The Korea Herald

S. Korean theaters bustling before 'Avengers 2' release

Apr 15, 2015

With about a week left before the opening of the "Avengers" sequel, South Korean cinemas were bustling with fans coming to reserve tickets for the film on Wednesday.Multiplex cinema chains such as CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox said they began receiving reservations at hundreds of theaters ahead of the film's opening on Thursday next week. A total of171,431 tickets worth about 1.84 billion won ($1.6 million) were reserved as of 4 p.m., according to the official box-office tracker Korean Film Coun
Madness blurs with passion in ‘Whiplash’

Apr 12, 2015

“Whiplash,” the thrilling musical drama directed by Damien Chazelle, has become an unexpected hit in Korea, drawing in some 1.5 million moviegoers here as of early this month.The movie, which is about tough music professor Terence Fletcher (B.K. Simmons) tormenting his student Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) to bring out the best in him, received rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won Academy Awards, including for Simmons as best supporting actor.The positive reception in Korea for
Box Office

Apr 10, 2015

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (U.S.), Opened April 9Drama. Directed by Ned Benson. Conor Ludlow (James McAvoy) and Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain) are a young couple living in New York. They fall in love, and it seems they have nothing to fear or want in the world until a life-changing event threatens to throw their relationship on the rocks. Divided into three films ― “Them,” “Him” and “Her” ― the same story is narrated from different perspectives to provide insight and depth into t
KOFA receives large donation of lost Korean films

Apr 7, 2015

A large trove of old Korean films considered lost have been acquired by a state-run film archive center, potentially filling some of the gaps in the official record of Korean cinema, Korea Film Archive revealed Tuesday.At a press conference in Seoul, the Seoul-based KOFA said that it had received a donation of 450 films, 94 of which were Korean films from 1949-1981 that were believed to be lost. The films will lead to a fuller understanding of Korean cinematic history, officials said. The 94 fil
Box Office

Apr 3, 2015

Salute D’Amour (Korea)Opening April 9Drama, Romance. Directed by Kang Je-gyu70-year-old Sung-chil (Park Geun-hyung), who works at a local supermarket Jangsoo store is a stubborn, short-tempered, old man living by himself. One day, he meets a beautiful, thoughtful woman named Geum-nim (Yoon Yeo-jeong), who owns a flower shop and lives with her daughter Min-jung (Han Ji-min). Sung-chil is interested in Geum-nim and gets advice from his younger friends to go out on a date with her. Geum-nim’s cheer
Australian drama ‘Partisan’ to open Jeonju Film Festival

Apr 1, 2015

Australian director Ariel Keliman’s feature debut “Partisan” will open the 16th edition of Jeonju International Film Festival, inviting a slew of cineaste to the southwestern city of Jeonju from April 30 to May 9. Starring Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan”), the film depicts a closed community composed of troubled women and children who are trained to become child soldiers. The film is told through the eyes of a boy named Alexander (Jeremy Chabriel), illustrating the themes of violence, class struggl
Love lies between life and death

Mar 31, 2015

In his 102nd film ‘Revivre,’ veteran director Im Kwon-taek explores symbolic meanings of death
Comedy ‘Twenty’ tops Korean box office

Mar 30, 2015

Local comedy flick “Twenty” was the most popular film at the theaters over the weekend, stimulating the sluggish Korean box office dominated by Hollywood movies. “Twenty,” directed by Lee Byung-hun and starring heartthrobs Kim Woo-bin, Lee Jun-ho and Kang Ha-neul, nabbed the top spot by garnering more than 1 million viewers since it premiered Wednesday. As of Monday, the film attracted 1,136,866 viewers and earned 8.74 billion won ($7.93 million), according to the official box-office tracker Kor
Box Office

Mar 27, 2015

Revivre (Korea)Opening April 9Drama. Directed by Im Kwon-taekBased on Korean author Kim Hoon’s award-winning novel “Hwajang” (a Korean word meaning makeup and cremation), “Revivre” is veteran director Im Kwon-taek’s 102nd film. The film centers on top marketing executive Oh Sang-moo (Ahn Sung-ki), who works at a major cosmetic company. He is attracted to a young, beautiful woman called Choo Eun-joo (Kim Gyu-ri), while his wife is dying of a brain tumor. The film has already been invited to a num
Showbox inks deal for China foray

Mar 26, 2015

Showbox, one of Korea’s largest film production companies, has signed an exclusive partnership deal with China’s leading entertainment company, officially revving up its entry into the Chinese market. The Seoul-based firm announced Thursday its partnership with Huayi Brothers through which the two companies hope to cooperate for the production of six or more films in the next three years.Yoo Jeong-hun, CEO of Showbox, called the move a “foothold for Showbox’s positive settlement in China” and “a
Seoul to get ‘Film Forum’

Mar 25, 2015

There is good news for local film lovers who are feeling increasingly frustrated by the lack of diversity in Korea’s booming cinema industry.The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced plans to create a film center, which will be the city’s equivalent to New York’s Film Forum, by 2018. Tentatively named “Cinematheque,” the envisioned film center will be constructed on a site currently used as a public parking lot in Chungmuro, a district in central Seoul known as the birthplace of the country’s
'Avengers 2' stars to visit S. Korea next month

Mar 23, 2015

The director and cast of the "Avengers" sequel, which was partly filmed in South Korea, will visit Seoul to promote the film next month, the movie's local importer and distributor said Monday.Joss Whedon, the director of "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and its stars -- Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans -- will fly into South Korea on April 16 after attending the film's world premiere in Los Angeles three days earlier, Walt Disney Company Korea said. They will attend a news conference on
‘Whiplash’ tops Korean box office

Mar 22, 2015

The 2015 Academy award-winning film “Whiplash” topped the Korean box office over the weekend, replacing previous box office hit “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” according to the Korean Film Council.“Whiplash” sold 228,591 tickets on Friday and Saturday, bringing the total number of viewers to 679,329, pushing “Kingsman” to the third place, with the fairytale-based Hollywood flick “Cinderella” taking the No. 2 spot.“Whiplash” hit the local theaters on March 12 and hovered at fourth place before cl
Box Office

Mar 20, 2015

Foulball (Korea)Opening April. 2Documentary. Directed by Cho Jung-rae, Kim Bo-kyeongThis 87-minute documentary follows the baseball team the Goyang Wonders, South Korea’s first independent club with no league affiliation, and Kim Sung-keun, a former manager of the team and the current manager of the Hanwha Eagles. In 2011, celebrated director Kim helmed a team consisting of baseball players who were undrafted high school and college graduates or were released from other professional teams, offer
'Kingsman' tops 5 mln in attendance

Mar 20, 2015

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" by director Matthew Vaughn has exceeded the 5 million mark in audience numbers here, a market tracker said Friday. The action thriller drew 5,016,397 viewers in local theaters as of Thursday, 36 days after it was released on Feb. 11, the Korean Film Council said. The film currently tops the local box office ranking in its sixth week of playing despite the limitation that it is an adult-only, non-Korean film. Earlier this week, it became the fifth most-viewed adu