'Avengers: Endgame' topples 'Star Wars' preview record Venezuelan filmgoers watch the first screening in Venezuela of Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Endgame" at a cinema in Caracas on early April 26. AFP``Avengers: Endgame'' has gotten off to a mighty start at the box office, earning a record $60 million from Thursday night preview showings in North America, according to the Walt Disney Co. The previous record holder was ``Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' which earned $57 million from Thursday previews in 2015, though ``Avengers: Endgame'' was shown in more theaters. Internationally, Disney said on Friday that ``Avengers: Endgame'' has already grossed $305 million in its first two days in theaters with over half of that tally coming from China. Box office prognosticators are projecting that the film could earn anywhere from $260 million to $300 million domestically, and between $800 million and $1 billion globally when the dust settles and final numbers are reported Monday. (AP)Apr 27, 2019
'Avengers: Endgame' rekindles debate over cinema regulations /The box-office domination of “Avengers: Endgame” here has rekindled a drawn-out controversy over anti-monopoly regulations in the local cinema market.The domination of “Avengers: Endgame” here has rekindled a drawn-out controversy over anti-monopoly regulations in the local cinema market. Box-office receipts for the finale of the Marvel “Avengers” series hit 3.2 million as of Friday, the third day of its release in the country, according to data from the Korean Film Council.During the three-day period, “Endgame” accounted for about 84 percent of all seats at cinemas nationwide and 79 percent of all shows available on local screens.This box-office dominance brought back to the fore the heated debate over a potential anti-monopoly law for the cinema industry, as hinted at by recently installed Minister of Culture Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo a few days earlier.“I am actively reviewing the introduction of a ceiling on cinema screens,” Park said in his first press conference as culture minister Monday.He was referring to loApr 27, 2019
'Mother roles are diverse enough to make a whole genre' Actress Kim Hae-sook / Courtesy of June&IActress speaks of mother rolesBy Park Jin-haiActress Kim Hae-sook was given the nickname “National Mother.” Since she earned recognition for her role in the 2000 hit drama “Autumn in My Heart” playing the role of the mother of the lead actress Song Hye-kyo, Kim has garnered so many “mother” roles in dramas and films. The 63-year old veteran actress has at times played the role of a less educated, street smart middle aged mother with short-permed hair in romantic comedies, other times she was a mother who scarifies herself for her children. In the ongoing KBS drama “Mother of Mine,” she plays a down-to-earth mother who always argues with her three daughters. Kim says she once felt that her mother roles were like something that limited her acting spectrum. “When my roles were fixed to mothers, I really wanted to get out of it and play someone else. To me, then, all mother characters were deemed as the same old things. I felt some stress, too,” she said during a recent interview. &ldApr 23, 2019By Park Jin-hai
Box office readies for 'Avengers' perfect storm By Park Jin-haiThe local box office is showing signs of being overheated ahead of the local release of “Avengers: Endgame,” Wednesday. With moviegoers' explosive anticipation for the last “Avengers” sequel, the film's ticket reservation rate reached 97 percent Tuesday. The number of ticket presales neared 2 million, marking a new record, which replaces the previous record set by “Avengers: Infinity War.” Advance ticket sales for “Infinity War,” released in April last year, reached 1.22 million. “Endgame” is also estimated to set a new record in the number of screens occupied in local theaters. The finale of a series of 22, Marvel studio's Infinity series is predicted to begin showing on 2,800 screens. Last year's Infinity War” had 2,460 screens on the opening day, which rose to a peak of 2,553 screens on the fourth day after its release. Fans' expectation for the much-awaited release of “Endgame” is pulling up the box office ranking of “Captain Marvel” as well, as fans crowded out to watch the fApr 23, 2019By Park Jin-hai
'Avengers: Endgame' ticket presales hit record high of 2 million in Korea Advance sales of tickets for the upcoming Marvel film "Avengers: Endgame" reached 2 million Tuesday, setting a new record for advance box-office sales in South Korea, according to data by the Korean Film Council.Presales of tickets for the final "Avengers" flick, set to hit local screens Wednesday, had reached 2,011,000 as of 1 p.m., the real-time data showed. At that moment, the superhero film accounted for 96.9 percent of all tickets sold in advance.The presales figure marks a new record high that replaces the previous record set by the preceding "Avengers" film, "Avengers: Infinity War." Advance ticket sales for "Infinity War," released in April last year, reached 1.18 million at its peak, becoming the first film released in Korea to surpass the milestone of 1 million ticket presales.It took "Endgame" about one week less to hit the previous presales record held by "Infinity War," according to the Walt Disney Company Korea. (Yonhap)Apr 23, 2019
Culture ministry mulls caps on film screen shares Culture and Sports Minister Park Yang-woo takes questions from reporters during a press conference at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Anna J. ParkCulture and Sports Minister Park Yang-woo said Monday that the ministry is considering introducing regulations to prevent excessive screenings of films that essentially creates a monopoly. This is to prevent the domination of hit movies in theaters and secure diversity in the nation's film industry.Park's comments came during his first official press conference at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong, since he took the helm earlier this month. Park, a former vice culture minister and culture policy expert, told reporters that the government is currently working on measures to revise the nation's film-related laws to introduce the regulations. “It is necessary for various films to be shown on screens in order to encourage filmmakers to produce diverse movies. In that regard, I think imposing caps on screening films is needeApr 22, 2019By Anna J. Park
Award-winning director Bong unveils eerie family tragicomedy Director Bong Joon-ho speaks during a press conference for his upcoming film “Parasite” at the Westin Chosun Seoul, Monday. The Cannes Film Festival recently announced the film was selected for the 2019 competition. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiBong Joon-ho, director of the internationally acclaimed films like “Snowpiercer,” “The Host” and “Okja,” has returned with his new movie “Parasite.”The much-anticipated film, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun and Choi Woo-sik, tells the story of two families with extremely different social backgrounds ― a poor jobless household and a wealthy upper-class one. It is Bong's seventh feature film and first Korean-language movie in 10 years.Expectations for the new film are running particularly high, after the Cannes Film Festival announced its selection of the film for its 2019 competition, Thursday. This is Bong's second time to compete for the Palme d'Or award. The director's 2017 film “Okja” was previously selected. Bong, known for his freewheeling cinematic imagination and creaApr 22, 2019By Park Jin-hai
PHOTOS Guess 'Parasite' plot with 12 still images Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentBy Park Si-sooNothing is known about “Parasite” ― award-winning director Bong Joon-ho's new film ― but it will have its world premiere at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and compete for the Golden Palm prize. With the release a month away, the film's distributor, CJ Entertainment, released 12 images on Monday, sparking a guessing game among movie goers about its plot and messages the pictures convey. “Parasite” is Bong's seventh feature film and first Korean-language movie in 10 years. The movie is about a working-class family that gets entangled in an unexpected incident after the son has a chance to access a wealthy, elite world. Song Kang-ho plays the main role and other cast members include Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong and Jang Hye-jin.Apr 22, 2019
'Avengers: Endgame' breaks ticket presales record in S. Korea Advance sales of tickets for the upcoming Marvel film "Avengers: Endgame" reached 1.23 million on Friday, setting a new record for advance box office sales in South Korea, according to data by the Korean Film Council.Presales of tickets for the final "Avengers" flick, set to hit local screens on Wednesday, reached 1,230,181 as of 4:21 p.m., the real-time data showed. At that moment, the superhero film accounted for 92.1 percent of all the tickets sold in advance.The presales figure marks a new record high that replaces the previous record set by the preceding "Avengers" film, "Avengers: Infinity War." Advance ticket sales for "Infinity War," released in April last year, reached some 1.18 million at its peak, becoming the first film released in Korea that surpassed the milestone of 1 million ticket presales.It took "Endgame" about one week less to hit the previous presales record held by "Infinity War," according to the Walt Disney Company Korea. (Yonhap)Apr 20, 2019
'Inseparable Bros' shows water thicker than blood A famous proverb says blood is thicker than water, but the upcoming Korean film “Inseparable Bros” shows that there is water that is thicker than blood somewhere around us.The movie is a sentimental comedy-drama based on a true story about two disabled men ― Se-ha and Dong-goo. The movie begins with scenes of the two characters meeting each other and pictures of how these two became family.Se-ha is smart and clever but paralyzed and isn't able to walk or move after an injury to his spinal cord. He has to sit in a wheelchair every day and must be spoon-fed and bathed by others.He lost his mother at the age of 16 and was taken to an institution for disabled children in Seoul. There, he meets Dong-goo who has severe intellectual disabilities. Dong-goo is taller and stronger but has the mental age of a five-year-old.Over 20 years, the two become bosom buddies and perfect partners. Fierce-tempered Se-ha opens his mind to Dong-goo and wins his heart. Se-ha works as the brain for Dong-goo, helping him buy things, whApr 20, 2019
