “All We Imagine as Light” while Jia Zhangke returns with “Caught By The Tides” . Also of note is the presence of the first Saudi Arabian film in the official selection with “Norah”, which premiered last year in Red Sea. Here are all the entries we know of so far. More info will be added as we get closer to the festival.
All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia (India) Caught by the Tides by Jia Zhang-Ke (China) Norah by Tawfik Alzaidi (Saudi Arabia) Black Dog by Guan Hu (China) My Sunshine by Hiroshi Okuyama (Japan) Santosh by Sandhya Suri (India) Viet and Nam by Truong Minh Quý (Vietnam) She's Got No Name by Peter Chan Ho-Sun Twilight of the Warrior Walled In...
All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia (India) Caught by the Tides by Jia Zhang-Ke (China) Norah by Tawfik Alzaidi (Saudi Arabia) Black Dog by Guan Hu (China) My Sunshine by Hiroshi Okuyama (Japan) Santosh by Sandhya Suri (India) Viet and Nam by Truong Minh Quý (Vietnam) She's Got No Name by Peter Chan Ho-Sun Twilight of the Warrior Walled In...
- 4/11/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Descubre las películas que estarán en Cannes 2024: una lista completa de todas las secciones.
Esta mañana, Thierry Frémaux ha anunciado la programación oficial de la 77ª edición del Festival de Cannes. La pasada edición del festival fue testigo de los estrenos mundiales de las aclamadas películas “Anatomía de una Caída”, “Killers of the Flower Moon” y “The Zone of Interest”. Unas películas que posteriormente fueron nominadas al Oscar a la mejor película, de modo que este año el listón está muy alto.
Desde su primera edición en 1946, el Festival de Cannes se ha consolidado como uno de los acontecimientos cinematográficos más importantes de la industria del cine y la edición de este año ofrece una gran variedad de películas de todo el mundo; desde directores consagrados hasta nuevas voces de la industria. Aunque, por desgracia, España no tendrá representación en el festival este año.
La presidenta del jurado de...
Esta mañana, Thierry Frémaux ha anunciado la programación oficial de la 77ª edición del Festival de Cannes. La pasada edición del festival fue testigo de los estrenos mundiales de las aclamadas películas “Anatomía de una Caída”, “Killers of the Flower Moon” y “The Zone of Interest”. Unas películas que posteriormente fueron nominadas al Oscar a la mejor película, de modo que este año el listón está muy alto.
Desde su primera edición en 1946, el Festival de Cannes se ha consolidado como uno de los acontecimientos cinematográficos más importantes de la industria del cine y la edición de este año ofrece una gran variedad de películas de todo el mundo; desde directores consagrados hasta nuevas voces de la industria. Aunque, por desgracia, España no tendrá representación en el festival este año.
La presidenta del jurado de...
- 4/11/2024
- by Marta Medina
- mundoCine
After sitting in the can for nearly four years, Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man, was presented to a rapturous audience at SXSW last night. The film declaring loudly what the man himself was too humble to acknowledge; Dev Patel has the potential to become the future of action cinema, both behind and in front of the camera. Bringing together elements from contemporary action cinemas from around the world, most notably Korea – think The Man From Nowhere, the films of Ryoo Seung Wan, and others – and Indonesia – plenty of echoes of the pioneering cinema of Gareth Evans and Tumo Tjahjanto’s The Night Comes For Us – Monkey Man combines technical chops with savage critiques of age old divisions in India to create...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/12/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Hit local titles include ’12.12: The Day’ and ‘The Roundup: No Way Out’.
South Korea’s box office admissions recorded a rise of 11% in 2023, boosted by two local hits, but saw 44.8% fewer cinemagoers than in pre-Covid 2019.
There was a total of 125.1 million admissions in 2023, according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis), demonstrating steady growth year-on-year.
However, with audiences still not returning to cinemas at pre-pandemic levels, the number is a 44.8% decrease from 2019, which was year before the Covid-19 outbreak but also the all-time highest box office year on record in terms of admissions and gross.
Total box office gross...
South Korea’s box office admissions recorded a rise of 11% in 2023, boosted by two local hits, but saw 44.8% fewer cinemagoers than in pre-Covid 2019.
There was a total of 125.1 million admissions in 2023, according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis), demonstrating steady growth year-on-year.
However, with audiences still not returning to cinemas at pre-pandemic levels, the number is a 44.8% decrease from 2019, which was year before the Covid-19 outbreak but also the all-time highest box office year on record in terms of admissions and gross.
Total box office gross...
- 1/3/2024
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
As we have mentioned many times before, the most successful product of Asian cinema towards the US market (apart from anime) are the action/martial arts movies, and as such, it is by no surprise that the biggest industries of the continent and particularly S.Korea have invested heavily towards the particular category, with China following close by, in a genre that, most of the time, budget is the most crucial element. In that fashion, ultra violent and stylistic is the path S. Korea productions follow (this year), while China seems to be going more towards the sci-fi now that the Ip Man franchise has become somewhat preterit. Japan choose live-action adaptation or its rather famous franchises, while the duo of Tak Sakaguchi and Yudai Yamaguchi continue their effort to produce as realistic martial arts scenes as possible. China follows the stylistic martial arts approach, while India has come up...
- 12/30/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Although the Korean movie industry recently announced that the local box office recovered to 70% of Pre-pandemic Level, largely due to the success of “12.12: The Day” which was released on November 22nd and has earned 7,729,273 admissions by December 14, the situation with local cinema is not exactly hopeful, as a number of key figures and specialists mention. Particularly the fact that the majority of talent, including movie stars and filmmakers seem to move towards the rather more popular dramas, the gap left in the movie industry is felt more than ever. At the same time, though, not everything is all bad, since the mainstream movies still find ways out in festivals, streaming and distribution, while a number of intense social dramas remind of the second reason Korean cinema reached the heights it holds now (apart from crime thrillers).
In any case, here are the best South Korean films of 2023, in reverse order.
In any case, here are the best South Korean films of 2023, in reverse order.
- 12/16/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Originally titled Milsu, Seung-Wan Ryu’s 2023 Korean film, Smugglers, sheds light on the lives of haenyeos, who turned to illegal means to earn their livelihood. The film chronicled the lives of two female haenyeos, Choon-Ja (Kim Hye-su) and Jin-Sook (Yum Jung-ah), who earned their daily bread by scouring the deep sea for seafood and selling it on the open market. Most of the time, their luck delivered, and they earned enough to get by, but there were also days when they didn’t earn even a single penny. However, lately, luck hasn’t been on their side, as a nearby chemical factory is directly threatening their livelihoods.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did The Haenyeos Start Smuggling Illegal Goods?
The factory dumped its chemical waste directly into the sea, resulting in dead fauna. The sight of dead fish, with their bellies facing up, had become commonplace. Thus, left with no choice, the...
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did The Haenyeos Start Smuggling Illegal Goods?
The factory dumped its chemical waste directly into the sea, resulting in dead fauna. The sight of dead fish, with their bellies facing up, had become commonplace. Thus, left with no choice, the...
- 12/5/2023
- by Rishabh Shandilya
- Film Fugitives
by Paweł Mizgalewicz
„Smugglers” is a pretty bright and fun crime film that also delivers some really insightful look at Korea as a Western-aspiring country and at the pains of poverty. Most impressing is perhaps that it manages so well to do all of it at once, without slowing down the pace. The main characters of this female-led story are far from mysterious, dark, Scorsese-like figures that would encourage us to ponder the intricacies of human psyche in its never ending lust for power. In “Smugglers”, going against the law is a pragmatic decision born out of economic despair. Struggling fisherwomen of 1970's Jeju town face the choice in the film's opening minutes – keep diving for stinky snails of diminishing quality, trying to make ends meet, or take a chance at moving Western merchandise left on the sea bottoms of the Korea Strait. American cigarettes, cosmetics, clothes and all...
„Smugglers” is a pretty bright and fun crime film that also delivers some really insightful look at Korea as a Western-aspiring country and at the pains of poverty. Most impressing is perhaps that it manages so well to do all of it at once, without slowing down the pace. The main characters of this female-led story are far from mysterious, dark, Scorsese-like figures that would encourage us to ponder the intricacies of human psyche in its never ending lust for power. In “Smugglers”, going against the law is a pragmatic decision born out of economic despair. Struggling fisherwomen of 1970's Jeju town face the choice in the film's opening minutes – keep diving for stinky snails of diminishing quality, trying to make ends meet, or take a chance at moving Western merchandise left on the sea bottoms of the Korea Strait. American cigarettes, cosmetics, clothes and all...
- 11/28/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Ringing Korea’S Grand Bell
“Concrete Utopia,” South Korea’s Oscar contender, was Wednesday named best film at the country’s annual Grand Bell Awards. It also won prizes for best actor, best supporting actress, art direction, sound mixing and visual effects. A disaster movie set in a devastated Seoul, it makes an unusual Academy Awards selection, but has gained high praise from reviewers. Variety this week said the film felt like “’Earthquake’ crossed with ‘Lord of the Flies’.”
The Grand Bell’s best director award nevertheless went to Ryoo Seung-wan for “Smugglers,” while Ahn Tae-jin took the best new director award for “The Night Owl.”
In the other half of the event, Disney+’s “Moving” was named best series, earning Han Hyo-joo the best series actress award to boot.
The Grand Bell Awards, aka Daejong Film Awards, are organized by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea.
Cineasia Honors
The...
“Concrete Utopia,” South Korea’s Oscar contender, was Wednesday named best film at the country’s annual Grand Bell Awards. It also won prizes for best actor, best supporting actress, art direction, sound mixing and visual effects. A disaster movie set in a devastated Seoul, it makes an unusual Academy Awards selection, but has gained high praise from reviewers. Variety this week said the film felt like “’Earthquake’ crossed with ‘Lord of the Flies’.”
The Grand Bell’s best director award nevertheless went to Ryoo Seung-wan for “Smugglers,” while Ahn Tae-jin took the best new director award for “The Night Owl.”
In the other half of the event, Disney+’s “Moving” was named best series, earning Han Hyo-joo the best series actress award to boot.
The Grand Bell Awards, aka Daejong Film Awards, are organized by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea.
Cineasia Honors
The...
- 11/16/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Michael Mann is back at it. The director is making a triumphant return to the film world after a less-than-stellar reception to his 2015 tech thriller, Blackhat, which starred Chris Hemsworth. This year marks the release of Ferrari, his biopic of Enzo Ferrari starring Adam Driver, which is already generating positive word-of-mouth, including talk of a Best Supporting Actress nod for Driver’s co-star Penelope Cruz. Mann also has said that he will be moving on to a film adaptation of his crime novel sequel to his prolific 1995 drama, Heat. That project is also rumored to star Adam Driver.
According to Variety, Michael Mann is already at work on another project as he is now developing a remake of the Korean action-thriller-comedyVeteran from Ryoo Seung-wan. It is not yet known if Mann plans to direct the film or only be attached as a writer and producer. He is currently working with the U.
According to Variety, Michael Mann is already at work on another project as he is now developing a remake of the Korean action-thriller-comedyVeteran from Ryoo Seung-wan. It is not yet known if Mann plans to direct the film or only be attached as a writer and producer. He is currently working with the U.
- 11/1/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
With Michael Mann finally returning to feature filmmaking this fall with Ferrari, which is enjoying a festival run ahead of its Christmas debut, the filmmaker is eying what to do next. It seems like an Adam Driver-led Heat 2 is very much in the cards––though one wonders if WB’s greenlit status will be dependent on the success of Ferrari. In the meantime, the director is also developing another project.
Variety reports the Miami Vice helmer is working on an adaptation of Ryoo Seung-wan’s 2015 crime thriller Veteran, a massive hit in South Korea as it is currently the 5th-highest-grossing film in the country. The crowd-pleaser follows a detective who is tracking down a young, wealthy, and privileged business owner who is running his own crime syndicate.
Currently in the development stage, it’s not decided yet if Mann will just produce and script or direct the project himself.
Variety reports the Miami Vice helmer is working on an adaptation of Ryoo Seung-wan’s 2015 crime thriller Veteran, a massive hit in South Korea as it is currently the 5th-highest-grossing film in the country. The crowd-pleaser follows a detective who is tracking down a young, wealthy, and privileged business owner who is running his own crime syndicate.
Currently in the development stage, it’s not decided yet if Mann will just produce and script or direct the project himself.
- 11/1/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Ferrari” director Michael Mann is planning to make a U.S. adaptation of South Korean crime thriller “Veteran.”
The project is at development stage, and Mann is working with the U.S. and Korean wings of Cj Enm, Korea’s leading film and TV conglomerate. It is currently undecided whether Mann himself will direct or just take production and writing credits.
“We are developing a script with Michael Mann, but his role and our schedule are not fixed yet,” a source close to Cj Enm told Variety.
Work halted on the project during the Hollywood screenwriters’ strike and it is unclear when development will pick up in earnest.
Mann is currently focusing on the development of “Heat 2,” which he recently confirmed as his next directing outing. The project, which is set up at Warner Bros., is the sequel to his genre-defining 1995 noir “Heat.”
“Veteran” has some similarities with “Heat...
The project is at development stage, and Mann is working with the U.S. and Korean wings of Cj Enm, Korea’s leading film and TV conglomerate. It is currently undecided whether Mann himself will direct or just take production and writing credits.
“We are developing a script with Michael Mann, but his role and our schedule are not fixed yet,” a source close to Cj Enm told Variety.
Work halted on the project during the Hollywood screenwriters’ strike and it is unclear when development will pick up in earnest.
Mann is currently focusing on the development of “Heat 2,” which he recently confirmed as his next directing outing. The project, which is set up at Warner Bros., is the sequel to his genre-defining 1995 noir “Heat.”
“Veteran” has some similarities with “Heat...
- 11/1/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Kim Seong-hun and Ha Jung-woo, the director-actor combo who gave us Tunnel, reunite for the second time on the winning buddy action-comedy Ransomed, the latest in a series of high-profile films based on recent real-life stories featuring Korean characters gallivanting in third world countries. This very specific subgenre, which also includes Ryoo Seung-wan's Escape from Mogadishu, The Point Men and the Netflix series Narco-Saints, also with Ha, popped out of nowhere when all these projects were announced in late 2019. Later joining the cadre was the Choi Min-shik led Disney+ series Big Bet. Ha plays Korean diplomat Lee Min-jun in the 1980s, who volunteers to engage in a daring plot to retrieve a fellow Korean diplomat, kidnapped in Lebanon 18 months earlier but yet to...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 10/5/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Director Ryoo Seung-wan’s Smugglers has been acquired ahead of its Gala Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Flawless, along with XYZ Films and Tea Shop Productions, announced today their acquisition of the South Korean crime-action epic. Deadline reported in May that Flawless, co-founded by filmmaker Scott Mann (Fall), had partnered with U.S. seller and distributor XYZ Films (Run Rabbit Run) and UK producer Tea Shop Productions (47 Meters Down) to acquire rights to foreign-language films and convert them to English for distribution in English-speaking territories.
Ryoo Seung-wan has helmed some of South Korea’s most commercially-successful titles and earned seven nominations from the Grand Bell Awards, the country’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. Set in the 1970s, the film tells the story of a pair of haenyeo — women free divers who harvest shellfish — who are driven to underwater smuggling and must battle it out with a...
Flawless, along with XYZ Films and Tea Shop Productions, announced today their acquisition of the South Korean crime-action epic. Deadline reported in May that Flawless, co-founded by filmmaker Scott Mann (Fall), had partnered with U.S. seller and distributor XYZ Films (Run Rabbit Run) and UK producer Tea Shop Productions (47 Meters Down) to acquire rights to foreign-language films and convert them to English for distribution in English-speaking territories.
Ryoo Seung-wan has helmed some of South Korea’s most commercially-successful titles and earned seven nominations from the Grand Bell Awards, the country’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. Set in the 1970s, the film tells the story of a pair of haenyeo — women free divers who harvest shellfish — who are driven to underwater smuggling and must battle it out with a...
- 9/8/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
For many, Kim Seong-hun made one of the best non-serial killer South Korean thriller in “A Hard Day”. While he followed that up with the rather well-made but comparatively underwhelming “Tunnel”, he has since settled for creating a zombie-infested Joseon for Netflix's ultra-popular series “Kingdom”. For his much-awaited return to the big screen, he follows “Escape from Mogadishu” and “The Point Men” in adapting a real-life situation involving Korean diplomats finding themselves in a pickle overseas, for an action adventure feature presentation.
“Ransomed” is released by WellGo USA
Lebanon, 1986. A newly-deployed South Korean diplomat gets kidnapped and despite the government's best efforts, they are unable to find his whereabouts or even who his captives are. Without any ransom demands, the case hits a dead-end for more than a year, when suddenly one evening, Min-joon, a diplomat for the Iranian region in the Ministry of External Affairs, gets a phone...
“Ransomed” is released by WellGo USA
Lebanon, 1986. A newly-deployed South Korean diplomat gets kidnapped and despite the government's best efforts, they are unable to find his whereabouts or even who his captives are. Without any ransom demands, the case hits a dead-end for more than a year, when suddenly one evening, Min-joon, a diplomat for the Iranian region in the Ministry of External Affairs, gets a phone...
- 8/19/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
Back in the 1970s, when Korea was closed to the outside world, locals relied on black market dealers to get their hands on everything from American cigarettes to Ritz crackers. Though this illicit import racket was run mostly by men, it wouldn’t have been possible without half a dozen uniquely talented women — skilled divers known as haenyeo who fished the loot from the sea. At least, that’s the fresh girl-power premise floated by action maven Ryoo Seung-wan (“The Battleship Island”) in his snappy, retro-styled crime saga, “Smugglers.”
Featuring a funky Lalo Schifrin-esque score (from composer Chang Ki-ha) and more wide-collared polyester pantsuits than a “Charlie’s Angels” costume contest, the movie presents itself as a lost relic of less enlightened times, but boasts gender dynamics that are very much of this moment. In early scenes, the divers earn their living fetching oysters off the ocean floor — or at...
Featuring a funky Lalo Schifrin-esque score (from composer Chang Ki-ha) and more wide-collared polyester pantsuits than a “Charlie’s Angels” costume contest, the movie presents itself as a lost relic of less enlightened times, but boasts gender dynamics that are very much of this moment. In early scenes, the divers earn their living fetching oysters off the ocean floor — or at...
- 8/11/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The programme comprises 47 films from 45 countries.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its Centrepiece programme, with 47 titles screening from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
Included in the programme (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) are Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes, getting its North American premiere; Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, receiving its Canadian premiere; and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a North American premiere.
Scroll down for the full list of Centrepiece titles
TIFF also announced additional titles for its Galas, Special Presentations and Documentaries programmes, among them the world premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Finestkind.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its Centrepiece programme, with 47 titles screening from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
Included in the programme (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) are Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes, getting its North American premiere; Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, receiving its Canadian premiere; and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a North American premiere.
Scroll down for the full list of Centrepiece titles
TIFF also announced additional titles for its Galas, Special Presentations and Documentaries programmes, among them the world premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Finestkind.
- 8/10/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival has added 59 more films to the lineup of its 2023 festival, including 47 international films in the Centrepiece program, which in previous years was known as Contemporary World Cinema. New films were also added to the Galas, Special Presentations and Documentary sections.
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
- 8/10/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors and WGA writers strikes, the Toronto Film Festival continues to turn up the star wattage for its 48th edition, adding movies with Dakota Johnson, Bérénice Bejo, Awkwafina, Sandra Oh and Mads Mikkelsen to its lineup on Thursday.
For the Gala section, TIFF unveiled the A-list heavy crime drama Finestkind from Brian Helgeland, the Oscar-winning writer-director behind Mystic River and L.A. Confidential; and A Knight’s Tale, which stars Ben Foster, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones and Toby Wallace.
Also headed to Roy Thomson Hall is the South Korean drama A Normal Family, directed by Hur Jin-ho, the Korean auteur who in the past premiered Dangerous Liaisons and April Snow in Toronto. TIFF earlier tapped fellow Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan’s Smugglers for its Special Presentations sidebar, and has now bumped that drama up to a gala screening in Toronto after a world bow in Locarno.
For the Gala section, TIFF unveiled the A-list heavy crime drama Finestkind from Brian Helgeland, the Oscar-winning writer-director behind Mystic River and L.A. Confidential; and A Knight’s Tale, which stars Ben Foster, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones and Toby Wallace.
Also headed to Roy Thomson Hall is the South Korean drama A Normal Family, directed by Hur Jin-ho, the Korean auteur who in the past premiered Dangerous Liaisons and April Snow in Toronto. TIFF earlier tapped fellow Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan’s Smugglers for its Special Presentations sidebar, and has now bumped that drama up to a gala screening in Toronto after a world bow in Locarno.
- 8/10/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ryu Seung-wan’s female-led crime caper “Smugglers” topped the South Korean box office for a second weekend, ahead of new release title “Ransomed.”
“Smugglers” enjoyed a strong hold in its second weekend of release and commanded 42% market share. It delivered $7.09 million, a drop of only 20% on its opening weekend, giving a 12-day cumulative of $26.2 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
“Ransomed,” a 1980s-set drama thriller set in Lebanon, follows the travails of a low-ranking Korean diplomat who performs heroics in an attempt to rescue a kidnapped official. The film opened in second place with $3.34 million over the weekend and $5.19 million over its full five-day opening run.
“Elemental,” the Pixar cartoon that has charmed Korea, continued in a strong third place. It earned $2.26 million over the weekend, for a cumulative of $47.5 million. That total means that it has overtaken Japanese animated...
“Smugglers” enjoyed a strong hold in its second weekend of release and commanded 42% market share. It delivered $7.09 million, a drop of only 20% on its opening weekend, giving a 12-day cumulative of $26.2 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
“Ransomed,” a 1980s-set drama thriller set in Lebanon, follows the travails of a low-ranking Korean diplomat who performs heroics in an attempt to rescue a kidnapped official. The film opened in second place with $3.34 million over the weekend and $5.19 million over its full five-day opening run.
“Elemental,” the Pixar cartoon that has charmed Korea, continued in a strong third place. It earned $2.26 million over the weekend, for a cumulative of $47.5 million. That total means that it has overtaken Japanese animated...
- 8/7/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
There is female empowerment in Korean cinemas, but it is coming more from local characters, than global hit “Barbie.”
Female-led crime action film “Smugglers” dominated the weekend at the South Korean box office and pushed aside “Mission: impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” which had headed the chart for the previous two sessions.
“Smugglers” earned $9.31 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic), giving it a nearly 54% market share. Over its full five opening days, the film has built up a cumulative total of $13.1 million.
Directed by stylish action specialist Ryoo Seungwan (aka Ryu Seung-wan), “Smugglers” is set in Jeju where some of the island’s famous diving women have lost their jobs. Instead they use their skills to mount a smuggling operation, collecting illegal shipments that have been dropped into the sea.
The film has already been...
Female-led crime action film “Smugglers” dominated the weekend at the South Korean box office and pushed aside “Mission: impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” which had headed the chart for the previous two sessions.
“Smugglers” earned $9.31 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic), giving it a nearly 54% market share. Over its full five opening days, the film has built up a cumulative total of $13.1 million.
Directed by stylish action specialist Ryoo Seungwan (aka Ryu Seung-wan), “Smugglers” is set in Jeju where some of the island’s famous diving women have lost their jobs. Instead they use their skills to mount a smuggling operation, collecting illegal shipments that have been dropped into the sea.
The film has already been...
- 7/31/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Korea’s box office reached 70% of pre-pandemic levels of revenue in the first half of 2023, according to data released by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
Korean action film The Roundup: No Way Out was the highest-grossing film of the period – pulling in $82M from 10.68 million admissions – followed by two Japanese animated features, Suzume and The First Slam Dunk, and U.S. titles Avatar: The Way Of Water and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.
Total box office for the period reached $475M (KRW607.8Bn), equivalent to 72.5% of average box office during the January-June period in 2017-2019, before Covid-19 shuttered cinemas and played havoc with release schedules.
As in many other territories, the recovery was partly due to ticket price increases, as admissions totalled 58.39 million, which is only 57.8% of the pre-pandemic average in the same period during 2017-2019.
While the top-grossing film in the first half was Korean, local films achieved only 54% of their pre-pandemic average,...
Korean action film The Roundup: No Way Out was the highest-grossing film of the period – pulling in $82M from 10.68 million admissions – followed by two Japanese animated features, Suzume and The First Slam Dunk, and U.S. titles Avatar: The Way Of Water and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.
Total box office for the period reached $475M (KRW607.8Bn), equivalent to 72.5% of average box office during the January-June period in 2017-2019, before Covid-19 shuttered cinemas and played havoc with release schedules.
As in many other territories, the recovery was partly due to ticket price increases, as admissions totalled 58.39 million, which is only 57.8% of the pre-pandemic average in the same period during 2017-2019.
While the top-grossing film in the first half was Korean, local films achieved only 54% of their pre-pandemic average,...
- 7/27/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Margot Robbie, America Ferrera and director Greta Gerwig visited South Korea early on the promotional tour for ‘Barbie’ (without Ryan Gosling). But their charm failed to translate into strong box office performance in the country and the film opened anonymously in fourth place over the weekend.
“Barbie” earned just $1.19 million between Friday and Sunday and $1.91 million over its opening five days, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Worth just 8% of the nationwide weekend total, “Barbie’s” scores were barely better than fellow new release title “Insidious: the Red Door.” That earned $1.17 million between Friday and Sunday and $1.90 million over five days.
Indeed, the weekend’s highest opener, landing in third ahead of “Barbie” and “Insidious,” was Japanese animation title “Detective Conan the Movie: Black Iron Submarine.” Releasing on Thursday, it earned $1.80 million over the weekend and $2.66 million over its opening four days.
“Barbie” earned just $1.19 million between Friday and Sunday and $1.91 million over its opening five days, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Worth just 8% of the nationwide weekend total, “Barbie’s” scores were barely better than fellow new release title “Insidious: the Red Door.” That earned $1.17 million between Friday and Sunday and $1.90 million over five days.
Indeed, the weekend’s highest opener, landing in third ahead of “Barbie” and “Insidious,” was Japanese animation title “Detective Conan the Movie: Black Iron Submarine.” Releasing on Thursday, it earned $1.80 million over the weekend and $2.66 million over its opening four days.
- 7/24/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World (Radu Jude).The lineup for the 76th edition of the festival has been announced, including new films by Eduardo Williams, Leonor Teles, Lav Diaz, Radu Jude, and others.Concorso INTERNAZIONALEAnimal (Sofia Exarchou)Critical Zone (Ali Ahmadzadeh)Essential Truths of the Lake (Lav Diaz)Home (Leonor Teles)The Human Surge 3 (Eduardo Williams)The Invisible Fight (Rainer Sarnet)Do Not Expect Too Much Of The End Of The World (Radu Jude)Lousy Carter (Bob Byington)Manga D’Terra (Basil Da Cunha)Nuit Obscure – Au Revoir Ici, N’Importe Où (Sylvain George)Patagonia (Simone Bozzelli)The Permanent Picture (Laura Ferrés)Rossosperanza (Annarita Zambrano)Stepne (Maryna Vroda)Sweet Dreams (Ena Sendijarević)The Vanishing Soldier (Dani Rosenberg)Yannick (Quentin Dupieux)Excursion (Una Gunjak).Concorso Cineasti Del PRESENTECamping du Lac (Eléonore Saintagnan)Ein Schöner Ort (Katharina Huber)Excursion (Una Gunjak)Family Portrait (Lucy Kerr)Dreaming...
- 7/6/2023
- MUBI
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