'Frozen 2' faces anti-trust investigation in Korea A South Korean non-governmental organization has lodged a complaint against the Korean unit of Walt Disney, claiming its latest animated film, "Frozen 2," violated the antitrust act by occupying up to 88 percent of domestic movie screens.The movie topped the box office over the weekend again, drawing about 2.15 million viewers, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It has sold about 8.58 million tickets since its opening on Nov. 21.On Sunday the Public Welfare Committee (PWC), a civic group, filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, requesting a probe into Walt Disney Company Korea's suspected monopoly of the domestic movie market."On Nov. 23, 'Frozen 2' had an 88-percent share of all screens and 16,220 showings, breaking the record set by 'Avengers: Endgame' in the number of showings in the history of the Korean cinema," the group said in the complaint."This is a case of one business occupying more than 50 percent of the market and constitutes a violation of the antitrust law," it added.The group said Disney intended to garner huge profits in a Dec 2, 2019
Brazil's president criticizes DiCaprio over Amazon fires Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends the 3rd National Control Forum seminar in Brasilia, Brazil Nov. 28, 2019. Reuters-YonhapWithout offering proof, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday said actor Leonardo DiCaprio had funded nonprofit groups that he claimed are partly responsible for fires in the Amazon this year.Bolsonaro's remarks about the actor were part of a wider government campaign against environmental nonprofit groups operating in Brazil.``DiCaprio is a cool guy, isn't he? Giving money to set the Amazon on fire,'' the president said to supporters in Brasilia.DiCaprio's environmental organization Earth Alliance has pledged $5 million to help protect the Amazon after a surge in fires destroyed large parts of the rainforest in July and August.The actor's press representative did not immediately comment on Bolsonaro's remarks.Some members of Bolsonaro's administration argue that civil society groups and environmental laws hinder economic development in the region.Bolsonaro and Environment Minister Ricardo Salles are promoting development in some protected natural aDec 1, 2019
Polanski cancels visit to Polish film school Roman Polanski. ReutersDirector Roman Polanski cancelled a visit planned for Saturday to a film school in his native Poland after students objected to his presence because of rape allegations against him."At the request of Roman Polanski, the meeting at the cinema school in Lodz, which was to take place on Saturday November 30, has been cancelled," the school said in a brief statement.The 86-year-old French-Polish director was at the Cinergia European Cinema Forum in Lodz on Friday where he received a "rebellious filmmaker" award. His latest film "An Officer and a Spy" was also screened.At Friday's event, school director Mariusz Grzegorzek had said "99 percent of the students are awaiting his visit".The school, once attended by Polanski, earlier had rejected as "inappropriate" an online calling for his visit to be cancelled. The appeal, which had been signed by 116 people as of Thursday, cited "at least five accusations" against him.The filmmaker pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in California in 1977, in a plea deal after he was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl.But he Dec 1, 2019
Film 'Fukuoka' searches different shapes of love, history Official poster for film “Fukuoka”By Jung Hae-myoung “Fukuoka,” a film directed by Zhang Lu, crosses over the border of nationality, reality and dream. The story blurs the boundaries between two realities, some of which may confuse audiences, but that is the whole point of what Lu aims to deliver. The film starts with two main characters, So-dam (played by Park So-dam) and Jea-moon (played by Yoon Jea-moon). Jea-moon runs an old bookstore in Korea and is having a boring day until So-dam suggests they go to Fukuoka in Japan. Jea-moon meets Hae-hyo who runs a bar there. They have not seen each other for over 20 years because of a girl called Soon they both liked. They growl at each other again like they had in the past, but they start to become friends again after talking for days, and with help of So-dam who plays a bridge between them to communicate. This seemingly realistic film adds fantasy through incomprehensible incidents. In the film, Hae-hyo meets an old man who died two years ago, and So-dam understands Japanese and Chinese while speaking in Korean. ThNov 29, 2019
Crew amazed at 'Frozen' craze in Korea From left to right, director Chris Buck, supervisor Lee Hyun-min, director Jennifer Lee, and producer Peter Del Vecho pose for pictures at the press conference for Frozen 2 held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Seoul, Monday./ YonhapBy Jung Hae-myoung “Frozen 2” became a global box office hit as soon as it was released last week, following the phenomenal success of the original. The production crew rejoiced at the news.“It's incredible to see the response,” Chris Buck, a co-director of the film, said during a news conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Monday. “We use the word 'overwhelming' a lot. It don't know how else to explain it and it is very humbling.”Buck arrived in Seoul with other crew members ― director Jennifer Lee, producer Peter Del Vecho and Lee Hyun-min, a supervisor for the creation of Anna's character, days after the animated movie hit local theaters Thursday. “Frozen 2” easily conquered the local box office, continuing Korea's Frozen craze. The crew said they were overwhelmed. Director Jennifer Lee spoke of a stronNov 26, 2019
'Frozen 2' tops 4 million ticket sales in four days “Frozen 2.” Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaThe Walt Disney animation film "Frozen 2" has topped 4 million ticket sales within four days since its release in South Korea, data showed Sunday. "Frozen 2" sold 1,661,967 tickets on Saturday alone after it was released here last Thursday to top Korean box office sales, according to Korean Film Council data Saturday sales were only 502 tickets less than the highest local one-day record of 1,662,469 set by "Avengers: Endgame" on April 28. Since release day, when 606,816 ticket sales were registered, "Frozen 2" has sold more than 4 million tickets as of early Sunday afternoon, less than four days since its release, according to the data. As of Saturday, the film dominated 2,642 local movie screens, screening 16,220 times on the day. This means slightly more than 73 out of every 100 films screened on Saturday were "Frozen 2."Meanwhile, the overwhelming domination of local screens by "Frozen 2" is rekindling a local controversy over blockbuster titles' screen domination after the latest "Avengers" film with a corresponding domNov 24, 2019
'Parasite' sweeps Blue Dragon Awards Actress Lee Jeong-un waves as she enters Paradise City Hotel in Incheon Thursday for the 40th Blue Dragon Awards. She received the Best Supporting Actress Award there for her role in “Parasite.” / YonhapBy Kang Hyun-kyungDirector Bong Joon-ho's “Parasite” dominated the 40th Blue Dragon Awards on Thursday at Paradise City Hotel in the port city of Incheon. “Parasite,” which won the top prize Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival earlier this year, was nominated in 11 categories out of 12 and won five awards ― for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Art. Director Bong was euphoric in an acceptance speech after winning the Best Director Award.“This is my first time winning the best director award at the Blue Dragon Awards,” he said. “I feel like I stand in the way of other talented directors who were nominated in this category because all of them are younger than I am. But, please forgive me taking this honor this time because it is one I've wanted to win for a long time.”BNov 22, 2019By Kang Hyun-kyung
Disney's 'Frozen 2' sets pre-release sales record A scene from Walt Disney's film “Frozen 2.” Korea Times fileBy Cho Hae-minHighly anticipated Walt Disney animation sequel “Frozen 2” opens in Korean theaters on Thursday and record advance sales indicate the film will dominate the box office. According to data collected by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the film accounted for 92.6 percent of the nation's movie seat reservations, with more than 1.1 million booked as of 6 a.m. Thursday.This makes “Frozen 2” the first animated film to sell over 1.1 million seats pre-release in Korea.“Frozen 2,” which comes six years after the original film, is about the adventures of Elsa the snow queen and her sister Anna to reveal the mysteries surrounding Elsa's magical powers.Nov 21, 2019
Crime drama 'Black Money' hits local box office and storms to top The white-collar crime movie “Black Money,” left, has topped the local box office for seven consecutive days since its premiere on Nov. 13. Action film “The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful” took the second spot for this week's chart. Courtesy of Acemaker Movie Works and CJ Entertainment By Lee Gyu-leeWhite-collar crime film “Black Money” conquered the local box office on the day it premiered on Nov. 13 and has since been going strong for a week. The film saw about 1.28 million ticket sales in a week with 10.9 billion won ($9 million) grossing, as of Tuesday.Directed by Chung Ji-young, who is known for films based on true stories, this film revolves around Prosecutor Yang Min-hyeok (Cho Jin-woong) who gets falsely accused of sexually harassing a key witness in a financial case. As he works to clear his name, he discovers the truth behind the case and the involvement of prominent political figures. The film is based on the financial scandal that occurred back in the earlyNov 20, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
'Frozen 2' explores world of unknown A scene from Frozen 2 / Courtesy of Walt Disney KoreaBy Jung Hae-myoung Sequels that come after hugely successful first movies can easily fall victim to high expectations. Fans' anticipation of the follow-up film serve as pressure, rather than encouragement, for the filmmaker as well as the cast. It is no wonder pressure runs high for those who are involved in Walt Disney's “Frozen” sequel. Frozen's immense popularity could not be ignored, with “Let It Go” sung by Elsa (Idina Menzel) becoming a hit that was played endlessly in public spaces in Korea.Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez, the two composers of “Let It Go,” came up with “Into the Unknown” for the second movie but the song doesn't seem appealing enough to match the popularity of the original mega hit. Although some songs were hummable with catchy tunes, it is doubtful that the success of the second film will be as sensational as the first one. “Frozen 2” delves deeper into Elsa's identity with the help of her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell). Elsa, now the queen, starts toNov 19, 2019
