Korean star IU (aka LEE Ji-eun), one of the biggest names in the country’s entertainment scene, has set her sights on the arthouse world after signing on to appear in Broker, the Korean language debut of acclaimed Japanese filmmaker KOREEDA Hirokazu. The singer-turned-actress joins a cast that already includes big names such as SONG Kang-ho, BAE Doo-na, and GANG Dong-won. Broker will concern sever...

Following the recent rumors that the SF blockbuster Space Sweepers has been in talks for a Netflix launch, news sites light up again when reports surfaced that Wonderland (literal title) another big-budget Korean sci-fi, was also mulling a move to the global streaming platform. Unlike recent Korean theatrical-to-online pivots such as Time to Hunt and CALL, the rumored plan for Wonderland is to lau...

The upcoming thriller CALL with PARK Shin-hye and JUN Jong-seo has become the latest mainstream Korean film to abandon a planned theatrical release in favor of a global streaming launch on Netflix. The streamer will debut the film online in its 190 markets on November 27. CALLwas originally scheduled to open in March but distributor Next Entertainment World (NEW) cancelled the release in late Febr...

It was a slow weekend at the Korean box office but for once the blame couldn’t be laid squarely at the feet of the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous weekend had a boost from Friday’s Hangul Day, but despite stabilizing cases and a recent lowering of the government’s social distancing level, business dropped 25% from the previous week. 405,000 admissions were counted during the most recent Friday to ...

With no major new release and a fading holdover, business slipped just over 40% week-on-week, down to 761,000 admissions. As they have since early June, local films continued to dominate with an 82% share of the market, a trend that is unlikely to change with a steady trickle of homegrown titles and an absence of Hollywood fare during the COVID-19 pandemic. With over 80% of sales over the weekend,...

The summer box office season in Korea opened with the debut of the year’s most significant tentpole to date, with weekend admissions soaring over 300% week-on-week and topping the one million mark for the first time in the COVID-19 era. The local industry accounted for a gargantuan 95% of the 1.33 million admissions recorded. There were many doubts as to whether the current market could support bi...