Choi Min-sik, Son Suk-ku to star in Disney+ series ‘Casino’

Disney+ on Monday announced that “Oldboy” actor Choi Min-sik and rising star Son Suk-ku will star in the upcoming drama “Casino.” According to Disney+, this is Choi’s first performance in a drama series in 24 years, when he appeared on MBC‘s “Love and Farewell” (1997-1998). Since then he has only worked on big-screen projects, including “Oldboy” directed by Park Chan-wook, “Nameless Gangster” directed by Yoon Jong-bin and &

June 13, 2022

CGV to focus more on high-tech screens, premium theaters to brace for post-pandemic

CJ CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex cinema chain, said Sunday that it will expand investment in high-technology, multi-projection screens and premium theaters to meet changing customer demand in the post-pandemic era. "We will focus more on expanding high-tech screens in a bid to help movie fans not only watch content but also experience something more special at theaters," said Cho Jin-ho, who is in charge of content programming in CGV. "We are also adding more small pri

June 12, 2022

'The Roundup' tops 10 mln admissions in S. Korea

The Korean action comedy "The Roundup" topped 10 million admissions in local theaters on Saturday. The sequel to the 2017 hit movie "The Outlaws" had set the record by 1:50 p.m., according to its local distributor, ABO Entertainment Co., based on a real-time box-office tally from the Korean Film Council. It exceeded the mark on the 25th day since its release on May 18 and became the 28th film to reach the milestone of 10 million ticket sales in South Korea. The 27th film w

June 11, 2022

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival’s in-person events return after two years

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on Friday announced that it will hold in-person events at the festival year, slated to take place from July 7 to 17. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the fest had been holding opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a red carpet event at various locations in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, such as Bucheon City Hall and Bucheon Gymnasium. During the last two years, the fest had been downsized with all in-person events without audiences, and the openin

June 10, 2022

Cannes-winning Park Chan-wook, Song Kang-ho movies to get special screenings

South Korea’s biggest cinema chain CJ CGV will hold special screenings of seven movies with Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho, from Thursday to June 29. “To celebrate director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho winning the awards, we created this special screening event to share a meaningful achievement of Korean cinema which raised its reputation,” CGV official Yeo Kwang-jin said in a statement released Thursday. “I hope audiences can take

June 10, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Broker (Korea) Opened June 8 Drama Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda So-young (IU) leaves her child in a baby box in front of a church. Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) secretly steal the baby to sell him to a family who cannot legally adopt. So-young returns to the church the next day to retrieve the baby and finds out that Sang-hyun and Dong-soo have taken the child. Soon, So-young and the two men agree to look for the right parents for the baby together. After Yang (Ko

June 10, 2022

[Video] Meet the son of Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, Korea's up-and-coming filmmaker Hyomin

“I don’t know why I was kind of mean to my dad,” says Bong Hyo-min, recalling his childhood. Growing up under two filmmakers, film has always been part of his life. But it wasn’t until he became a director himself that he started understanding his dad, Bong Joon-ho, a little more. Now a rising director himself, working under the mononym Hyomin, he is on his journey to discovering how he can make an impact through his film and creativity. Check out Hyomin’s first

June 9, 2022

[Herald Interview] I will not perform overseas: Cannes-winning actor Song Kang-ho

After appearing in Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019), as well as becoming the first Korean to win best actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for his role in “Broker” (2022) in May, Song Kang-ho is now at the center of global attention. Song, however, said he does not have any plans to do projects overseas, adding that he decided to perform in “Broker” because it is being produced in his home country. “After ‘Parasite’ I got lots of o

June 9, 2022

[Herald Interview] Bae Doo-na regrets not taking part in Cannes

Korean actor Bae Doo-na, 42, expressed regret over not being able to take part in promotional events for “Broker,” as she is currently filming Zack Snyder’s new sci-fi saga for Netflix, “Rebel Moon,” during an interview with local reporters via Zoom on Wednesday. Bae also could not be present at the 75th Cannes Film Festival where Song won the award for best actor for his role in “Broker.” “It is too bad that I could not make it to Cannes this

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Actor Gang Dong-won wants to see more ‘touching’ films succeed

Actor Gang Dong-won was skeptical at first as to whether the sentiment that flows in the heartwarming film “Broker” would come across well to Western audiences, although the film touches on the universal subject of abandoned children. “I was surprised to see audiences at Cannes Film Festival crying while watching the movie. I was relieved that the film received recognition,” the veteran actor said Wednesday during the interview held in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. G

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Why Lee Ji-eun agonized over single mother role in ‘Broker’

When singer-actress Lee Ji-eun played single mother So-young in “Broker,” she constantly thought about a special viewer she has known since filming at an orphanage when she was a teenager. “I met many children there, but there is a friend who is especially close to me. I had to think if any line or acting in the film could hurt that friend’s feelings,“ Lee said during a press interview Tuesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. Some trepidation remain

June 8, 2022

Director Park Hoon-jung’s ‘The Witch’ universe expands with sequel

Director Park Hoon-jung’s “The Witch” universe is expanding further with new characters, upgraded special powers and storyline in “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One.” Park’s “The Witch”, released in 2018, features the story of a seemingly ordinary girl named Ja-yoon (Kim Da-mi) who wins top prize on a TV audition program. After her victory, a series of unusual people enter Ja-yoon’s life, including the mysterious scientist, Dr. Baek. The s

June 8, 2022

Seoul Independent Film Festival to introduce movies in Spain, Hong Kong

Seoul Independent Film Festival will take part in film screening events to introduce Korean independent movies in Spain and Hong Kong. The SIFF will introduce selected independent Korean films at Korea Fest BCN 2022, held at Cinemes Boliche in Barcelona, Spain for five days from June 15 to 19. There will be an Indie Seoul section during the film festival in Spain, which will screen five selected works among films that were screened at the SIFF, including “Fighter,” directed by J

June 7, 2022

‘Broker’ director Kore-eda aims to break prejudice against mothers who give up kids

Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s new film “Broker” does not hide the key question that the director wants to ask the audience: Should mothers take all the blame for abandoning their children in “baby boxes”? “At the beginning of the movie, Soo-jin (played by Bae Doo-na) says ‘if you are going to abandon a newborn, you should not have given a birth to him.’ This shows that there is a kind of prejudice toward mothers. The film starts from the

June 6, 2022

'The Roundup' tops 9 million viewers

The Korean action comedy "The Roundup," starring "Eternals" star Ma Dong-seok, topped 9 million accumulated viewers Monday, data showed. On its 20th day on the big screen Monday, the sequel to the 2017 hit movie "The Outlaws" has nabbed more than 9 million in attendance, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The detective action flick released May 18 is continuing to shatter pandemic-era box-office records, having become the first film to reach the 8 milli

June 6, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Hommage (Korea) Opened May 26 Drama Directed by Shin Su-won Director Ji-wan (Lee Jung-eun) is in a slump. She aims to entice 200,000 patrons to her new film but finds it difficult to reach her goal. Her family provides little support. One day Ji-wan gets a part-time job restoring an old film about the country‘s first female judge created by first-generation female director Hong Eun-won. Through this process, her passion for filmmaking is renewed. The Red Herring (Korea) Opened May

June 3, 2022

Korean audiences’ feedbacks are more important than winning Cannes: Park Chan-wook

Feedback from Korean audiences for his new thriller-romance film “Decision to Leave” is more important than winning a trophy at Cannes Film Festival, director Park Chan-wook said during a press conference held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on Thursday. Park won the best director award for his new film on May 28 at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in southern France. “This film, in particular, is different from my previous work in that it has many elements that only Ko

June 2, 2022

'Jurassic World Dominion' sets new opening day score in pandemic era

The sci-fi action adventure film "Jurassic World Dominion" has set the best opening-day record in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic, box office data showed Thursday. The latest installment of the "Jurassic Park" franchise garnered 763,000 viewers upon its debut Wednesday, accounting for 52.9 percent of the tickets sold on the day, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It marked the largest first-day score for any release since the new coronavirus broke out in e

June 2, 2022

Director Kore-eda says Song Kang-ho inspired him to make ’Broker‘

Actor Song Kang-ho recalled what it was like to receive the best actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, a first for a Korean male, during a press conference for the film held Tuesday, just a day after returning from France. “Very few get to receive awards at Cannes. Only seven out of 21 movies (in competition) get awards. Before midnight, those seven films get a notice that they will receive awards. So I was really nervous before midnight,” Song said during the press confere

June 1, 2022

Cannes-winning actor Song Kang-ho talks about historic award receiving moments

Song Kang-ho recalled what it was like to receive the country’s first best actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival during the first press conference for the film held after he returned from France on Tuesday. “Very few get to receive awards at Cannes. Only seven out of 21 movies (in competition) get awards. Before midnight those seven films get a notice that they will receive awards. So I was really nervous before midnight,” Song said during the press conference held at

May 31, 2022