The next ‘Frozen’? Expectations for ‘Heartsping: Teenieping of Love’ soar with high reservation rate

The ticket reservation rate for “Heartsping: Teenieping of Love,” the film prequel to South Korean hit animation series “Catch! Teenieping,” has recorded 95 percent well before its opening at theaters on Aug. 7, according to ShowBox, the film’s distributor. The record is raising anticipation on whether the Korean animated film will become the next “Frozen,” a 2019 hit Disney animated film that saw the presales of tickets top 1.1 million -- the first anim

July 30, 2024

International EBS festival to feature selection of well-crafted documentaries

The 21st EBS International Documentary Festival, the country's oldest documentary festival, takes place Aug. 19 to Aug. 25, when it will introduce a slew of well-made documentaries from around the world. Featuring 53 documentaries from 32 countries, this year's festival is being held under its slogan: "Bridge the Times." The slogan embodies the hope that humanity can bridge diverse values and cultures to strive for coexistence, said Kim Dong-gwan, director of EIDF, at a press

July 30, 2024

Actor Son Suk-ku’s ‘Night Fishing’ wins award at Fantasia International Film Festival

South Korean actor Son Suk-ku’s 13-minute-long experimental film “Night Fishing” received the Best Editing Award at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival, which kicked off on July 18 and continues through Aug. 4 in Montreal, Canada. The “Night Fishing” story, which unfolds from the perspective of a car’s cameras, revolves around an anonymous agent (Son) on a mission to track down an unidentified creature flying in the sky. As the sun sets, he lies in a

July 29, 2024

[Herald Interview] Jo Jung-suk says his comical acting is instinctive, result of teamwork

Jo Jung-suk, whose scene-stealing acting entertains viewers on the silver screen, said his realistic, natural and even sly comical acting is based on instinct. In upcoming comedy film “Pilot,” he plays pilot Han Jung-woo, successfully performing the comical role of a man disguising himself as a woman in a way that is neither excessive nor dull. “It’s really important to get a sense (of comical acting.) It’s hard to explain. I think (my acting) is instinctive. &helli

July 29, 2024

[What to watch] 3 Korean box office flops with cult followings for unpredictable laughs

While it’s certainly harder to call Korea’s box office flops “great” movies to watch, some have gained cult followings similar to B-movies, due to being “so bad they’re good.” Korean movies in this vein don’t fall into a particular genre or follow a typical storyline. They are unpredictable and elicit uncontrollable laughs, rather than forced ones. How good these movies actually are is a tricky question to answer. But if you have any love for black

July 27, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Deadpool & Wolverine” (US) Opened July 24 Action/Comedy Directed by Shawn Levy A retired Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), who lives an ordinary life as a car dealer, seeks out Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) for a superhero team-up, as he tries to maintain the existence of all the people important to him. “Despicable Me 4” (US) Opened June 24 Animation Directed by Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage Gru and Gru Jr. face their peaceful life crashing down as criminal mastermind Maxime Le

July 26, 2024

[Herald Review] 'Deadpool and Wolverine' is salute to Marvel fans

Fueled by fans' excitement to see two beloved superheroes together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time, "Deadpool and Wolverine" is currently the talk of the town here. Despite its R-rated status, as of Wednesday, the film achieved a 46.5 percent pre-sale rate with more than 210,000 tickets sold in advance. The pre-sale rate is nearly three times higher than that of its competitors, such as "Pilot" (18.2 percent) and "Despicable Me 4" (10.2 pe

July 24, 2024

'I, the Executioner' invited to 49th TIFF

South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest action film, “I, the Executioner,” has been invited to the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, continuing its streak of acclaim after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May, CJ ENM announced Tuesday. “I, the Executioner" is a sequel to 2015 blockbuster “Veteran.” "Veteran," which attracted 13.4 million cinemagoers in Korea during its run, was showcased in the vanguard category at the 20

July 23, 2024

Lee Sun-kyun's posthumous film 'Land of Happiness' to serve as historical record

Lee Sun-kyun's posthumous "Land of Happiness" accurately recreates events that took place during pivotal moments in Korean history and serves as a historical record, according to the film's director on Monday. “Land of Happiness” is a historical drama that follows the story of In-hoo (Jo Jung-suk), a lawyer striving to defend Tae-joo (Lee), a soldier implicated in the assassination of President Park Chung-hee and put on trial. The assassination, which occurred on

July 22, 2024

'Minari' director's 'Twisters' sees biggest opening for natural disaster film in North America

"Twisters," the latest disaster film from multiple-award-winning "Minari" director Lee Isaac Chung, achieved the biggest opening for a natural disaster film in North America, according to an online box office analysis service, Monday. According to Box Office Mojo, a US online box office analysis service, "Twisters" amassed $80.5 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend in North America. In Box Office Mojo's terms, North America includes the gross box-

July 22, 2024

[Herald Review] Jo Jung-suk’s ‘Pilot’ sidesteps comedy cliches

A trusted name in comedy flicks, actor Jo Jung-suk's unique charm and friendliness maximize the characteristics of any role he takes up, as witnessed once again in upcoming comedy film "Pilot." A remake of the Swedish movie “Cockpit” (2012), “Pilot” revolves around the life of pilot Han Jung-woo (Jo) who, after getting fired from his job and divorced by his wife, is now searching for a new job. Out of desperation, he disguises himself as a woman to get a p

July 21, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Project Silence” (South Korea) Opened July 12 Thriller/action Directed by Kim Tae-gon Trapped on a collapsing bridge shrouded in fog, national security officer Jung-won (the late Lee Sun-kyun), his daughter and other survivors find themselves in a fight for their lives against a mysterious creature. “Escape” (South Korea) Opened July 3 Action Directed by Lee Jong-pil North Korean soldier Gyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon) is about to be discharged after 10 years of service. Faced w

July 19, 2024

Asia’s largest experimental film and video fest kicks off in Seoul

Seoul’s Experimental Film and Video Festival (EXiS), the largest of its kind in Asia, kicked off Thursday for eight days of experimental films, documentaries and moving images from around the world. Under its competition program EX-Now, a total of 21 experimental films will be screened in the international section, selected from 2,008 films from 79 countries, while 11 Korean experimental films will compete in the Korean section. From the 32 films, a jury will select three films for awards.

July 18, 2024

Lee Hye-ri of ‘Victory’ receives Rising Star Award at NY Asian Film Festival

Singer-actor Lee Hye-ri won the Rising Star Award with the coming-of-age film “Victory” at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival which kicked off Friday. The festival runs until July 28. “Victory” had its world premiere at the 23rd NYAFF by opening the festival held at New York Lincoln Center. In the movie set in 1999, Lee plays a high-school student Pil-sun who creates a cheerleading group to gain access to the school's dance room. The film marks Lee’s first r

July 16, 2024

‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’ and ‘Esper’s Light’ given top awards at 28th BIFAN

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Asia’s largest genre film festival that showcases an array of films, including thrillers and fantasy movies, officially concluded Friday, announcing “The Last Stop in Yuma County” and “Esper’s Light” as the best films at the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony followed the screening of the festival’s closing film “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” by Hong Kong martial arts master S

July 14, 2024

"Inside Out 2" becomes most-watched Pixar film in Korea

"Inside Out 2" is the most-viewed Pixar film to open in Korean theaters. According to the Korean Film Council, as of Sunday at 9:30 a.m., the total number of admissions sold for "Inside Out 2" logged 7.45 million. This surpasses the 7.24 million tickets sold for the US animation studio's "Elemental" (2023), which previously held the record as the most-watched Pixar movie in Korean theaters. "Inside Out 2" is currently the third most-watched film in

July 14, 2024

'Exhuma' to open in Japanese theaters

South Korean occult flick "Exhuma," which set a record as this year's first film to hit 10 million admissions, will be released in Japanese theaters this October. According to Kadokawa, the Japanese distributor of "Exhuma," the film will hit local theaters across Japan on Oct. 18. Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, known for his success with occult films such as "The Priests" (2015) and "Svaha: The Sixth Finger" (2019), and featuring veteran actors Choi Min-s

July 14, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Escape” (South Korea) Opened July 3 Action Directed by Lee Jong-pil North Korean soldier Gyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon) is about to be discharged after 10 years of service. Faced with no alternative other than a future of working on a farm or in a mine, he devises a plan to defect to South Korea in search of a better life. “Handsome Guys” (South Korea) Opened June 26 Comedy Directed by Nam Dong-hyup Two well-meaning carpenters and friends, Jae-pil (Lee Sung-min) and Sang-gu (Le

July 12, 2024

Lee Isaac Chung returns with American disaster film ‘Twisters’

Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung is returning with the American disaster film “Twisters,” slated for August release in local theaters. Director Chung, who won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2021 with his autobiographical family drama "Minari," has collaborated with Steven Spielberg for this movie. Spielberg is the executive producer of this standalone sequel to the 1996 movie "Twister." “Twisters” follows the story

July 11, 2024

Hong Sang-soo’s ‘By the Stream’ to compete at Locarno Film Festival

South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo's new work “By the Stream” will have its world premiere and compete at the Locarno Film Festival, Hong’s production firm Jeonwonsa Film said Thursday. The 77th Locarno Film Festival, which kicks off on Aug. 7, showcases artistic and experimental movies from around the world. Established in 1946, the festival is one of the longest film festivals in the world, taking place every August in the northeastern city of Locarno, Switzerland. It is

July 11, 2024