Judy (US) Opened March 25 Biography, Drama Directed by Rupert Goold Thirty years after starring in “The Wizard of Oz,” beloved actress and singer Judy Garland (Renee Zellweger) arrives in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub. While there, she reminisces with friends and fans and begins a whirlwind romance with musician Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock), her soon-to-be fifth husband. Move the Grave (Korea) Opened March 25 Drama, Family, Comedy Directed by

CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex chain, said Thursday that it will shut down about 30 percent of its theaters starting this weekend due to the prolonged fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The company, an affiliate of Korean entertainment giant CJ Group, said 35 out of 116 cinemas under its direct control nationwide will be closed from Saturday, including those in Myeongdong and Daehangno, central Seoul. It will show movies just three times a day on the remaining screens. In addition,

  New films by star South Korean directors are poised to hit theaters this year, giving a boost to the movie industry hit hard by the novel coronavirus. Choi Dong-hoon, famous for smash-hit crime thrillers, including "Tazza: The High Rollers" (2006), "The Thieves" (2012) and "Assassination" (2015), will return with a new crime science-fiction film about aliens living in Korea. The film, which stars Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin and Ryu Jun-yeol, is now in pre-produ

Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung, 26, on Sunday received the best actress award at the 34th Takasaki Film Festival held in Japan, for her role in the upcoming film “Blue Hour.” This is the second award she has won in Japan this month. On March 6, she became the first Korean to win the best actress award at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize Awards for her role in “The Journalist.” Shim played journalist Yoshioka Erika, who digs into a political scandal. Directed by Yuko Ha

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting the production of films in South Korea as on-location filming schedules have been canceled due to widening travel bans worldwide. The production team of the crime movie "Bogota," starring Song Joon-ki, has decided to stop shooting at a location in Colombia and return to South Korea. "We've made the decision in consideration of the safety of the cast and crew," said an official from the film's local distributor, Megabox Plus M, last wee

The daily number of moviegoers in South Korea dropped to a record low out of fear of the novel coronavirus, data showed Tuesday. According to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), 25,873 people went to cinemas on Monday, the smallest daily figure since January 2004 when KOFIC started to compile local box office data. Due to the outbreak of the infectious COVID-19 virus, local movie theaters have been struggling with a sharp drop in ticket sales. A daily average of 64,000 people saw

Film’s foreign sales company labels as “undone deal”

Virus fears are not just present in reality, but also on the big screen. American director Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film “Contagion” portrays the spread of a deadly virus. The details -- from the outbreak of the virus to the symptoms and even the wickedness of humankind amid the chaos -- seem almost prophetic considering what was to come in nine years. Maybe it is the desire to put the invisible culprit threatening and constraining us inside our homes in front of our eyes, o

Dreamer (Korea) Opened March 19 Drama, Crime Directed by Cho Sung-bin North Korean defector Geun-su (Hong Geun-taek) struggles to settle in capitalist South Korean society, while searching for the brother he was separated from during their escape from the communist regime. Ji-hyuk (Cha Ji-hyun), an ex-convict and deliveryman, finds out Geun-su is involved in drug dealing. Desperate to flee the country for a new life, Ji-hyuk persuades Geun-su to steal a bag of methamphetamine and make big mone

Rookie director’s debut piece a potent brew of drugs, defectors and crime

The virus-hit South Korean film community is gradually regaining vitality, with some movies poised to hit local screens in the coming weeks, as the country's coronavirus infections have been seemingly slowing down. South Korea reported an additional 93 cases of COVID-19 infection on Wednesday, bringing the total to 8,413 with 84 deaths. The Wednesday figure marked the fourth consecutive day of double-digit daily increases. "Judy," a biographical drama film about American singer and

Shim Eun-kyung speaks about why she continues to study

Director Kim Cho-hee, actress Kang Mal-geum discuss ‘Lucky Chan-sil’

The number of moviegoers in South Korea fell to a 15-year low in February out of intensifying fears over the infectious coronavirus, data showed Friday. According to the data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), a total of 7.37 million people went to the cinema last month, plunging 66.9 percent from 14.9 million tallied a year ago. It is the smallest February number since 2005, when monthly admissions came to 11.3 million. It is also the first time in 15 years that the February admission dropp

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will feature about 13 percent fewer movies this year, its organizer said Friday. In a recent general meeting, the secretariat decided to invite about 260 films for its 25th edition, a sharp cut from some 300 screened in previous years. The organizer also decided to hold this year's event from Oct. 7-16 under the slogan of "New Start, Always BIFF." The downsizing came as its funding was slashed 6 percent on-year to 11.95 billion won (US$