Forgot password

In 2012, Cineguru presented itself as a latecomer in Korean cinema. Cineguru came across as a fresh addition to the Korean film industry given the fact that the Korean film industry is dominated (90%) by CJ E&M, Lotte Entertainment, Showbox and NEW. This is because of its status as an IT-based investment and distribution company entering the film market, which is usually led by big companies. Cineguru is a combination of the words ‘cine’ from cinema and ‘guru.’ The production began its business with the ambition to be a guru in cinema. Its parent company, Daou Technology is a mid-sized company founded in 1986. The company posts KRW 270-280 billion (USD 259-268 million) in annual sales. Since then, the company has expanded its profits through its business diversification into finance and internet businesses. As part of its business diversification, Cineguru advanced into the film industry based on its strong financial power.

 

Cineguru sets its sights on investment and distribution. “Although Cineguru is a new investment and distribution company, its fresh lineup will enable the company to create a new environment for films in Korean cinema,” said SONG Yun-young, an assistant manager at Cineguru. In fact, the company invested KRW 20 billion (USD 19.16 million) in the investment and copyright distribution sector in 2014. Taking into account the fact that the average production budget of Korean films is KRW 4 billion (USD 3.83 million), the money can be used to make five films a year. The first major film by Cineguru is My Love My Bride, a remake of the LEE Myung-se film of the same title. The film lightly explores the meaning of love and marriage through the fuss of a newlywed couple, who married after spending difficult days as a couple. The film premiered in October and was directed by LIM Charn-sang who debuted with The President’s Barber (2004). Another film financed by Cineguru is Request of Murder (working title) starring KIM Sang-kyung, KIM Sung-kyun and PARK Sung-woong. The film depicts a detective’s and a man’s painstaking efforts to catch a serial killer who murdered the detective’s sister and the man’s wife. 

 

On the other hand, Cineguru is actively engaging in value-added copyright business due to its being a company whose parent company is an IT player. Its lineup in the value-added copyright sector is a little different from those of other investment and distribution companies. Cineguru supplied The Great Passage starring young Japanese stars such as MATSUDA Ryuhei and MIYAZAKI Aoi, Under the Skin, which received attention through provocative acting by Scarlett JOHANSSON and Oculus about supernaturalism, to various platforms. Cineguru’s basic goal is to produce and distribute good quality films that can generate profits. This may sound somewhat vague but contains a very meaningful philosophy. In particular, its motto is not to touch B-class films while focusing only on their profitability. This business philosophy of Cineguru is worth more attention at a time when low-quality films are mushrooming on IPTV among others. 

 

Besides, Cineguru is paying a lot of attention to the development of new scenarios and planning. “We need a globalized scenario that can click at home and abroad,” said CEO KIM Young-hoon in an interview. “I would like to create a new market through a long term plan.” KIM’s statement put an emphasis on the fact that going global is vital to Korean films’ survival since the domestic film market is saturated. Cineguru is geared towards discovering good screenplays and will scrimp its investment in them. They are planning to find new stories that can excite audiences and that don’t follow trends. This is the reason why Korean cinema will have to watch the activities of Cineguru in the future.