I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Cinema in 2021: Netflix-Disney Plus battle looming large
Korean cinema expert Darcy Paquet / Courtesy of Darcy Paquet
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Darcy Paquet says 2 platform giants' competition will create opportunities for local filmmakers
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Amid almost all sectors of the arts and entertainment reeling from COVID-19, there's one outlier that has been thriving since the outbreak of the pandemic ― streaming services.
Netflix has seen a surge in subscriptions, thanks to the pandemic, stoking fears among some ill-prepared local film studios, concerned about what the dominance of Netflix means for the future of the production and distribution of local films.
In 2021, however, the story will evolve in a different direction, according to film expert Darcy Paquet.
Paquet, founder of Koreafilm.org and the translator who created the English subtitles for the Oscar-winning Korean film “Parasite,” said the scheduled launch of Walt Disney's streaming service Disney Plus in Korea, among other regions, will pose a grave challenge to the domination of Netflix in the streaming service.
The looming battle between Netflix and Disney, however, will create more opportunities for Korean filmmakers, he said in a recent Korea Times interview.
Paquet was scheduled to join The Korea Times roundtable discussion held Dec. 10 to present his views about hallyu and what to expect in Korean cinema and K-pop but was unable to make it because of the pandemic. The Korea Times had a separate interview with him to listen to his expectations for the post-pandemic future of Korean cinema in 2021.
Once the pandemic ends, Paquet said, people will return to theaters. He's also optimistic about the future of Korean cinema, saying viewers in the U.S. and Europe may be more willing to give Korean films a chance after the stunning success of Bong Joon-ho's “Parasite.”
Q: How do you see the post-“Parasite” Korean cinema? Do you think there will be movies that can captivate viewers in the U.S. and Europe just as “Parasite” did last year?
A: I think that certainly the future films of Bong Joon-ho will be extremely competitive in the global market. It's not certain yet whether other Korean directors or individual films will be able to break through, but I think viewers in the U.S. and Europe may be more willing to give Korean films a chance after “Parasite”s success. For example, I'm very curious to see how Park Chan-wook's new film, which will come out in the second half of 2021 will be received around the world. Given the overall high quality of Korean filmmaking, there is the potential for more international success (though probably not on the level of “Parasite”).
Korea has a strong movie going culture and people enjoy socializing outside of the home. Movie theaters are popular for the same reasons that cafes are so popular in Korea: it's part of the social life. And there is a huge backlog of high quality films that are waiting to be released in theaters as soon as the pandemic is over. I think this summer, theaters will be full to bursting.
Q: What do you think about the Netflix factor on Korean cinema? Is it bad for all players in the film industry?
A: Up until the pandemic, Korea had a very strong theatrical market for film. In 2019, Koreans bought more movie tickets per capita than anywhere else in the world. So local film studios could still compete with Netflix on an even footing. But of course the pandemic decimated the theatrical market in 2020 and therefore completely changed the power relationships in the film industry. The big question is, will the balance of power return to its old levels after the pandemic is over? I'm sure Netflix will continue to gain power but my feeling is that the big Korean film studios will also recover to a great extent after people return to theaters.
As for Korean independent filmmakers, they have a different distribution model and so they're not really competing as directly with Netflix. It's also true that to date, Netflix has not shown much interest in producing or acquiring many low-budget Korean independent films.
Q: Walt Disney announced in December that they will launch Disney Plus in Korea, Eastern Europe and Hong Kong in 2021. Do you think Netflix will suffer the consequences? What about Korean film studios and independent filmmakers?
A: Disney Plus obviously has an incredible lineup of content, so I expect it will be very successful in Korea as it has in the U.S. This will put more pressure on Netflix to produce strong original content, because that is what will keep people subscribed to their services. This may provide more opportunities for filmmakers, actually, but it will certainly be very expensive for Netflix. As for Korean film studios, if there is more competition in the OTT market in general, that could drive up prices and help them to earn a bit more revenue.
Q: Hallyu as a cultural phenomenon is unique in that it initially began in Japan in the early 2000s with the popularity of Korean dramas. Then Asian viewers' attention shifted to K-pop, which later created a global sensation with the rise of BTS. Korean cinema drew attention afterwards. Was there any case similar to hallyu in which the popularity of one pop culture area has sparked overseas fans' interest in other cultural content of the same country?
A: It may not be quite on the same level, but I think Japanese popular culture produced a similar sort of dynamic in the 1990s. In some other parts of Asia, especially Taiwan or Hong Kong, interest in all kinds of Japanese pop culture was quite strong. In the U.S. I met many people who were avid fans of Japanese animation and who actively tried to learn more about Japanese culture. Japanese pop culture was banned in Korea in the 1990s, so I'm not sure how well people remember it here. But Japanese anime, manga, Hello Kitty, pop music, TV dramas, etc. did make an impact in many countries. I think the difference with hallyu is that fan engagement with Korean pop culture is much more intense, thanks to the internet.
Q: What do you think about the role of the government in hallyu? Do you think the government's intervention in pop culture will inevitably create a backlash?
A: Sometimes it's a mistake for governments to directly invest in content because it can skew markets in unhelpful ways. But we can make exceptions for alternative content like independent/arthouse films which struggle to compete with mainstream films. This kind of investment can help content to become more diverse, which usually makes cultural industries more successful in the long term. The other kind of government support that can be quite effective is to help create a more favorable environment for content. For example, promoting film culture, giving filmmakers access to more training, helping to educate the populace about cinema, supporting film festivals that introduce audiences to a wider range of films, etc.