Jung Joo-yang
Korea Times Intern
The Korean science fiction film ``D-War’’ by Shim Hyung-rae is to debut on 1,500 screens in the United States in late August according to Showbox Mediaplex, the movie’s local distributor. ``D-War’’ opens in Korea on Aug.2. American distributor Freestyle is responsible for the U.S. premiere and advertising expenses. According to Showbox, Freestyle was in charge of distributing the popular film ``The Illusionist’’ in the U.S. on 1,432 screens for six weeks. The film was among the top 10 box office hits.
This is the first time a Korean movie will have a wide release at this level, considering that director Bong Joon-ho’s ``The Host’’ only opened on 100 screens in the U.S. Late August is prime time for ``D-War’’ to open as students are on their summer breaks and the Labor Day weekend occurs.
Shim, who directed the film featuring a monster snake-like dragon gone awry, has worked with Hollywood staff and actors for six years to complete this project, with a budget of around $70 million. Showbox has stated that thanks to its thorough preparations it expects the debut of ``D-War’’ to be a success. It hopes the film will show the global movie market the potential of Korean cinema.