The Cannes-crowned "Parasite" smashed the weekend box office in South Korea, surpassing a cumulative 3 million admissions on the fourth day of its run, data showed Monday.Released Thursday, the flick sold 2.78 million tickets from Friday to Sunday for a total of 3.36 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. Directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Song Kang-ho, the family satire won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first South Korean tit

1. The first on-screen kiss in South Korea was in 1954.Nearly six decades after the first on-screen kiss occurred in the West in the 1896 film “The Kiss,” there was an uproar in South Korea in 1954 when the two protagonists of “The Hand of Destiny” had their lip-to-lip moment.Although this lasted for only a few seconds, it was a symbolic moment in Korean cinema that highlighted the clash of Confucian values and the ever-growing Western influence. The director and the actr

Cannes-winning "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho, took off with unstoppable momentum and topped the local box office on the first day of its release.The family satire attracted some 568,000 viewers on Thursday, sharply outnumbering the runner-up, Disney's live-action film "Aladdin," with 74,000, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It showed on 1,783 local screens, with 8,263 viewings on the day.The film, starring Song Kang-ho, is expected to hit a cumulative to

Last Saturday, renowned Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. As the auteur said, it was a “timely gift” to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Korean cinema, which has grown in leaps and bounds to become the fifth-largest player in the world film industry by the number of box office admissions, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Although the box offi

Parasite(Korea)Opened May 30Drama, Black ComedyDirected by Bong Joon-hoThe Kims, a poor, jobless family of four, find their way into the wealthy glamorous Park family by landing jobs through deceitful means. They earn the affection of the Parks, who are worlds apart from them and yet are somewhat alike. Their new way of life is turned upside down when an unexpected visitor comes knocking on the door, kicking off a series of unexpected events.The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil(Korea)Opened May 15Cr

Bong Joon-ho is just a brilliant storyteller. His films encompass the hard-hitting issues confronting today’s society and they reek of cynicism, yet they are just fun to watch. This is the difference between him and other directors, such as Kim Ki-duk, whose films are hard to watch: Bong’s films don’t rattle you and force you to think. They lure you in with interesting stories, get you hooked, then leave you lost in thought about what you’ve just seen as you leave the the

The Cannes-winning film "Parasite" is on its way to creating a sensation in South Korea, as its presale tickets outnumbered big-name movies.With three days to go before the movie's opening, the data from the Korea Film Council showed that the flick has already sold more than 90,000 presale tickets as of Monday morning. That accounted for 42.3 percent of all tickets reserved as of 9:10 a.m., while Walt Disney's live-action film "Aladdin" posted 19.6 percent. Local crime action

Bong Joon-ho’s social satire “Parasite” made history Saturday by becoming the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or, the top award at the Cannes Film Festival.According to the jury president Alejandro Inarritu, the nine-person jury had made the decision based on a unanimous vote.“The film has been an astonishing journey, which was made possible with the artists that stood by my side. Above all, I wouldn’t have been able to shoot a single scene without great

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday delivered a congratulatory message for the South Korean film "Parasite" after it won the top Cannes festival award, calling it a big gift to all South Koreans."Parasite" won the top honor at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on Saturday (French time), making it the first South Korean movie to take the main prize at the eminent film event.  "The status of hallyu culture has risen one step higher," Moon said on his Twitter and other so

South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho, who won the top prize at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, is known for works that cater to both commercial and artistic tastes.His films often use metaphors, but they are not too difficult -- not only for film critics but also for audiences -- to understand. Throughout his filmography, he sheds light on chronic social issues like materialism and class division through analogy, and he never fails to cast a warm, good-humored eye over the weak. In his fi

Thanks to Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" being awarded the Palme d'Or at Cannes on Saturday, South Korea has bagged the highest honor at two of the world's three most acclaimed film competitions -- Cannes, Venice and Berlin.The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival gave its top prize to Bong's black comedy movie about a poor family becoming obsessed with a rich one after their son gets a job as a tutor for the wealthy family. It is the first time that a South Korean filmmaker has grabbed

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil(Korea)Opened May 15Crime, ActionDirected by Lee Won-taeA notorious gangster Jang Dong-soo (Ma Dong-seok) narrowly survives a random attack by a serial killer, and sets out to bring justice to his attacker in his own way: by brutally murdering him. At the same time, a cop Jung Tae-suk (Kim Mu-yeol) seeks to arrest the killer. The two men join forces to form the most unorthodox and perilous team, which will break down the moment they locate Kang.Miss & Mrs. Cop

Director Ahn Ju-young’s first feature film is not a masterpiece, yet it has a strange appeal to it.The narrative and the plot are a bit plain, and I felt like Ahn dropped the ball a bit in the climax, but it is well-cast, the two leads are fantastic and work extremely well together and the tone of the film is adorable. The small-budget film is getting barely any exposure, and without any big names and standout effects will likely drown rather quickly in sea of blockbuster films. But I feel

CANNES, France -- South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho said Wednesday that stairs serve as a key metaphor for hierarchical social status and materialism in his Cannes-nominated black comedy “Parasite.” “Nearly 90 percent of the story takes place in a big house, the home of the rich family. It has a vertical structure -- second floor, first floor and basement,” the director said at an official press conference for the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. &ldqu

Watching the trailer of the “Aladdin,” 2019 remake of the beloved 1992 Disney animation, I thought it would be either be fantastic or a steaming pile of disappointment. To my surprise, it was neither. The Guy Ritchie film had its fun moments, and was an absolute joy to the eyes. Its characters were likeable, but the flick had some clunky storytelling moments and did not really capture the wonder and magic of the original.  “Aladdin” / Walt Disney Co. Korea“Street rat” Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is a