Summer zombie blockbuster 'Peninsula' sold to 185 overseas markets "Peninsula," the sequel to director Yeon Sang-ho's 2016 zombie blockbuster "Train to Busan," has been sold to over 180 overseas markets, according to its distributor on Tuesday.The film, set to hit the South Korean box office on July 15, was sold to 185 nations and territories, including Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Britain, France and Italy, according to NEW.The movie was also picked up for major markets in North and South America, Central Asia and the Middle East. "Peninsula" surpassed its prequel in terms of the number of markets it has been sold to. "Train to Busan," the highest-grossing film in South Korea in 2016, was purchased in 160 nations and territories.The film will hit Taiwanese and Hong Kong cinemas on the same day of the South Korean release. The Malaysian box office release will come the following day, on July 16.Starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, "Peninsula" tells a tale of survivors on the zombie-infested Korean peninsula four years after the events in "Train to Busan." It follows protagonist Jung-suk, who escaped the Korean Peninsula after the events from four yJun 30, 2020
Zombie thriller '#Alive' survives pandemic Yoo Ah-in in a scene from the film “#Alive” / Courtesy of Lotte EntertainmentFilm surpasses 1 million ticket salesBy Kwak Yeon-sooNew zombie-survival thriller “#Alive” has surpassed 1 million ticket sales within five days of its opening, becoming the first film to achieve such a feat since political comedy “Honest Candidate” in February.The film debuted at No.1 upon its June 24 premiere, and posted the highest opening weekend box office sales in five months since the COVID-19 outbreak.According to Korean Film Council (KOFIC), “#Alive” drew over 200,000 moviegoers on its opening day. This marks the highest opening day score a film has enjoyed since political thriller “The Man Standing Next” sold 252,058 tickets on Jan. 22.The box office record came despite the COVID-19 pandemic which has shown little sign of abating since the first case was reported here in January.The KOFIC data showed that the film attracted 702,968 moviegoers over the June 26-28 period, followed distantly by “Innocence” with 98,176 and “OJun 29, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
'#Alive' posts highest weekend box office in 5 months #Alive stars Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye. Courtesy of Lotte CultureworksThe new zombie thriller "#Alive" posted the highest weekend box office total in five months since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday.According to the data by the Korean Film Council, "#Alive" attracted 702,000 moviegoers over the Friday-Sunday period, far outnumbering runner-up "Innocence" with 98,000 and No. 3 "Onward" with 87,000.It is the highest box office recorded by a single flick during a weekend since the drama "The Man Standing Next" sold 2.01 million tickets from Jan. 24-26, the Lunar New Year holiday.Thanks to the strong weekend rally, "#Alive" topped 1 million admissions on Sunday, the fifth day of its run. It became the first film to achieve the feat since the homegrown comedy "Honest Candidate" in February.Directed by Cho Il-hyung, known as Il Cho abroad, the new film starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye is a story about two survivors isolated in an apartment complex infected by a mysterious virus.The South Korean film industry has been struggling with a sharp drop inJun 29, 2020
Zombie-thriller '#Alive' runs hot, but many viewers unimpressed “#Alive,” stars Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye. Courtesy of Lotte CultureworksBy Lee Gyu-leeThe zombie-apocalypse, thriller film “#Alive” is dominating the local box office amid the COVID-led void in theaters, yet not all viewers agree that it deserves its position. Since its release on June 24, the blockbuster, starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, has been on top of the box office, with more than 800,000 tickets sold until Saturday. However, the film has received a growing number of negative reviews and low ratings from audiences. “There's no plot in this … I seriously wonder what the actors saw in this when deciding to take their roles,” a user wrote on Naver Movie. Another wrote: “The story was quite simple compared to the performances of the actors. No explanation of how the virus was spread, nor any backgrounds. There were a lot of blanks that needed to be filled in.”Directed by Cho Il-hyung, the film follows two protagonists ― Yoo and Park ― isolated in a zombie-hit apartment complex. The two team up to survive and escape theJun 28, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee
Eight women accuse Colombian director Ciro Guerra of sexual harassment, Colombian director Ciro Guerra. YahooEight women accused Colombian director Ciro Guerra ― known for his film "Embrace of the Serpent" ― of sexual harassment and assault in an article published Wednesday. Seven women said the 39-year-old filmmaker sexually harassed them, while an eighth said she had been sexually assaulted by Guerra, all between 2013 and 2019 in various cities in Colombia, France, Germany, the US and Mexico, according to the Volcanicas magazine. The accusers chose not to reveal their identities "to avoid backlash." According to their accounts, Guerra engaged the women in "uncomfortable sexual conversations" and invited them back to his apartment or hotel. He "forcefully touched them sexually, kissed them and, in one case, committed sexual abuse, even as they clearly, directly and repeatedly told him 'no'", the magazine said. Guerra denied the accusations and said he would seek to clear his name through the legal system. "I offer my apologies to everyone who has been affected, to everyone who has had to read these horrors, lies and malicious words," he said in a statemJun 26, 2020
Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet' again delays big summer release John David Washington in a scene from “Tenet”With reported cases of the coronavirus surging, Warner Bros. on Thursday postponed the release of Christopher Nolan's “Tenet,” further delaying Hollywood's summer kickoff.The sci-fi thriller starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson will move from July 31 to Aug. 12, a Wednesday. In a statement, the studio stressed the need for flexibility. “We are choosing to open the movie mid-week to allow audiences to discover the film in their own time, and we plan to play longer, over an extended play period far beyond the norm, to develop a very different yet successful release strategy,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said in a statement.Movie theaters had been pinning their hopes on the film as a major July release that could bring audiences back to theaters. Warner Bros. had planned to re-release Nolan's 2010 blockbuster “Inception” in early July as a way to lead in to “Tenet.” “Inception” will now open on July 31, the studio said.Movie theater chains had planned the wJun 26, 2020
Movie ticket sales jump following KOFIC's campaign Ticket sales at movie theaters increased by about 37 percent in June compared with the previous month. Korea Times fileBy Lee Gyu-leeMovie theater ticket sales in June have increased by about 37 percent compared to May, following the Korea Film Council's campaign to help revive the virus-hit film industry. According to the council's data, about 2.5 million tickets have been sold this month, whereas sales in May were about 1.5 million. The June number is the highest since March. The council has been providing a 60 percent ticket subsidy under the “See it again at a theater” campaign, lowering the cost to 6,000 won for consumers. The campaign started in June and offers the discount price from Thursday to Sunday.Sales during the first three days of the campaign topped 490,000 tickets, about 110 percent higher than the previous week. The campaign was originally planned to run until June 21, but the council extended it a week. “As various films ― from local to animation ― are expected to open in theaters, we hope the last week of the campaign will be as effective,”Jun 25, 2020By Lee Gyu-lee
Zombie flick '#ALIVE' sells more than 200,000 tickets on opening day Zombie thriller “#ALIVE” attracted over 200,000 filmgoers on its release day, June 24. Courtesy of Lotte CultureworksBy Dong Sun-hwaZombie flick “#ALIVE,” starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, drew more than 200,000 moviegoers on its release day, June 24. The movie sold 204,071 tickets on the day, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Thursday, recording the most number of daily filmgoers since February. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of moviegoers in Korea has been plummeting, with numerous films ― including “The Closet” ― garnering fewer than 100,000 people on the first day of release.“#ALIVE recorded revenue of $1.1 million as of its opening day,” Spackman Entertainment Group said Thursday. The flick's producer Zip Cinema is Spackman's indirect wholly owned subsidiary. The zombie thriller also became this year's second-placed movie in terms of audience on release day. The thriller “The Man Standing Next,” which attracted 252,028 people, is in first place. It premiered on Jan. 22. #ALIVE revolves around pJun 25, 2020By Dong Sun-hwa
INTERVIEW Film explores families torn apart by Korean War Filmmaker Kim Lyang poses for a photo before an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, June 17. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwak Yeon-sooIt was not until she turned 30 that director Kim Lyang began to pay much attention to her father's life. Before then, she was fairly indifferent toward her father Ju-young, who spent much of his time at home drinking and lamenting that he would never be able to see his relatives in North Korea again.Kim Ju-young was born in the seaside village of Dancheon-gun, South Hamgyeong Province in North Korea in 1932 during the Japanese occupation and then settled down in Busan after the Korean War.He believed he would be able to return to his hometown eventually, but this belief was crushed when the truce line was drawn. He was among the tens of thousands of Koreans whose families were separated during the war.He settled down and started a family in South Korea, but was consistently framed as “white,” a term that was used to refer to anti-communist prisoners of war or a person “whose ideology was discolorJun 25, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
INTERVIEW French filmmaker zooms in on turbulent inter-Korean relations Filmmaker Pierre-Olivier Francois is seen shooting a documentary in the coastal town of Wonsan, North Korea, in 2016. Courtesy of M. LeLidecBy Kwak Yeon-sooFilmmaker Pierre-Olivier Francois, 49, first visited South Korea in 2000 as a broadcast journalist to do follow-up stories on the 2000 inter-Korean summit. His personal ties with South Korea date back to as far as 1981 when his parents adopted his brother from the country, and deepened in 1983 when they adopted his sister. However, he knew very little about the country before his first trip to Seoul.The director remembers being stunned by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's polite manner toward South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, cracking jokes and expressing his willingness to move toward a common future. Filmmaker Pierre-Olivier Francois / Courtesy of Pierre-Olivier FrancoisFrancois was also surprised when his interpreter in Seoul told him that she had thought North Koreans would have red horns on their heads until she saw Kim Jong-il on TV.All of this triggered his interest in the Korean Peninsula and its incredible, tragic histJun 25, 2020By Kwak Yeon-soo
