Value context and insight. lkm@koreatimes.co.kr
Seoul is great place for film PR
By Lee Kyung-min
By Lee Kyung-min
Many Hollywood big-budget-movies have their premier in Korea.
Megastars come to the country to meet the fans and hold their hands.
Robert Downey Jr. of Iron Man 3 was one of them.
He came here April 3. before the opening on April 25.
He specifically asked that Seoul be the first place to start off the opening of his movie, he said in an interview.
Why is Korea one of their first choices?
Wise _ moneywise that is _ movie productions have it calculated already.
They are gunning for word-of-mouth effect.
“It is important to catch viewers’ attention at the beginning of the opening. Words spread fast. Especially so in Korea,” said Shin Dong-hyuk, a representative from Sony Pictures Korea.
“Koreans are very much interested in movies, considering its small population,” he added.
The director of the movie, Independence day, Roland Emmerich, said in an interview last February that if the movie production sees it fit, they do whatever it takes.
“To draw attention from the public, who are viable moviegoers in their opinion, the production team schedules it accordingly,” Emmerich said.
He plans on casting an Asian if it’s needed although he said he can’t say it for sure.
“Asians take up considerable portion of the world population and are within our marketing target range,” he added.