'Parasite' best ticket-selling S. Korean movie in Vietnam of all time ParasiteParasite," which won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes, became the highest-grossing South Korean movie shown in Vietnam of all time, its distribution company said Thursday.The comic satire directed by Bong Joon-ho surpassed $1.95 million in ticket sales in Vietnam as of Monday in the first 11 days of its run, according to CJ Entertainment.It outnumbered the former record of $1.86 million set by "Train to Busan" in 2016.Released on June 21, "Parasite" topped the Vietnamese box office in the first week and was in second place after Walt Disney's animated film "Toy Story 4" in the following week, CJ Entertainment said."Parasite," which became the first South Korean film to win the Cannes' highest prize, has attracted more than 9.6 million viewers in South Korea. (Yonhap)Jul 4, 2019
Korean cinema celebrates 100th year anniversary Caption: Poster for the committee specially formed by the Korean Film Council to promote the 100th anniversary of the Korean film industry. Courtesy of KOFICBy Lee Gyu-leeThe Korean Film Council (KOFIC) released an official trailer summarizing the 100 years of the Korean film industry, Monday, as this year marks the centennial of Korean cinema's birth.In celebration of this anniversary, the council announced plans in April to organize a series of promotions and festivals throughout the year with a specially formed committee under the name “Korean Film 100 Years.”The trailer starts in black and white with the sound of an old film projector running, featuring the voice of veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki, the committee's public relations head. As the screen zooms in behind actress Kim Tae-ri, it widens and changes to color to reflect the development of filmmaking technology. “We have passed through 100 years of the past towards the next 100 years of the future,” Ahn narrates in the clip. The history of Korean cinema began in 1919 with the very first domestic film &ldquJul 3, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
Spiderman 'saves' sick children in Seoul Spiderman Tom Holland visits patients in the children's hospital of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno District, Monday. Seoul National University Hospital's FacebookBy Ko Dong-hwanWhen Spiderman started his Seoul promotional tour on June 29, he kept one mission secret from the Korean press and public ― a visit to cheer up sick children at Seoul National University Hospital. British actor Tom Holland, who gives life to the Marvel Comics hero, paid the surprise visit to the children's hospital inside the large medical compound in Jongno District on Monday. He was almost fully in character ― wearing the tight Spiderman outfit and pretending to shoot webs from his wrists ― but he did not wear the mask.As part of hospital infection-control etiquette, he donned a face mask and covers for his feet. Even more surprised than the children were their parents and hospital employees who crowded near him and took selfies with the star, 23.He toured all eight wards, two on each floor, meeting children in hallways and even entering patients' rooms to meet those who could not get out of beJul 2, 2019By Ko Dong-hwan
2 Disney films dominate local box office Poster for Aladdin, left, and Toy Story 4. The two Disney films have topped the domestic box office charts over the weekend. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company KoreaBy Lee Gyu-leeTwo Walt Disney films ― “Aladdin” and “Toy Story 4” ― have swept the domestic box office charts, creating a Disney sensation among moviegoers. Aladdin was number one at the box office in terms of ticket sales over the past weekend with sales of over 900,000, followed by Toy Story 4 with more than 700,000.The live-action reboot of Disney's 1992 hit animation Aladdin, premiered on May 23, has remained on top of the charts since last week. As of Sunday, the fantasy musical movie's 8.27 million admissions amounted to a domestic box-office gross of 70.6 billion won ($61 million). Directed by Guy Ritchie, the live version of the animated film has boosted its quality with realistic computer graphics and strong performances from the main characters singing the famous songs of the original, such as “A whole new world” and “Prince Ali.”A “Sing-along” version of Jul 2, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
PHOTOS Age-defying beauty of Kim Hye-soo Actress Kim Hye-soo, 50, stands next to her giant portrait at an event celebrating the special screening of 10 movies featuring her at the 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan), Friday. The event, “Gorgeous, Charming, Dangerous, Kim Hye Soo,” will continue through July 7. Kim debuted in 1986 in “Ghambo.” She has starred in numerous movies and TV dramas and is one South Korea's most famous actresses. YonhapYonhapYonhapYonhapYonhapJun 29, 2019
'EXIT' tells of hilarious escape from city engulfed by toxic gas Yoona, left, and Jo Jung-suk, co-stars of disaster action film “EXIT,” demonstrate the same pose they did for the film's poster during a press conference for the film at a local theater in southern Seoul, Thursday./ YonhapBy Park Jin-haiBlockbuster disaster films targeting the peak summer season mostly focus on the tragic, life-threatening moments. However, director Lee Sang-geun's new disaster action film “EXIT” says he strived to inject humor into the genre, allowing audiences to enjoy amusing scenes along with the human moments. Jo Jung-suk, lead actor co-starring with Yoona of Girls' Generation, said the film has it all ― hilariously funny moments, white-knuckle action and tear-jerking scenes. Jo takes on the role of a young unemployed man called Yong-nam, who used to be an excellent climber in his college climbing club. The film revolves around him and his former college climbing club friend Eui-joo, played by Yoona, when their reunion gets interrupted by a mysterious toxic gas that has engulfed the entire city. “The film started from the question oJun 28, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Park Seo-joon breaks out of typical rom-com character mold Actor Park Seo-joon after the news conference for his new film at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin, Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Gyu-leePark Seo-joon often plays a typical “pretty boy,” stealing girls' hearts with his flawless skin and charming smile. That has seen him cast as a wealthy and successful businessman sporting a luxurious suit in TV dramas “What's Wrong with Secretary Kim” and “She Was Pretty.” The poster for “The Divine Fury.” Courtesy of 1st LookBut in his new movie “The Divine Fury,” Park makes a big departure, playing a dark character. “I almost always have played a positive and funny character, so a completely different character was something that I've always wanted to try,” Park said at a news conference at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin, Seoul, Wednesday. The movie is about a priest sent from the Vatican and a pro fighter who team up to exorcise evil. Park plays mixed martial arts champion Yong-hoo who gets supernatural powers for an inexplicable reason. His character is filled with bitterness and doubt fJun 27, 2019By Lee Gyu-lee
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival opens Thursday Official poster for the 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film FestivalSouth Korea's largest annual genre film festival will open late Thursday in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, featuring 288 movies from 49 countries.The 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) will run from June 27 to July 7 under the motto "Love, Fantasy and Adventure," with special attention to science fiction flicks.One of its official posters is inspired by the 1982 sci-fi film "Blade Runner" by Ridley Scott, which is set in a dystopian city in 2019.Audiences can check out Godzilla, Gamera and other monster movies in the "Robots: Future Beyond the Human Race" program, where classic films featuring robots like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" will be shown.Moreover, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Korean film industry, the festival will screen 13 Korean genre movies, including musical, sci-fi, horror and monster films, under the title "A Crazy Chronicle of Korean Genre Cinema." It features a range of films from the 1949 musical "The Blue Hill" to the 2003 mystery horror "A TaleJun 27, 2019
Korean titles to vie with Disney blockbusters in summer peak season AladdinThe sweeping arrival of Disney blockbusters this summer is expected to make the lucrative summer cinema scene unusually chancy for a group of Korean films on their way to hit the big screen.Summer has traditionally been the busiest season of the year for the Korean film industry, when the most number of tentpoles get released.This summer, however, is expected to be unconventionally trying for Korean titles in the face of several Disney films that are almost certain to crowd the summer cinema scene here.This early summer, the box office is already being dominated by "Aladdin," a musical fantasy film by Walt Disney Pictures, which topped 7 million admissions Tuesday in one month since its release. As of Tuesday, the movie starring Will Smith was the box-office No. 1. No. 2 went to "Toy Story 4," another Disney animation film, which was released a week earlier.Disney's box-office domination is likely to pick up further traction with the release on July 17 of "The Lion King," a musical drama film and a photorealistic computer-animated remake of the 1994 Disney animation film of thJun 26, 2019
Korean films ready for summer blockbuster season Song Kang-ho is seen in the upcoming film "The King's Letters." / Courtesy of MegaboxBy Park Jin-haiUpcoming Korean films are fully loaded with diverse genres and star casts, targeting audiences for the summer peak season.From classic period dramas and disaster movies to films about the occult and thrillers, Korean films hiring veteran actors and rising stars will vie fiercely for viewers' attention in the most lucrative season of the year. Traditionally, cinema admissions tallied between July and August amount to 50 million, or approximately one quarter of the annual total. During the period between late July and late August, in particular, when most students and workers are on summer vacation, local movie theaters see 35 million tickets sold.It is a boon for movie fans, fatigued with a lack of diversity in Korean films. Veteran actor Song Kang-ho, the star of award-winning film “Parasite,” will return as King Sejong, or Sejong the Great, in the upcoming period film “The King's Letters.” The film will feature the last eight years of the fourth king of the 139Jun 23, 2019By Park Jin-hai
