Essentially a sequel of ”Man Standing Next”, in terms of the succession of historical events, “12.12: The Day” became the highest-grossing Korean film of 2023, with many citing it as the movie that saved Korean cinema in the particular year.
12.12: The Day is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival 2024
The story begins in December 1979, after the assassinaton of President Park, with the whole country being in turmoil and martial law having been declared. The initial 30 minutes of the 140 of the movie set the base of what happened after the aforementioned events, additionally introducing the two main rivals, Defense Security Commander Chun Doo-gwan and Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-sin, while the rest focus on the 9 hours which the coup unfolded, starting with the arrest of the Army Chief of Staff, Jeong Sang-ho.
Kim Seong-su directs the movie in a style that will remind many of the TV-news style implemented frequently in Japanese cinema,...
12.12: The Day is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival 2024
The story begins in December 1979, after the assassinaton of President Park, with the whole country being in turmoil and martial law having been declared. The initial 30 minutes of the 140 of the movie set the base of what happened after the aforementioned events, additionally introducing the two main rivals, Defense Security Commander Chun Doo-gwan and Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-sin, while the rest focus on the 9 hours which the coup unfolded, starting with the arrest of the Army Chief of Staff, Jeong Sang-ho.
Kim Seong-su directs the movie in a style that will remind many of the TV-news style implemented frequently in Japanese cinema,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
One of the final dark closets of modern Korean history gets thrown wide open in Kim Sung-soo's riveting historical drama 12.12: The Day. The film dramatises the coup d'état that took place in the wake of the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in late October 1979, which on its surface seems like a risky gambit, as it is a bitter story that begins with a calamitous moment and ends on an even darker note, with even worse things soon to come. Though the names of the characters have been changed -- Korea has very stringent libel laws -- the film centers on the quick manoeuvring that took place in the power vacuum that followed President Park's death. In a terrific and gleefully scene-chewing performance, Hwang...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/27/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Rights to “I, The Executioner,” which will premiere as a Midnight Screening at the Cannes Film Festival this year, have been picked up by South Korea’s Cj Enm.
The crime-action film directed by Ryu Seung-wan (also written Ryoo Seung-wan) is a sequel to Ryu’s 2015 hit “Veteran” and in Korea goes by the title “Veteran 2.”
Few details of the story have yet been disclosed, but Cj describes the film as “combining Ryu’s trademark action with observations and messages about social change.” Ryu last year enjoyed major box office success with crime comedy “Smugglers.”
Hwang Jung-min, who recently enjoyed box office success in “12.12: The Day,” reprises his role from “Veteran.” He is joined in the sequel by Jung Hae-in (“Tune in for Love”) as a new member of the film’s Violent Crime Investigation Squad.
“I, The Executioner” was produced by Filmmaker R & K, the production shingle owned...
The crime-action film directed by Ryu Seung-wan (also written Ryoo Seung-wan) is a sequel to Ryu’s 2015 hit “Veteran” and in Korea goes by the title “Veteran 2.”
Few details of the story have yet been disclosed, but Cj describes the film as “combining Ryu’s trademark action with observations and messages about social change.” Ryu last year enjoyed major box office success with crime comedy “Smugglers.”
Hwang Jung-min, who recently enjoyed box office success in “12.12: The Day,” reprises his role from “Veteran.” He is joined in the sequel by Jung Hae-in (“Tune in for Love”) as a new member of the film’s Violent Crime Investigation Squad.
“I, The Executioner” was produced by Filmmaker R & K, the production shingle owned...
- 4/12/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Korean supernatural drama Exhuma is continuing to prove a box office smash in its home market and is now replicating that success in territories across Asia.
The film led the South Korea box office for a sixth consecutive weekend from March 29-31, taking $3.07m from 418,000 admissions, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking system.
As of today (April 2), the cumulative box office in the territory is $78.5m from just over 11 million admissions. It easily positions Exhuma as the biggest film of the year to date in South Korea, three times ahead of Wonka in second place with $25.1m from 3.5 million admissions.
The film led the South Korea box office for a sixth consecutive weekend from March 29-31, taking $3.07m from 418,000 admissions, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking system.
As of today (April 2), the cumulative box office in the territory is $78.5m from just over 11 million admissions. It easily positions Exhuma as the biggest film of the year to date in South Korea, three times ahead of Wonka in second place with $25.1m from 3.5 million admissions.
- 4/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
Asian Cinema Celebration
Veteran Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be presented with a lifetime achievement award at the upcoming edition of the Festival of Far East Film in Italy’s Udine (April 24 – May 2). The lineup will include three films by Zhang: his 2023 political thriller “Under the Light” in its competition section; as well as “To Live” and “Raise the Red Lantern” in its restored classics section.
The festival’s total lineup includes 74 films in total – 47 in competition and 28 out of competition) from 11 countries. Events will kick off with a double bill of smash hit mainland Chinese movie “Yolo” and Korean action comedy “Citizen of a Kind.”
Other highlights include “13 Bombs” by Indonesia’s Angga Dwimas Sasongko; “The Goldfinger” by Hong Kong’s Felix Chong; investigative journalism drama “In Broad Daylight,” by Hong Kong’s Lawrence Kan; Ning Hao’s “The Movie Emperor”; a ten-strong Japanese selection that includes “(Ab)normal Desire,...
Veteran Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be presented with a lifetime achievement award at the upcoming edition of the Festival of Far East Film in Italy’s Udine (April 24 – May 2). The lineup will include three films by Zhang: his 2023 political thriller “Under the Light” in its competition section; as well as “To Live” and “Raise the Red Lantern” in its restored classics section.
The festival’s total lineup includes 74 films in total – 47 in competition and 28 out of competition) from 11 countries. Events will kick off with a double bill of smash hit mainland Chinese movie “Yolo” and Korean action comedy “Citizen of a Kind.”
Other highlights include “13 Bombs” by Indonesia’s Angga Dwimas Sasongko; “The Goldfinger” by Hong Kong’s Felix Chong; investigative journalism drama “In Broad Daylight,” by Hong Kong’s Lawrence Kan; Ning Hao’s “The Movie Emperor”; a ten-strong Japanese selection that includes “(Ab)normal Desire,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Zhang Yimou is set to receive the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Far East Film Festival (Feff).
The auteur, a key figure in China’s Fifth Generation of filmmakers, is best known for his films Raise the Red Lantern, Red Sorghum, To Live, Hero and House of the Flying Daggers, and was also directed the memorable opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Also receiving the coveted Golden Mulberry at the 26th edition of Feff is Taiwanese producer Chiu Fu-sheng. Chiu, a legendary figure in the Asian film industry, is known for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers including Hou Hsiao-hsien, producing A City of Sadness (1989) and The Puppetmaster (1993) and Zhang, producing both Raise the Red Lantern and To Live (1994). Zhang’s 2023 film Under the Light will also compete in the main competition at Feff.
Feff, the respected Italian festival that takes place in the northern city of Udine,...
The auteur, a key figure in China’s Fifth Generation of filmmakers, is best known for his films Raise the Red Lantern, Red Sorghum, To Live, Hero and House of the Flying Daggers, and was also directed the memorable opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Also receiving the coveted Golden Mulberry at the 26th edition of Feff is Taiwanese producer Chiu Fu-sheng. Chiu, a legendary figure in the Asian film industry, is known for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers including Hou Hsiao-hsien, producing A City of Sadness (1989) and The Puppetmaster (1993) and Zhang, producing both Raise the Red Lantern and To Live (1994). Zhang’s 2023 film Under the Light will also compete in the main competition at Feff.
Feff, the respected Italian festival that takes place in the northern city of Udine,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
South Korean supernatural thriller Exhuma has passed the 10 million admissions mark at the local box office, cementing its blockbuster status in the country.
The film led the South Korea box office for a fifth consecutive weekend, grossing $4.56m from 618,000 tickets from March 22-24, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking system.
It takes Exhuma’s total box office to date to $73.4m from 10.2 million admissions, comfortably positioning it as the most successful title in South Korea this year to date, ahead of Wonka in second place on $25.1m from 3.5 million admissions.
However, it still has some...
The film led the South Korea box office for a fifth consecutive weekend, grossing $4.56m from 618,000 tickets from March 22-24, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking system.
It takes Exhuma’s total box office to date to $73.4m from 10.2 million admissions, comfortably positioning it as the most successful title in South Korea this year to date, ahead of Wonka in second place on $25.1m from 3.5 million admissions.
However, it still has some...
- 3/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
Four weeks after its initial release, South Korean horror film “Exhuma” is still burning through the country’s box office. “Pamyo,” as it’s known in Korea (which directly translates to “exhumation for relocation or cremation”), has resonated in a major way with audiences who have shown up in droves to see the story of a shaman named Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and the wandering spirits she takes on with Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), her protégé. This week: it expands in the United States.
Just one week into its release, “Exhuma” became the highest-grossing Korean film of 2024 so far, knocking the Timothée Chalamet-starring “Wonka” off the top spot following its delayed release there. Chalamet’s other big film of the moment, “Dune: Part Two,” placed second in Korea for three successive weekends in the wake of “Exhuma” too.
That means that, nearly a month in, “Exhuma” has made $67.8 million with sales of 9.3 million tickets,...
Just one week into its release, “Exhuma” became the highest-grossing Korean film of 2024 so far, knocking the Timothée Chalamet-starring “Wonka” off the top spot following its delayed release there. Chalamet’s other big film of the moment, “Dune: Part Two,” placed second in Korea for three successive weekends in the wake of “Exhuma” too.
That means that, nearly a month in, “Exhuma” has made $67.8 million with sales of 9.3 million tickets,...
- 3/21/2024
- by David Opie
- Indiewire
Exhuma (Korean title: Pa-myo) has taken $67.8 million at the Korean box office, having notched more than 9.3 million admissions.
The film stars Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Do-hyun and is directed by Jang Jae-hyun. Exhuma follows two shamans, a feng shui expert and an undertaker as they seek to help a Korean-American family haunted by a generational curse.
Box office data from Kofic shows the movie has taken 24 days for Exhuma to cross reach the nine million admissions mark, which is three days faster than last year’s most-viewed Korean feature, 12.12: The Day, a historical film set during the country’s military coup in 1979.
Exhuma has also topped the box office and admissions charts every week since its release, sitting above Dune: Part Two for the last three weeks.
Produced by Showbox Entertainment, Exhuma first premiered in the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival on...
The film stars Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Do-hyun and is directed by Jang Jae-hyun. Exhuma follows two shamans, a feng shui expert and an undertaker as they seek to help a Korean-American family haunted by a generational curse.
Box office data from Kofic shows the movie has taken 24 days for Exhuma to cross reach the nine million admissions mark, which is three days faster than last year’s most-viewed Korean feature, 12.12: The Day, a historical film set during the country’s military coup in 1979.
Exhuma has also topped the box office and admissions charts every week since its release, sitting above Dune: Part Two for the last three weeks.
Produced by Showbox Entertainment, Exhuma first premiered in the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival on...
- 3/18/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Leading South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international sales rights to action comedy film “Boss.” It will launch the title at next week’s FilMart in Hong Kong.
Directed by Ra Hee-chan, the film follows gang members embroiled in fierce competition. They struggle not just for supremacy within their clan, but also to achieve their own dreams in everyday life.
“Boss” stars Jo Woo-jin as a man who wants to run his family’s Chinese restaurant; Jung Kyung-ho (“Men of Plastic”), who believes it is his destiny to be a Tango dancer; and Park Ji-hwan (“The Roundup” film series), who is the most eager member to be the boss, but nobody wants him.
Production is by Hive Media Corp., the company behind the late 2023 box office hit “12.12: The Day,” which garnered over 13 million admissions.
Finecut will be screening the first footage from the new title at its booth in FilMart.
Directed by Ra Hee-chan, the film follows gang members embroiled in fierce competition. They struggle not just for supremacy within their clan, but also to achieve their own dreams in everyday life.
“Boss” stars Jo Woo-jin as a man who wants to run his family’s Chinese restaurant; Jung Kyung-ho (“Men of Plastic”), who believes it is his destiny to be a Tango dancer; and Park Ji-hwan (“The Roundup” film series), who is the most eager member to be the boss, but nobody wants him.
Production is by Hive Media Corp., the company behind the late 2023 box office hit “12.12: The Day,” which garnered over 13 million admissions.
Finecut will be screening the first footage from the new title at its booth in FilMart.
- 3/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist was named best film at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on Sunday evening (March 10).
The Japanese drama, which premiered in competition at Venice where it won five awards including the grand jury prize, also picked up best original music for composer Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
While Hamaguchi was not at the ceremony, held in the Grand Theatre of the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the top prize was accepted in-person by Ishibashi, cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa and co-editor Azusa Yamzaki – presented by...
The Japanese drama, which premiered in competition at Venice where it won five awards including the grand jury prize, also picked up best original music for composer Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
While Hamaguchi was not at the ceremony, held in the Grand Theatre of the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the top prize was accepted in-person by Ishibashi, cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa and co-editor Azusa Yamzaki – presented by...
- 3/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s formalist arthouse drama Evil Does Not Exist won the best film prize Sunday night at the Asia Film Awards in Hong Kong.
The Japanese film industry had a big night overall at the 17th edition of the awards ceremony, which was hosted this year in Hong Kong’s gleaming new Xiqu Centre, part of the city’s $2.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District development. Japanese festival favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda won best director for his mystery drama Monster, while the great Koji Yakusho took best actor for Wim Wender’s moving minimalist drama Perfect Days. Hamaguchi’s chief collaborator on Evil Does Not Exist, Eiko Ishibashi, won best music and the Kaiju critical and commercial sensation Godzilla Minus One claimed both best visual effects and best sound.
In many ways, it was Zhang Yimou’s night, however. The venerated Chinese director took the stage twice, once to...
The Japanese film industry had a big night overall at the 17th edition of the awards ceremony, which was hosted this year in Hong Kong’s gleaming new Xiqu Centre, part of the city’s $2.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District development. Japanese festival favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda won best director for his mystery drama Monster, while the great Koji Yakusho took best actor for Wim Wender’s moving minimalist drama Perfect Days. Hamaguchi’s chief collaborator on Evil Does Not Exist, Eiko Ishibashi, won best music and the Kaiju critical and commercial sensation Godzilla Minus One claimed both best visual effects and best sound.
In many ways, it was Zhang Yimou’s night, however. The venerated Chinese director took the stage twice, once to...
- 3/10/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” was Sunday evening named as the best picture at the Asian Film Awards.
The 17th edition of the prizes was held at the Xiqu Centre, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
While “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” had dominated the nominations with six each, including those in the best film category, the prizes on Sunday were much more evenly distributed. No title collected more than two prizes.
Outside, crowds failed to be muted by the March drizzle, though VIP guests were given escorts with purple umbrellas.
Filmmaker and industry attendance was also robust. Those spotted on the red carpet and pre-event cocktails included: Lee Yong Kwan (former chair of the Busan film festival), Tom Yoda, Udine festival heads Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, Anthony Chen, Stanley Kwan, Rina Damayanti, Hong Kong distributor Winnie Tsang,...
The 17th edition of the prizes was held at the Xiqu Centre, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
While “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” had dominated the nominations with six each, including those in the best film category, the prizes on Sunday were much more evenly distributed. No title collected more than two prizes.
Outside, crowds failed to be muted by the March drizzle, though VIP guests were given escorts with purple umbrellas.
Filmmaker and industry attendance was also robust. Those spotted on the red carpet and pre-event cocktails included: Lee Yong Kwan (former chair of the Busan film festival), Tom Yoda, Udine festival heads Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, Anthony Chen, Stanley Kwan, Rina Damayanti, Hong Kong distributor Winnie Tsang,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Worldwide box office March 1-3 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros) $178.5m $178.5m $97m $97m 72 2. Exhuma (Showbox)
$17.2m $43.6m $17.2m $43.6m 1 3. Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount) $16.2m $146.1m $8.8m $63.3m 57 4. Article 20 (various) $14.4m $319.4m $14.3m $318.9m 4 5. The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon (various)
$13.3m $17.6m $13.3m $17.6m 1 6. Pegasus 2 (various)
$12.8m $459.4m $12.7m $457.6m 4 7. Madame Web (Sony)
$8.2m $91m $5m $50.6m 66 8. Boonie Bears: Time Twist (various) $7.9m $268.1m $7.9m $268.1m 1 9. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - To The Hashira Training (various) $7.7m $56.9m...
$17.2m $43.6m $17.2m $43.6m 1 3. Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount) $16.2m $146.1m $8.8m $63.3m 57 4. Article 20 (various) $14.4m $319.4m $14.3m $318.9m 4 5. The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon (various)
$13.3m $17.6m $13.3m $17.6m 1 6. Pegasus 2 (various)
$12.8m $459.4m $12.7m $457.6m 4 7. Madame Web (Sony)
$8.2m $91m $5m $50.6m 66 8. Boonie Bears: Time Twist (various) $7.9m $268.1m $7.9m $268.1m 1 9. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - To The Hashira Training (various) $7.7m $56.9m...
- 3/4/2024
- ScreenDaily
Essentially a sequel o f”Man Standing Next”, in terms of the succession of historical events, “12.12: The Day” became the highest-grossing Korean film of 2023, with many citing it as the movie that saved Korean cinema in the particular year.
“12.12: The Day” is available from Echelon Studios
The story begins in December 1979, after the assassinaton of President Park, with the whole country being in turmoil and martial law having been declared. The initial 30 minutes of the 140 of the movie set the base of what happened after the aforementioned events, additionally introducing the two main rivals, Defense Security Commander Chun Doo-gwan and Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-sin, while the rest focus on the 9 hours which the coup unfolded, starting with the arrest of the Army Chief of Staff, Jeong Sang-ho.
Check also this article The 20 Best Korean Movies of 2023
Kim Seong-su directs the movie in a style that will remind...
“12.12: The Day” is available from Echelon Studios
The story begins in December 1979, after the assassinaton of President Park, with the whole country being in turmoil and martial law having been declared. The initial 30 minutes of the 140 of the movie set the base of what happened after the aforementioned events, additionally introducing the two main rivals, Defense Security Commander Chun Doo-gwan and Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-sin, while the rest focus on the 9 hours which the coup unfolded, starting with the arrest of the Army Chief of Staff, Jeong Sang-ho.
Check also this article The 20 Best Korean Movies of 2023
Kim Seong-su directs the movie in a style that will remind...
- 2/26/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
North American Digital Release
North American digital distributor Echelon Studios has come on board “12.12: The Day,” the highest grossing film from Korea last year.
The film has been on theatrical release in North America, through 815 Pictures since last year and grossed over $1 million. Echelon said that the film will have a streaming release later this year. It will also be available to pre-order to own on iTunes, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Vudu, Vimeo OnDemand and OnDemand Korea shortly.
Directed by Kim Sung-su and with a Korean gross exceeding $90 million, the action drama is based on true events in December 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea.
The film stars Hwang Jung-min (“Deliver Us from Evil”), Jung Woo-sung (“Asura: The City of Madness”), Lee Sung-min (“The Spy Gone North”), Park Hae-joon (“Believer”), Kang Gil-woo (Netflix series “The Glory”), and Jung Hae-in (Netflix’s “D.P.”).
Treasure Island...
North American digital distributor Echelon Studios has come on board “12.12: The Day,” the highest grossing film from Korea last year.
The film has been on theatrical release in North America, through 815 Pictures since last year and grossed over $1 million. Echelon said that the film will have a streaming release later this year. It will also be available to pre-order to own on iTunes, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Vudu, Vimeo OnDemand and OnDemand Korea shortly.
Directed by Kim Sung-su and with a Korean gross exceeding $90 million, the action drama is based on true events in December 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea.
The film stars Hwang Jung-min (“Deliver Us from Evil”), Jung Woo-sung (“Asura: The City of Madness”), Lee Sung-min (“The Spy Gone North”), Park Hae-joon (“Believer”), Kang Gil-woo (Netflix series “The Glory”), and Jung Hae-in (Netflix’s “D.P.”).
Treasure Island...
- 2/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Timothee Chalamet’s Wonka Vs Henry Cavill’s Argylle At South Korean Box Office (Picture Credit: IMDb)
Timothee Chalamet, ahead of the release of Dune: Part Two, got the highest-grossing film of his career with the musical fantasy Wonka. The film did an incredible business at the North American box office. It is also doing well in South Korea. Meanwhile, Henry Cavill-led Argylle opened to a poor reception here, and it is also the same at the South Korean box office. Keep scrolling to know.
The film, directed by Paul King, tells the origin story of Willy Wonka. The fictional character first appeared in the children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. In 2005, Johnny Depp appeared as Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s movie and was widely appreciated by the people. He and Gene Wilder set the standards too high for this character with their performances,...
Timothee Chalamet, ahead of the release of Dune: Part Two, got the highest-grossing film of his career with the musical fantasy Wonka. The film did an incredible business at the North American box office. It is also doing well in South Korea. Meanwhile, Henry Cavill-led Argylle opened to a poor reception here, and it is also the same at the South Korean box office. Keep scrolling to know.
The film, directed by Paul King, tells the origin story of Willy Wonka. The fictional character first appeared in the children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. In 2005, Johnny Depp appeared as Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s movie and was widely appreciated by the people. He and Gene Wilder set the standards too high for this character with their performances,...
- 2/12/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
Hollywood fantasy film “Wonka” held strongly at the top of the South Korean box office on a weekend boosted by the Lunar New Year holidays. But Hollywood spy comedy “Argylle” opened disappointingly in seventh position.
Korea allocates three days of public holiday to the Lunar New Year and took them this time from Friday to Sunday. The extra holiday footfall in cinemas drove up box office and gave “Wonka” an almost unchanged weekend haul, despite a declining share of the overall market.
“Wonka” earned $3.88 million in its second weekend, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). After 12 days in Korean cinemas, it has a cumulative total of $11.6 million.
The overall theatrical market climbed 50% due to the holiday, from $7.47 million to $11.3 million this weekend.
“Citizen of a Kind” was also boosted by the holiday traffic. It expanded so that its third weekend score...
Korea allocates three days of public holiday to the Lunar New Year and took them this time from Friday to Sunday. The extra holiday footfall in cinemas drove up box office and gave “Wonka” an almost unchanged weekend haul, despite a declining share of the overall market.
“Wonka” earned $3.88 million in its second weekend, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). After 12 days in Korean cinemas, it has a cumulative total of $11.6 million.
The overall theatrical market climbed 50% due to the holiday, from $7.47 million to $11.3 million this weekend.
“Citizen of a Kind” was also boosted by the holiday traffic. It expanded so that its third weekend score...
- 2/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Timothee Chalamet-starring fantasy “Wonka” claimed the top spot in the weekend’s South Korean box office chart, in an opening that was nearly two months later than many other territories. It delivered a modest jolt to the otherwise slow theatrical market.
“Wonka” earned $3.97 million between Friday and Sunday in Korea, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). It accounted for 53% of cinema business over the weekend. Over the film’s first five days on release, since its Wednesday Korean debut, “Wonka” accumulated $5.67 million.
That counts a decent opening in a traditionally slow month and in a currently depressed Korean box office market. The nationwide cinema market expanded by 25% week-on-week to a weekend size of $7.46 million.
“Citizen of a Kind,” a comedy-drama about a woman who takes matters into her own hands after becoming the victim of a scam, and which topped...
“Wonka” earned $3.97 million between Friday and Sunday in Korea, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). It accounted for 53% of cinema business over the weekend. Over the film’s first five days on release, since its Wednesday Korean debut, “Wonka” accumulated $5.67 million.
That counts a decent opening in a traditionally slow month and in a currently depressed Korean box office market. The nationwide cinema market expanded by 25% week-on-week to a weekend size of $7.46 million.
“Citizen of a Kind,” a comedy-drama about a woman who takes matters into her own hands after becoming the victim of a scam, and which topped...
- 2/5/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Citizen of a Kind,” a comedy-drama about a woman who takes matters into her own hands after becoming the victim of a scam, fulfilled its promise from an earlier week of previews. “Citizen” topped the South Korean box office on its opening weekend, accounting for a more than 40% market share. But, with few other fresh titles reaching cinemas, overall theatrical revenues were at their lowest for several months.
“Citizen” earned $2.59 million between Friday and Sunday, according to figures from Kobis, the data service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Over five days since release on Wednesday, and with the addition of its earlier previews, “Citizen” finished its opening weekend with a cumulative of $3.58 million.
Directed by Park Young-ju, “Citizen” tells the tale of woman whose business has gone up in flames and takes a hefty loan in an attempt to restart it. When she discovers that the loan is...
“Citizen” earned $2.59 million between Friday and Sunday, according to figures from Kobis, the data service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Over five days since release on Wednesday, and with the addition of its earlier previews, “Citizen” finished its opening weekend with a cumulative of $3.58 million.
Directed by Park Young-ju, “Citizen” tells the tale of woman whose business has gone up in flames and takes a hefty loan in an attempt to restart it. When she discovers that the loan is...
- 1/29/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Time traveling-fantasy-adventure movie “Alienoid 2” was a comfortable winner at the South Korea box office over the weekend. But with few fresh films on release the cinema-going market slowed.
“Alienoid 2” earned $2.06 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That was down by 42% compared with its opening session a week earlier and leaves it with a total of $7.96 million after 12 days on release.
The first instalment of “Alienoid” was one of the biggest flops of 2022. It opened brightly with a $5.19 million weekend in July that year. But it suffered terrible reviews and finished with just $12.2 million.
Whether the second part does better than the first may be a matter of market timing and competition. January is usually a quiet month in Korean cinemas and the lack of blockbuster titles competing for screen space may help “Alienoid 2.”
The overall market...
“Alienoid 2” earned $2.06 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That was down by 42% compared with its opening session a week earlier and leaves it with a total of $7.96 million after 12 days on release.
The first instalment of “Alienoid” was one of the biggest flops of 2022. It opened brightly with a $5.19 million weekend in July that year. But it suffered terrible reviews and finished with just $12.2 million.
Whether the second part does better than the first may be a matter of market timing and competition. January is usually a quiet month in Korean cinemas and the lack of blockbuster titles competing for screen space may help “Alienoid 2.”
The overall market...
- 1/22/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Sci-fi fantasy comedy “Alienoid 2” opened on top of the South Korean box office with $3.57 million on a weekend that otherwise saw five animation titles and a political documentary in the top ten.
The big-budget, time-traveling “Alienoid 2” earned $3.57 million between Friday and Sunday with a market share of 39% and $4.77 million over its opening five days, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Imax reports that some $370,000 of the film’s total was earned from 24 Imax screens.
The film was made as a two-parter. The first instalment of “Alienoid” was one of the biggest flops of 2022. It opened with a $5.19 million weekend in July that year. But it suffered terrible reviews and word of mouth and finished with just $12.2 million. Director Choi Dong-hoon has recently spent several weeks pushing the message that the second part is better than the first.
Its opening performance was enough...
The big-budget, time-traveling “Alienoid 2” earned $3.57 million between Friday and Sunday with a market share of 39% and $4.77 million over its opening five days, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Imax reports that some $370,000 of the film’s total was earned from 24 Imax screens.
The film was made as a two-parter. The first instalment of “Alienoid” was one of the biggest flops of 2022. It opened with a $5.19 million weekend in July that year. But it suffered terrible reviews and word of mouth and finished with just $12.2 million. Director Choi Dong-hoon has recently spent several weeks pushing the message that the second part is better than the first.
Its opening performance was enough...
- 1/15/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions have been shortlisted to compete for 16 awards at this year's Asian Film Awards.
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
- 1/12/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Snow Leopard’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Goldfinger’ and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ also land multiple nods.
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
- 1/12/2024
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Disney animation film, “Wish” topped the South Korean box office on its opening weekend. It toppled local epic “Noryang: Deadly Sea,” which had dominated over Christmas and New Year.
“Wish,” which has slowly been rolling out worldwide since a late November start in North America, made a respectable $3.29 million debut between Friday and Sunday according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). After five days on release in Korea, it has garnered $4.57 million.
“Noryang,” which released on Dec. 20, took a steep decline of 66% in its third weekend but still retained second place in the weekend chart. It earned $2.03 million, for a cumulative total of $31.3 million.
“12.12: The Day,” the political thriller that finished 2023 as the year’s top-grossing title, earned another $1.99 million in third place over the latest weekend. Since releasing on Nov. 23, it has amassed a total of $93.1 million and been seen by 12.5 million people.
“Wish,” which has slowly been rolling out worldwide since a late November start in North America, made a respectable $3.29 million debut between Friday and Sunday according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). After five days on release in Korea, it has garnered $4.57 million.
“Noryang,” which released on Dec. 20, took a steep decline of 66% in its third weekend but still retained second place in the weekend chart. It earned $2.03 million, for a cumulative total of $31.3 million.
“12.12: The Day,” the political thriller that finished 2023 as the year’s top-grossing title, earned another $1.99 million in third place over the latest weekend. Since releasing on Nov. 23, it has amassed a total of $93.1 million and been seen by 12.5 million people.
- 1/8/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Hit local titles include ’12.12: The Day’ and ‘The Roundup: No Way Out’.
South Korea’s box office admissions recorded a rise of 11% in 2023, boosted by two local hits, but saw 44.8% fewer cinemagoers than in pre-Covid 2019.
There was a total of 125.1 million admissions in 2023, according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis), demonstrating steady growth year-on-year.
However, with audiences still not returning to cinemas at pre-pandemic levels, the number is a 44.8% decrease from 2019, which was year before the Covid-19 outbreak but also the all-time highest box office year on record in terms of admissions and gross.
Total box office gross...
South Korea’s box office admissions recorded a rise of 11% in 2023, boosted by two local hits, but saw 44.8% fewer cinemagoers than in pre-Covid 2019.
There was a total of 125.1 million admissions in 2023, according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis), demonstrating steady growth year-on-year.
However, with audiences still not returning to cinemas at pre-pandemic levels, the number is a 44.8% decrease from 2019, which was year before the Covid-19 outbreak but also the all-time highest box office year on record in terms of admissions and gross.
Total box office gross...
- 1/3/2024
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
A strong December for local films helped make up for an otherwise miserable 2023 at the South Korean box office – previously the fifth largest cinema territory worldwide.
And while theatrical markets in other major territories have recovered to reach at or near pre-pandemic levels, Korea finished 44% below 2019.
Data from the Korean Film Council’s Kobis tracking service showed annual gross revenues of KRW1.261 trillion ($964 million at Jan 2024 rates of exchange) in 2023. That represented a gain of 9% on 2022, but it was far below the KRW1.91 trillion ($1.46 billion) recorded in 2019, the last pre-covid year.
The bleak trend was mirrored in terms of attendance or ticket sales, which remains the country’s preferred performance measure. Cinema attendance reached 125 million in 2023, an 11% increase compared with the 113 million recorded in 2022, but 45% below 2019’s 227 million.
Kobis’ monthly data describe a year of peaks and troughs. Powered by holdover title “Avatar: The Way of Water,” 2023 started brightly enough,...
And while theatrical markets in other major territories have recovered to reach at or near pre-pandemic levels, Korea finished 44% below 2019.
Data from the Korean Film Council’s Kobis tracking service showed annual gross revenues of KRW1.261 trillion ($964 million at Jan 2024 rates of exchange) in 2023. That represented a gain of 9% on 2022, but it was far below the KRW1.91 trillion ($1.46 billion) recorded in 2019, the last pre-covid year.
The bleak trend was mirrored in terms of attendance or ticket sales, which remains the country’s preferred performance measure. Cinema attendance reached 125 million in 2023, an 11% increase compared with the 113 million recorded in 2022, but 45% below 2019’s 227 million.
Kobis’ monthly data describe a year of peaks and troughs. Powered by holdover title “Avatar: The Way of Water,” 2023 started brightly enough,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Korean Action Drama ‘12.12: The Day’ Grosses $90M At Local Box Office To Become Biggest Film Of 2023
Korean historical action drama 12.12: The Day has grossed $90.5M and sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period to become the highest grossing film of 2023.
Released on November 22, the film overtook The Roundup: No Way Out in both admissions and revenue terms on Christmas Day. It marks the first time in four years since the release of Oscar-winning drama Parasite that a non franchise local title has crossed 12 million admissions.
Disney’s Elemental is the third highest grossing film of 2023 in Korea, grossing $54M from 7.2 million admissions following its June 2023 release.
Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness...
Released on November 22, the film overtook The Roundup: No Way Out in both admissions and revenue terms on Christmas Day. It marks the first time in four years since the release of Oscar-winning drama Parasite that a non franchise local title has crossed 12 million admissions.
Disney’s Elemental is the third highest grossing film of 2023 in Korea, grossing $54M from 7.2 million admissions following its June 2023 release.
Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness...
- 1/3/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The historial action drama has become the biggest film of 2023 at the local box office.
Historical action drama 12.12: The Day has surpassed 12 million admissions and $90m at the South Korea box office as of today (January 2), according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis).
The Korean film has been revitalising the local box office, where the only stand-out hit of 2023 had been Don Lee’s crime action franchise film The Roundup: No Way Out, with 10.6 million admissions and $79.8m.
12.12: The Day, released by Plus M Entertainment on November 22, ended the year with more than 11.8 million admissions and $88m,...
Historical action drama 12.12: The Day has surpassed 12 million admissions and $90m at the South Korea box office as of today (January 2), according to the Korea Box-office Information System (Kobis).
The Korean film has been revitalising the local box office, where the only stand-out hit of 2023 had been Don Lee’s crime action franchise film The Roundup: No Way Out, with 10.6 million admissions and $79.8m.
12.12: The Day, released by Plus M Entertainment on November 22, ended the year with more than 11.8 million admissions and $88m,...
- 1/2/2024
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” led the worldwide box office with a $108 million debut weekend, according to numbers released by Comscore.
Warner Bros. and DC Studio’s “Aquaman 2” also topped the U.S. box office over the weekend.
In second place, “Wonka” continued its stellar run with a worldwide weekend of $50.9 million and now has a total of $247 million.
Indian action epic “Salaar Part 1 – Ceasefire,” led by “Baahubali” star Prabhas and directed by “K.G.F.” filmmaker Prashant Neel, debuted in third position with $39 million. This included $5.5 million in North America, where it also bowed in third place.
Another Indian film, immigration drama-comedy “Dunki,” headlined by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and directed by hitmaker Rajkumar Hirani, was in fourth position with $22.9 million over the weekend. The film has a total of $23.8 million as it opened on Thursday, Dec. 21.
Monday, Christmas Day, is a public holiday in India, but as the festival...
Warner Bros. and DC Studio’s “Aquaman 2” also topped the U.S. box office over the weekend.
In second place, “Wonka” continued its stellar run with a worldwide weekend of $50.9 million and now has a total of $247 million.
Indian action epic “Salaar Part 1 – Ceasefire,” led by “Baahubali” star Prabhas and directed by “K.G.F.” filmmaker Prashant Neel, debuted in third position with $39 million. This included $5.5 million in North America, where it also bowed in third place.
Another Indian film, immigration drama-comedy “Dunki,” headlined by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and directed by hitmaker Rajkumar Hirani, was in fourth position with $22.9 million over the weekend. The film has a total of $23.8 million as it opened on Thursday, Dec. 21.
Monday, Christmas Day, is a public holiday in India, but as the festival...
- 12/25/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
’Wonka’ topped the box office in 60 of its 77 international markets
Worldwide box office December 15-17 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world) Cume (world)3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wonka (Warner Bros) $92.6m $151.4m $53.6m $112.4m 78 2. Endless Journey (various) $20.5m $34.6m $20.5m $34.6m 1 3. Wish (Disney) $15.4m $126.2m $12.2m $71.9m 40 4. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate) $12.3 $300.5m $6.5m $155.3m 85 5. Wolf Hiding (various) $11.2m $12.2m $11.2m $12.2m 1 6. 12:12 The Day (Seoul Spring) (various) $10.6m $62.7m $10.6m $62.7m 5 7. Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine (various) $10.3m $129.1m $10.3m $129.1m 3 8. Napoleon (Sony) $10.3m $188.4m $8m $131.4m 66 9. The Boy And The Heron (GKids...
Worldwide box office December 15-17 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world) Cume (world)3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wonka (Warner Bros) $92.6m $151.4m $53.6m $112.4m 78 2. Endless Journey (various) $20.5m $34.6m $20.5m $34.6m 1 3. Wish (Disney) $15.4m $126.2m $12.2m $71.9m 40 4. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate) $12.3 $300.5m $6.5m $155.3m 85 5. Wolf Hiding (various) $11.2m $12.2m $11.2m $12.2m 1 6. 12:12 The Day (Seoul Spring) (various) $10.6m $62.7m $10.6m $62.7m 5 7. Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine (various) $10.3m $129.1m $10.3m $129.1m 3 8. Napoleon (Sony) $10.3m $188.4m $8m $131.4m 66 9. The Boy And The Heron (GKids...
- 12/18/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Fact-based action drama “12.12: The Day” won a fourth weekend at the South Korea box office and became the second highest grossing film of the year.
The political thriller incurred a steep week-on-week drop in takings, managing only $5.89 million in its fourth weekend, compared with $11.4 million in its third. But it still hogged a 72% market share, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
After releasing on Nov. 22, the film now has a cumulative box office of $62.9 million earned from 8.50 million ticket sales. That total means it has overtaken “Elemental” to become the number two film of the year in Korea. The year-to-dater table is still lead by behind summer hit “The Roundup: No Way Out,” with $80.3 million earned from 10.7 million spectators.
The reduced pace of the frontrunner brought the nationwide weekend box office total to a more humdrum $8.18 million, after three weekends above $10 million.
The political thriller incurred a steep week-on-week drop in takings, managing only $5.89 million in its fourth weekend, compared with $11.4 million in its third. But it still hogged a 72% market share, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
After releasing on Nov. 22, the film now has a cumulative box office of $62.9 million earned from 8.50 million ticket sales. That total means it has overtaken “Elemental” to become the number two film of the year in Korea. The year-to-dater table is still lead by behind summer hit “The Roundup: No Way Out,” with $80.3 million earned from 10.7 million spectators.
The reduced pace of the frontrunner brought the nationwide weekend box office total to a more humdrum $8.18 million, after three weekends above $10 million.
- 12/17/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Although the Korean movie industry recently announced that the local box office recovered to 70% of Pre-pandemic Level, largely due to the success of “12.12: The Day” which was released on November 22nd and has earned 7,729,273 admissions by December 14, the situation with local cinema is not exactly hopeful, as a number of key figures and specialists mention. Particularly the fact that the majority of talent, including movie stars and filmmakers seem to move towards the rather more popular dramas, the gap left in the movie industry is felt more than ever. At the same time, though, not everything is all bad, since the mainstream movies still find ways out in festivals, streaming and distribution, while a number of intense social dramas remind of the second reason Korean cinema reached the heights it holds now (apart from crime thrillers).
In any case, here are the best South Korean films of 2023, in reverse order.
In any case, here are the best South Korean films of 2023, in reverse order.
- 12/16/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Prequel story ‘Wonka’ leads the box office in 32 out of 37 first-wave territories.
Worldwide box office Dec 8-10 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wonka (Warner Bros)
$43.2m $43.2m $43.2m $43.2m 37 2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate)
$20.4m $279m $11m $143.3m 88 3. Napolean (Sony) $20.3m $170.8m $16.1m $117.7m 65 4. Animal (various) $18.4m $84.6m $16.1m $73m 35 5. Wish (Disney) $17.4m $105.5m $12.1m $56.1m 38 6. The Boy And The Heron (various) $15.3m $114.2m $2.5m $101.4m 22 7. 12:12 The Day (Seoul Spring) (various) $12.6m $47m $12.6m $46.4m 4 8. The Invisible Guest (various) $12.5m $12.7m $12.5m $12.7m 1 9. Godzilla Minus One...
Worldwide box office Dec 8-10 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wonka (Warner Bros)
$43.2m $43.2m $43.2m $43.2m 37 2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate)
$20.4m $279m $11m $143.3m 88 3. Napolean (Sony) $20.3m $170.8m $16.1m $117.7m 65 4. Animal (various) $18.4m $84.6m $16.1m $73m 35 5. Wish (Disney) $17.4m $105.5m $12.1m $56.1m 38 6. The Boy And The Heron (various) $15.3m $114.2m $2.5m $101.4m 22 7. 12:12 The Day (Seoul Spring) (various) $12.6m $47m $12.6m $46.4m 4 8. The Invisible Guest (various) $12.5m $12.7m $12.5m $12.7m 1 9. Godzilla Minus One...
- 12/11/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Fact-based political thriller “12.12: The Day” dominated the Korean box office for the third successive weekend and advanced its takings haul beyond $50 million. It was far ahead of “Napoleon,” which opened a disappointing third.
The Kim Sung-soo-directed picture earned $11.4 million between Friday and Sunday, accounting for 75.8% of nationwide weekend cinema revenues, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
It has held up particularly strongly and dropped by only 12% in its third weekend. The latest weekend score was again higher than its opening frame. It earned $11.3 million in its opening weekend and expanded to $12.95 million in its second weekend.
Over 19 days of release, “12.12: The Day” (aka “Seoul Spring”) has earned $50.9 million from 6.97 million admissions. On both measures, that is the second highest performance this year by any Korean-produced movie and the third highest score in Korean cinemas in 2023. Disney/Pixar’s...
The Kim Sung-soo-directed picture earned $11.4 million between Friday and Sunday, accounting for 75.8% of nationwide weekend cinema revenues, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
It has held up particularly strongly and dropped by only 12% in its third weekend. The latest weekend score was again higher than its opening frame. It earned $11.3 million in its opening weekend and expanded to $12.95 million in its second weekend.
Over 19 days of release, “12.12: The Day” (aka “Seoul Spring”) has earned $50.9 million from 6.97 million admissions. On both measures, that is the second highest performance this year by any Korean-produced movie and the third highest score in Korean cinemas in 2023. Disney/Pixar’s...
- 12/10/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
‘Napoleon’ dropped to second in global chart; hits $137m after second session.
Worldwide box office Dec 1-3 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world) Cume (world)3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Animal (various) $42.1m $42.1m $36.1m $36.1m 38 2. Napoleon (Sony) $35.7m $136.6m $28.6m $90.9m 64 3. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate) $29.4m $243.9m $14.9m $122.7m 88 4. Renaissance: A Film By Beyonce (Trafalgar) $27.4m $27.4m $6.4m $6.4m 95 5. Wish (Disney) $26.2m $81.5m $18.8m $39.6m 34 6. Across The Furious Sea (various) $19.5m $59.5m $19.5m $59.5m 1 7. 12:12: The Day (Seoul Spring) $14.4m $28.5m $14.4m $28.5m 1 8. So Long For Love (various) $11.6m $12.7m $11.6m $12.7m...
Worldwide box office Dec 1-3 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world) Cume (world)3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Animal (various) $42.1m $42.1m $36.1m $36.1m 38 2. Napoleon (Sony) $35.7m $136.6m $28.6m $90.9m 64 3. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate) $29.4m $243.9m $14.9m $122.7m 88 4. Renaissance: A Film By Beyonce (Trafalgar) $27.4m $27.4m $6.4m $6.4m 95 5. Wish (Disney) $26.2m $81.5m $18.8m $39.6m 34 6. Across The Furious Sea (various) $19.5m $59.5m $19.5m $59.5m 1 7. 12:12: The Day (Seoul Spring) $14.4m $28.5m $14.4m $28.5m 1 8. So Long For Love (various) $11.6m $12.7m $11.6m $12.7m...
- 12/4/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Political drama thriller “12.12: The Day” dominated the South Korean box office for a second weekend with a $13 million haul.
Its second weekend outing topped its first session, when it earned $11.2 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). And the film (aka “Seoul Spring”) increased its share of the weekend’s total cinema market to a crushing 81%.
Separately, ComScore calculated that the film’s single country receipts made it the seventh highest grossing film in the world over the weekend.
After two weekends on release, “12.12: The Day” has garnered $34.2 million, making it already the sixth ranking film in Korea this year and the third biggest Korean-produced picture. On this track, it will overtake “Smugglers” before the next weekend.
In terms of admissions, “12.12: The Day” enjoyed 1.7 million ticket sales over the weekend, for a running total of 4.66 million. The traditional...
Its second weekend outing topped its first session, when it earned $11.2 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). And the film (aka “Seoul Spring”) increased its share of the weekend’s total cinema market to a crushing 81%.
Separately, ComScore calculated that the film’s single country receipts made it the seventh highest grossing film in the world over the weekend.
After two weekends on release, “12.12: The Day” has garnered $34.2 million, making it already the sixth ranking film in Korea this year and the third biggest Korean-produced picture. On this track, it will overtake “Smugglers” before the next weekend.
In terms of admissions, “12.12: The Day” enjoyed 1.7 million ticket sales over the weekend, for a running total of 4.66 million. The traditional...
- 12/4/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Updated: New global entry Queen Bey’s concert movie/documentary Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé put a ring on a $27.4M global debut this weekend. Included in that is $6.4M from 2,621 overseas cinemas.
While the movie is rated 100% by both audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it did come in low versus offshore projections. But we can’t fault the 32-time Grammy winner, nor her global popularity. And, it would be unfair to direct comp to the recent Taylor Swift of it all. Beyoncé skews older than the Swifties and so the rush-out is a differentiator.
In IMAX, Renaissance did $5.1M global to become the 2nd biggest IMAX worldwide opening weekend for a musical act film (concert or documentary). Of that, $500K was from 125 overseas screens.
From what we understand, France was the best start for Renaissance at $1.4M, followed by the UK at $1.2M and Australia at $400K. Overseas market releases still to come include Brazil, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Thailand and more.
While a global event from an iconic star is indeed exciting, we have to hand it to Hindi cinema which is on a tear this year and which had another hit at home, across the diaspora and beyond this session. Animal, the revenge thriller by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, is winning the weekend globally. As we always say, it is difficult to get reliable numbers out of the market, but producers T-Series have announced a 356 crore ($42.7M) worldwide opening session.
The Ranbir Kapoor-starrer on December 1 delivered the biggest non-holiday global bow for a Hindi film ever and is setting new highs for an A-rated (adults only) pic in the home market. In North America, Animal roared to an estimated $6.14M on about 700 screens, the second biggest opening weekend of all time for a Bollywood film in that market. We will update with individual offshore market figures.
In holdovers, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon added an impressive $28.6M this frame from 63 overseas hubs. The Apple Original Films produced/Sony Pictures distributed action epic now counts $90.9M international for $136.6M global. Holdover markets dropped by just 46% as the film sees strong performance offshore. While it was a low opening, which is to be expected these days, China led new markets with $2.8M. Japan debuted to $900K, 65% ahead of the launch of Killers of the Flower Moon. Korea is still to release.
The Top 5 markets are the UK ($11.8M), France ($9.9M), Germany ($6.2M), Spain ($6.2M) and Italy ($6.1M). The worldwide IMAX cume is $12.6M.
Disney’s Wish in its second weekend added $18.8M from 33 markets as it continues staggered offshore release. The international running total is $39.6M for $81.6M global.
After previews last Sunday, France and Germany debuted this session. Both were No. 1 launches. In holdovers, the drop was 44% (-38% excluding China).
The Top 5 to date are the UK ($5.5M), China ($5.3M), France ($4.1M), Mexico ($3.6M) and Germany ($3.5M).
Still to come are Italy, Australia, Japan, Korea and Brazil.
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes slurped up a further $14.9M overseas, lifting international to $122.7M and global to $243.9M (after crossing the century and double century marks earlier in the week).
Tops to date are the UK ($16.2M), Germany ($10.9M), France ($9.4M), Australia ($9.3M) and Mexico ($8.7M).
In local play, Korean political drama 12.12: The Day has provided a great end-of-year salve, grossing $34.2M through two weekends to become the 3rd biggest local film of the year, and 6th overall, in the market.
Misc Updated Cumes/Notable
Trolls Band Together (Uni): $3.9M intl weekend (71 markets); $85.8M intl cume/$160.6M global
The Marvels (Dis): $3.4M intl weekend (52 markets); $116.3M intl cume/$197M global
Thanksgiving (Sny): $3M intl weekend (38 markets); $8.4M intl cume
Five Nights at Freddy’s (Uni): $2.2M intl weekend (78 markets); $149.7M intl cume/$286.6M global
Killers of the Flower Moon (Par): $785K intl weekend (53 markets incl Leone-distributed Italy); $87.8M intl cume/$154.3M global
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (Par): $585K intl weekend (47 markets); $130.1M intl cume/$195.3M global
The Exorcist: Believer (Uni): $433K intl weekend ($383K from opener Japan); $70.3M intl cume/$135.8M global...
While the movie is rated 100% by both audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it did come in low versus offshore projections. But we can’t fault the 32-time Grammy winner, nor her global popularity. And, it would be unfair to direct comp to the recent Taylor Swift of it all. Beyoncé skews older than the Swifties and so the rush-out is a differentiator.
In IMAX, Renaissance did $5.1M global to become the 2nd biggest IMAX worldwide opening weekend for a musical act film (concert or documentary). Of that, $500K was from 125 overseas screens.
From what we understand, France was the best start for Renaissance at $1.4M, followed by the UK at $1.2M and Australia at $400K. Overseas market releases still to come include Brazil, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Thailand and more.
While a global event from an iconic star is indeed exciting, we have to hand it to Hindi cinema which is on a tear this year and which had another hit at home, across the diaspora and beyond this session. Animal, the revenge thriller by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, is winning the weekend globally. As we always say, it is difficult to get reliable numbers out of the market, but producers T-Series have announced a 356 crore ($42.7M) worldwide opening session.
The Ranbir Kapoor-starrer on December 1 delivered the biggest non-holiday global bow for a Hindi film ever and is setting new highs for an A-rated (adults only) pic in the home market. In North America, Animal roared to an estimated $6.14M on about 700 screens, the second biggest opening weekend of all time for a Bollywood film in that market. We will update with individual offshore market figures.
In holdovers, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon added an impressive $28.6M this frame from 63 overseas hubs. The Apple Original Films produced/Sony Pictures distributed action epic now counts $90.9M international for $136.6M global. Holdover markets dropped by just 46% as the film sees strong performance offshore. While it was a low opening, which is to be expected these days, China led new markets with $2.8M. Japan debuted to $900K, 65% ahead of the launch of Killers of the Flower Moon. Korea is still to release.
The Top 5 markets are the UK ($11.8M), France ($9.9M), Germany ($6.2M), Spain ($6.2M) and Italy ($6.1M). The worldwide IMAX cume is $12.6M.
Disney’s Wish in its second weekend added $18.8M from 33 markets as it continues staggered offshore release. The international running total is $39.6M for $81.6M global.
After previews last Sunday, France and Germany debuted this session. Both were No. 1 launches. In holdovers, the drop was 44% (-38% excluding China).
The Top 5 to date are the UK ($5.5M), China ($5.3M), France ($4.1M), Mexico ($3.6M) and Germany ($3.5M).
Still to come are Italy, Australia, Japan, Korea and Brazil.
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes slurped up a further $14.9M overseas, lifting international to $122.7M and global to $243.9M (after crossing the century and double century marks earlier in the week).
Tops to date are the UK ($16.2M), Germany ($10.9M), France ($9.4M), Australia ($9.3M) and Mexico ($8.7M).
In local play, Korean political drama 12.12: The Day has provided a great end-of-year salve, grossing $34.2M through two weekends to become the 3rd biggest local film of the year, and 6th overall, in the market.
Misc Updated Cumes/Notable
Trolls Band Together (Uni): $3.9M intl weekend (71 markets); $85.8M intl cume/$160.6M global
The Marvels (Dis): $3.4M intl weekend (52 markets); $116.3M intl cume/$197M global
Thanksgiving (Sny): $3M intl weekend (38 markets); $8.4M intl cume
Five Nights at Freddy’s (Uni): $2.2M intl weekend (78 markets); $149.7M intl cume/$286.6M global
Killers of the Flower Moon (Par): $785K intl weekend (53 markets incl Leone-distributed Italy); $87.8M intl cume/$154.3M global
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (Par): $585K intl weekend (47 markets); $130.1M intl cume/$195.3M global
The Exorcist: Believer (Uni): $433K intl weekend ($383K from opener Japan); $70.3M intl cume/$135.8M global...
- 12/3/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Box office in South Korea has faced a challenging 2023.
Korean drama 12.12: The Day has taken a strong $11.2m on its opening weekend in South Korea, delivering a shot of optimism to the local box office in the wake of a challenging year.
The film, distributed by Plus M Entertainment, comfortably claimed the number one slot and has taken $14.1m since its release on November 22. It has recorded nearly 1.9 million admissions to date and accounted for 80% of all tickets sold across its opening period.
Based on events that took place in the chaotic time after dictator Park Chung-hee was assassinated...
Korean drama 12.12: The Day has taken a strong $11.2m on its opening weekend in South Korea, delivering a shot of optimism to the local box office in the wake of a challenging year.
The film, distributed by Plus M Entertainment, comfortably claimed the number one slot and has taken $14.1m since its release on November 22. It has recorded nearly 1.9 million admissions to date and accounted for 80% of all tickets sold across its opening period.
Based on events that took place in the chaotic time after dictator Park Chung-hee was assassinated...
- 11/27/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The opening numbers for Napoleon have come in at the top end of expectations.
Worldwide box office Nov 24-26 Rank Film (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Napoleon (Sony) $66.7m $78.8m $46.3m $46.3m 57 2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate) $55m $197.2m $26.2m $98.9m 88 3. Wish (Disney) $36.8m $49m $17.3m $17.3m 28 4. Across The Furious Sea (various) $24.5m $24.6m $24.5m $24.6m 1 5. Trolls Band Together (Universal) $20.6m $145.8m $3.1m $81.3m 68 6. The Marvels (Disney) $14.3m $187m $7.9m $110.2m 53 7. 12:12 The Day (Seoul Spring) (various) $11.8m $12m $11.8m $12m 1 8. Thanksgiving (Sony) $8.6m $29m $1.5m $4.9m 17 9. Five...
Worldwide box office Nov 24-26 Rank Film (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Napoleon (Sony) $66.7m $78.8m $46.3m $46.3m 57 2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate) $55m $197.2m $26.2m $98.9m 88 3. Wish (Disney) $36.8m $49m $17.3m $17.3m 28 4. Across The Furious Sea (various) $24.5m $24.6m $24.5m $24.6m 1 5. Trolls Band Together (Universal) $20.6m $145.8m $3.1m $81.3m 68 6. The Marvels (Disney) $14.3m $187m $7.9m $110.2m 53 7. 12:12 The Day (Seoul Spring) (various) $11.8m $12m $11.8m $12m 1 8. Thanksgiving (Sony) $8.6m $29m $1.5m $4.9m 17 9. Five...
- 11/27/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Korean drama “12.12: The Day” brought life back to South Korean cinemas with a powerful $11 million opening weekend.
Directed by Kim Sung-soo and starring the reliable Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung, the film recounts a nine-hour period in 1979 in which a military coup was attempted. It is understood to be based on real events, but with a fictional telling.
It earned $11.2 million between Friday and Sunday accounting for four out of every five tickets sold in the country. Over its five-day opening run it earned $14.1 million.
That is the second highest opening by any film this year, behind only summer hit “The Roundup: No Way Out” and it is expected to achieve two million ticket sales on Monday.
The strong performance lifted the overall box office for the weekend back above $10 million for the first time since the Chuseok holiday in late September and only the second time since the summer.
Directed by Kim Sung-soo and starring the reliable Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung, the film recounts a nine-hour period in 1979 in which a military coup was attempted. It is understood to be based on real events, but with a fictional telling.
It earned $11.2 million between Friday and Sunday accounting for four out of every five tickets sold in the country. Over its five-day opening run it earned $14.1 million.
That is the second highest opening by any film this year, behind only summer hit “The Roundup: No Way Out” and it is expected to achieve two million ticket sales on Monday.
The strong performance lifted the overall box office for the weekend back above $10 million for the first time since the Chuseok holiday in late September and only the second time since the summer.
- 11/27/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Update, writethru: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon has exceeded expectations with $78.8M global across the five-day opening frame, including $46.3M from the international box office. This is higher than the Friday estimate (see below), and well above pre-weekend projections.
Produced by Apple Original Films and distributed by Sony Pictures, the action epic started worldwide release on Wednesday and expanded to 56 offshore markets through Friday.
Overseas, the Joaquin Phoenix-starrer doubled both Killers Of The Flower Moon and House Of Gucci, and is 86% ahead of Elvis in like-for-like markets at the same point in release. The bulk of play is coming from Europe with $33M, led by the UK’s No. 1 $6.6M and France’s No. 1 $5.6M. Germany, also at No. 1, grossed $3.4M, Spain did $3.3M at No. 1 and Italy took $3.1M.
In IMAX, Napoleon delivered $9M globally, including $3.7M from 324 international runs.
Sony spread the word globally...
Produced by Apple Original Films and distributed by Sony Pictures, the action epic started worldwide release on Wednesday and expanded to 56 offshore markets through Friday.
Overseas, the Joaquin Phoenix-starrer doubled both Killers Of The Flower Moon and House Of Gucci, and is 86% ahead of Elvis in like-for-like markets at the same point in release. The bulk of play is coming from Europe with $33M, led by the UK’s No. 1 $6.6M and France’s No. 1 $5.6M. Germany, also at No. 1, grossed $3.4M, Spain did $3.3M at No. 1 and Italy took $3.1M.
In IMAX, Napoleon delivered $9M globally, including $3.7M from 324 international runs.
Sony spread the word globally...
- 11/26/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Right from his debut feature “Runaway” in 1995, Kim Sung-su has established two things vehemently: he can work with big stars and he can work on a big budget quite effectively. Starting with a then-young but nonetheless impressive Lee Byung-hun, he has since gone on to work with the likes of Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min and even Zhang Ziyi in a rare Korean production appearance. Since his last two works, he has also established that he is also adept at working with an ensemble cast, with both “The Flu” and the highly impressive “Asura: The City of Madness” having an extensive and impressive cast-list. Seven years since “Asura: The City of Madness”, Kim returns to the big screen and with a couple actors he has worked with for “12.12: The Day”, a political thriller based on recent Korean history.
Synopsis
On December 1979, Seoul had been enduring a harsh winter before the upcoming spring.
Synopsis
On December 1979, Seoul had been enduring a harsh winter before the upcoming spring.
- 10/28/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.