'Parasite' sweeps local box office People buy tickets for the award-winning movie “Parasite” directed by Bong Joon-ho at a ticket kiosk in a theater in Seoul, Thursday. Nearly 570,000 tickets were sold for the film's premiere here. YonhapBy Park Jin-haiKorean auteur Bong Joon-ho's Cannes Film Festival award-winning movie “Parasite” swept the local box office on its opening day Thursday. Fanned by its Palme d'Or crown and moviegoers' high expectations for the director, “Parasite” attracted ab audience of almost 570,000 on its opening day, easily surpassing that of runner-up “Aladdin” with 74,000, according to data from the Korean Film Council. Given the real-time reservation rate for the film on its second day remains at 70 percent, and that audiences have left mostly positive reviews, the local industry is expecting “Parasite” to become a box office hit. The reservation rate is similar to that of “Train to Busan” and “Along with the Gods,” smash box office hits that accrued more than 10 million viewers. Bong's tragicomedy is about two May 31, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Cannes-winning 'Parasite' opens strong in Korean box office The poster for director Bong Joon-ho's new movie “Parasite.” YonhapCannes-winning "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho, took off with unstoppable momentum and topped the local box office on the first day of its release.The family satire attracted some 568,000 viewers on Thursday, sharply outnumbering the runner-up, Disney's live-action film "Aladdin," with 74,000, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It showed on 1,783 local screens, with 8,263 viewings on the day.The film, starring Song Kang-ho, is expected to hit a cumulative total of 1 million on Friday as it posted more than 520,000 pre-sold tickets as of 8:30 a.m. The number accounts for 69.5 percent of all tickets reserved.Along with the prestigious title of being the first South Korean movie to clinch the Cannes' highest award, the Palme d'Or, "Parasite" seems to appeal to Korean viewers with its unexpected plot and a mixture of suspense, horror and humor."Parasite," Bong's seventh feature film, revolves around the poor family of Ki-taek who live in a squalid, grubby basement. They become involved in a sMay 31, 2019
Apink singer's screams pay off in horror film '0.0MHz' Long-haired Jung Eun-ji stars in "0.0MHz" as the heroine. Photo from NaverBy Ko Dong-hwanK-pop vocal talent Jung Eun-ji from girl band Apink has proved her versatility with her latest role ― her first on the big screen.Jung stars in the Korean horror flick “0.0MHz” that premiered on Wednesday, winning rave reviews for her film debut.The talented singer-songwriter had her acting debut in the 2012 hit TV drama “Reply 1997.” Since then, she has kept herself busy with other small screen projects and stage musicals.In her first film work, she plays one of five student mystery explorers who attempt to prove the existence of a ghost using radio frequency-based technology. The movie's trailers showed her and her crew encountering a “hairy” ghost at an abandoned house in the remote small town of Uha-ri, in the North Gyeongsang Province city of Sangju, becoming the ghost's host.Jung Eun-ji from the theatrical poster for "0.0MHz." Photo from NaverOnline comments praised Jung's performance, saying it “offsets the film's CG quality equivalent to a low-budMay 30, 2019By Ko Dong-hwan
Body odor class gap guided Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' Director tells of Palme d'Or winning film, personaBy Park Jin-haiBong Joon-ho. YonhapDirector Bong Joon-ho, who won Cannes' top prize with “Parasite,” has said more about his film and actor Song Kang-ho, whom he calls his “persona.”His tragicomedy, telling the story of two families of extremely different social backgrounds, one poor and one wealthy, allowed him to become the first Korean director to win the Palme d'Or last Saturday. Mentioning that the widening rich-poor gap is a worldwide issue these days, Bong said he wanted to evade the typical way of depicting the two different social classes. “It is a very familiar scene where those poor and righteous people with great a cause join forces to fight against those vile, greedy and violent rich people. But I don't think this reflects the reality,” the director said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. “I wanted to feature the class gap in a more delicate and multi-layered manner. So the rich family couple has been depicted as well-mannered, elegant and naivMay 29, 2019By Park Jin-hai
PHOTOS D-1: 'Parasite' set to excite Korean moviegoers The poster for “Parasite” is displayed at the ticket kiosk of a Seoul movie theater on May 26. YonhapBy Park Si-soo The domestic release of award-winning film “Parasite” is only a day away and more than 330,000 impatient moviegoers have bought tickets for the dark comedy of director Bong Joon-ho that won the top prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It is a rare pre-release frenzy for a Korean movie, particularly when Hollywood blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame” and Disney animation “Aladdin” are sweeping the market. Many experts say the movie's domestic success is already a “done deal” and the question is how far it will go. “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” (2014) is the highest-grossing Korean movie, attracting 17.6 million moviegoers here. Second is “Extreme Job” (2019) with 16.2 million, followed by “Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds” (2017) with 14.4 million. The rosy outlook for “Parasite” has seen the stock prices of the film's producer Barunson E&A and distributor CMay 29, 2019
Bong Joon-ho: 1st Korean winner of Cannes' top prize Director Bong Joon-ho, holding Cannes Palme d'Or award, reacts after winning the top prize for his latest film “Parasite” during the closing ceremony of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in southern France, Saturday night. The director became the first Korean director to bring home the top prize at the world's most prestigious film festival. / Courtesy of Reuters-YonhapDirector becomes first Korean director to bring home top prize from CannesBy Park Jin-haiKorean auteur Bong Joon-ho won the Palme d'Or, with his black comedy “Parasite” at Cannes Film Festival in France, Saturday night. With that feat, Bong became the first Korean director to win the top prize at the world's most prestigious film festival, with a unanimous decision by its jury members. It was the second time for the 49-year-old director competing for the Palme d'Or award; his previous was with the 2017 film “Okja.” “I'm sorry I didn't prepare this speech in French, but I didn't expect to win the Palme d'Or. I am truly honored. I've always been inspired by French cinema. I'd like toMay 26, 2019By Park Jin-hai
PHOTOS Director Bong Joon-ho wins Cannes' top prize with 'Parasite' South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho (L) reacts on stage next to French actress Catherine Deneuve after he was awarded with the Palme d'Or for the film "Parasite (Gisaengchung)" on May 25, 2019 during the closing ceremony of the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP)South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's raucous social satire ``Parasite,'' about a poor family of hustlers who find jobs with a wealthy family, won the Cannes Film Festival's top award, the Palme d'Or, on Saturday. The win for ``Parasite'' marks the first Korean film to ever win the Palme. In the festival's closing ceremony, jury president Alejandro Inarritu said the choice had been ``unanimous'' for the nine-person jury. The genre-mixing film, Bong's seventh, had arguably been celebrated more than others at Cannes this year, hailed by critics as the best yet from the 49-year-old director of ``Snowpiercer'' and ``Okja.'' ``It's the 100th anniversary of the cinema in Korea this year. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Korean cinema, I think the Cannes Film May 26, 2019
Netflix isn't absent at Cannes. It's everywhere Martin Sheen, from left, Howard J. Morris, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston and Jane Fonda arrive at the "Grace and Frankie" FYC event at the Netflix FYSEE at the Raleigh Studios on May 18 in Los Angeles. APIf you're going to earnestly shout ``Vive le cinema!'' the Cannes Film Festival is the place to do it. That's what Quentin Tarantino declared from atop Cannes' red-carpet stairs on his way into the premiere of ``Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,'' his affectionate ode to the movie industry. The movie, aglow with nostalgia for the halcyon days of 1969 and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, encapsulates what's now almost extinct in Hollywood: a big-budget, movie star-led original epic. It's Tarantino's widescreen retort to anyone who would argue movies are diminished in the age of streaming. And nowhere is the art of movies more celebrated, and taken seriously, than Cannes. ``Vive le cinema!'' is more or less the festival's ethos and rallying cry. Along with the rise of streaming, Cannes has increasingly had the pitch of a battle field, one where differing visions for the soul ofMay 24, 2019
Director Lee Jang-ho looks back on Korea's motion picture history This miniature set replicates the shooting site of Lee Chang-dong's “Secret Sunshine” (2007) at Korea Film Museum in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-haiBy Park Jin-haiBack in 1919, the March 1 uprising against Japan's brutal colonial rule of Korea swept the entire nation and over 2 million people took to the streets, calling for Korea's independence.There is another key historic event that celebrates its centennial this year but it has been in the shadow of the national resistance movement. Korea's motion picture marks its 100th anniversary in 2019. Dansungsa Theater in central Seoul premiered Kim Do-san's film “Righteous Revenge” on Oct. 27, 1919. In the form of a kino-drama (play with motion picture inserts), it told the story of a man, played by director Kim, who had suffered cruel abuse at the hands of his stepmother, and fights back against her when she conspires to take all the property his father bequeathed to him and defame the family's name. Director Lee Jang-ho / Korea Times file photoTo mark its significance in Korean film history, the date oMay 23, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Director tells stories behind his films, censorship Director Lee Jang-ho speaks during a preview event for the U.K. documentary film “The Lovers and the Despot” in this September 2016 file photo. / Courtesy of Atnine FilmBy Park Jin-haiDirector Lee Jang-ho, 74, holds a unique place in the Korean film industry. Of the 100 films selected by the Korea Film Archive in 2014 for their historical value and influence, Lee was the only director who had three films ― “Heavenly Homecoming to Stars” (1974), “A Fine, Windy Day” (1980) and “Declaration of Fools” (1983) ― make the top 10. The director, fondly referred to as the director “with an eye of a child and power of a beast,” said it was because unlike other famous directors he didn't stick to a particular movie style. He just kept conducting cinematic experiments over time. “All three of them are different genres. My debut film was a melodrama that I created in my late 20s, A Fine, Windy Day was a social realist film, and Declaration of Fools was a black comedy,” the director said. Poster for the film “Heavenly HoMay 23, 2019By Park Jin-hai
