'The Handmaiden' in record sale to 176 countries
Poster of "The Handmaiden" / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment
By Kim Da-hee
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s latest film “The Handmaiden,” known as “Agassi” in Korea, has been sold to 176 countries ― a record for a Korean film, its distributor CJ E&M said Monday.
Inspired by Sarah Waters’ lesbian crime novel “Fingersmith,” the erotic thriller depicts a love story between different social classes, including an affluent heiress and an orphan, in the Japanese colonial era in the 1930s.
The film was pre-sold to 120 countries before it screened in the competition section at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
“The movie was acclaimed among foreign buyers during the festival, attracting deals from film marketers worldwide,” CJ E&M said. “Its sale surpassed filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer,” which was sold in 167 countries.”
The movie will be released in Taiwan on June 24 and in France on October 5.
It is also expected to be released in Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Hong Kong between June and August, and will begin showing in the U.S. between September and October.
The film will hit domestic theaters on June 1.