Archive for the 'Box Office' Category

Well, after all the controversy and being in front of the rating’s board three times, I Saw the Devil was finally allowed to open in Korea with a rating that allowed those over 18 years old to watch it. However, the high rating and hoopla surrounding its opening seemed to hurt the film as it was unable to take the top spot away from A Man From Nowhere which remains at number one for its second week in a row.  Meanwhile, despite beginning to slip in the box office ranks, Inception has done exceptionally well with nearly five million viewers in Korea.

Of the films opening this coming week, the one I am waiting for is Pyega.  It is one of those ‘mockumentaries’ such as Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activities.  Some websites inaccurately claim that it is Korea’s first such film, but that distiction goes to Mokdugi Video back in 2003 or 2004. Unfortunately, that movie has never received a DVD release and I don’t think was seen outside of Korea–which is too bad. It was low budget, but a well-crafted film with some ‘realistic’ ghost hunting.  You should check out the trailer through the link listed below.

1. Expendables (us)– d. Sylvester Stallone, starring Sylvestor Stallone, Jason Statham www.expendables.co.kr

2. Kaiji: Ultimate Gambler (jp)– d. Toya Sato, starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Yuki Amami

3. Last Airbender (us)– d. M. Night Shyamalan, starring Noah Ringer, Dev Patel www.lastairbender.co.kr

4. Lissi and the Wild Emperor (de)– d. Michael Herbig, voiced by Michael Herbig, Christian Tramitz

5. Magic Chunja (kr)– d. Yoon Yeong-gi www.magichunja.co.kr

6. Pyega (kr)– d. Lee Cheol-ha, starring Shin Kyeong-seon, Jeon Il-geol www.pyega2010.co.kr

7. Space Chimps 2 (kr)– d. John H. Williams–Korean dubbed version is being released in theaters voiced by Uhm Sang-hyeon, Jeong Jae-hyeon www.spacechimps2010.com

The Man From Nowhere, the official international title of Ajeoshi, squeaked by Inception and took the first rank spot which was vacated by Salt, now in the third tier.  But the shuffling of the box office was not the big news this weekend. A far more interesting story is the battle over I Saw The Devil.

It has been a while that censorship has so visibly raised its ugly head. It is true that The Butcher, a film that played at the Pucheon International Fantastic Film festival last year, was denied a release in Korea but no one really cared about that. It was an unknown slaher film with unknown actors. However, I Saw The Devil is a big-budget thriller directed by one of the more respected film directors and starring Korea’s two biggest actors–Lee Byeong-heon and Choi Min-shik.  The film was given a rating that effectively prevents it from opening in Korea. The production company had already spent a fortune on advertising and reserving theaters and they are refusing to give up the release date coming this week. Will the film open? We will know soon…

Censorship is nothing new to Korean theater, but it is something I thought was almost at an end. It was a common practice at the dawn of the age of Korean cinema, for the Japanese Colonial Government to review and censor films. Usually, this was done for political reasons and eventually, by the late 1930s, the government had completely taken control of the industry as a propaganda tool. However, they also censored for moral reasons. The Bloody Horse (1928) was a film based on the true story of an incest case. Censors took one look at it and chopped off more than 1000 feet of film. It was later denied a release and is now lost. The 60s thru 80s were infamous for the amount of censorship the government imposed on film. The Aimless Bullet (1961) was yanked from theaters after opening for its criticism of society and the government following the millitary coup thought it was too dangerous.  From that point, the government put the film industry in a stranglehold that nearly killed it by the 70s. Director Yoo Hyeon-mok faced fines and jail time for his ‘flouting’ of obsenity laws in Empty Dreams (1965) because it appeared the lead actress bared her back. She didn’t–she was wearing a nude-colored cloth. But it looked like she was nude and that was enough to offend the moral sensibilities of the censors. More recently films like Lies (1999) and Too Young To Die (2002) faced similar struggles–Lies failed, Too Young to Die managed to open–a sign of the changing times under a civilian government. What are we supposed to think now that the government is once again trying to protect our moral sensibilities? Don’t worry, I am sure the conservatives of President Lee’s government will tell us what we can think….

Anyway…now that I’ve got that off my chest… the films being released this week are listed below.

1. Descent 2 (uk)– d. Jon Harris, starring Shauna MacDonald, Douglas Hodge www.descent2.co.kr

2. El Sistema (de/fr)–d. Maria Stodfmeier, starring Paul Smaczny <documentary>

3. Experiment (us)– d. Paul Scheuring, starring Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker www.experiment2010.co.kr

4. Gloomy Sunday (jp)– d. Masato Harada, starring Yuko Oshima, Ryuhei Matsuda www.deathmusic.co.kr

5. I Saw the Devil (kr)–d. Kim Ji-woon, starring Lee Byeong-heon, Choi Min-shik www.isawthedevil.co.kr

6. Limits of Control (us)– d. Jim Jarmusch, starring Isaach DeBankole, John Hurt

7. Nanny McPhee 2 (us)– d. Susanna White, starring Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal www.nannymcphee2.kr

8. Ocean World 3D (uk)– Jean-Jacques Mantell <documentary> www.oceanworld3d.co.kr

9. Possession of David Reilly (uk)– d. Steve Isles, starring Giles Anderson, Francesca Fowler <opening as Paranormal Possession in Korea>

Salt was the number one movie in Korea this weekend although Inception gave it quite a run for its money, just barely missing the top spot and landing at number two. Media hailed Death Bell 2 as a success despite its box office take being barely a third of the number one film. That is because horror movies do not traditionally do well in Korea–especially recently–and opening at number 4 was seen as an excellent showing. I am happy to report that Pagwedwen Sanai was finally assigned an international name last week, Man of Vendetta, but it slipped out of the top ten this weekend and came in at number 12, just behind Ajeoshi which was given a test run on 10 screens nationally. Ajeoshi— which reminds me of the 1994 French film Leon every time I see the trailer–officially opens this Thursday along with the films listed below.

1. Ajeoshi (kr)–d. Lee Jeong-beom, starring Won Bin, Kim Sae-rom www.ajussi2010.co.kr

2. Blackout (us)– d. Rigoberto Castaneda, starring Amber Tamblyn, Aiden Gillen <opening in Korea as Elevator>

3. I Give My First Love To You (jp)–d. Takehiko Shinjo starring Masaki Okada, Mao Inoue

4. Step Up 3D (us)– d. Jon Chu, starring Sharni Winson, Rick Malambri www.stepup3d.co.kr

5. Toy Story 3 (us)– d. Lee Unkrich, voiced by Tom Hanks, Tim Allen www.toystory3.co.kr

6. Two Eyes Staring (nd)– d. Elbert Van Strien, starring Isabelle Stokkel, Charlotte Arnoldy <opening as simply Two Eyes in Korea>

Normally, I am pretty good at being able to predict what the box office will do from week to week. But I admit that I completely missed the boat this time. I had said that I did not think the new movies that opened last week would have much effect on the box office especially since most of them were children’s films which traditionally don’t do very well. Instead, they completely reshuffled the box office rankings. Of the movies that were already in theaters, only Moss fared decently–the rest were overwhelmed. The science fiction action film Inception took the top spot though forcing Moss to slip a place to the number two position. Everything else dropped three to five tiers. This coming week, eight new movies are opening. Of them Salt and Death Bell 2 may do well–but I was so far off last week that I am reluctant to make any predictions.  The new movies opening are listed below.

1. Cracks (uk)– d. Jordan Scott, starring Eva Green, Juno Temple

2. Death Bell 2 (kr)– d. Yoo Seon-dong, starring Kim Soo-ro, Hwang Jeong-eum www.gosa2.co.kr

3. Doraemon (jp)– d. Kozo Kushuba voiced by Moon Nam-sook, Kim Heong-ah (Korean dubbed version) www.doraemon-movie.co.kr

4. Forgotton Bag (kr)– d. Kim Sang-cheol, starring Kwon Oh-joong, Lee Hyeon-woo

5. Oceans (fr)– d. Jacques Perrin <documentary> www.oceans.co.kr

6. Perfect Educations 7: Maid for You (jp)– d. Kenta Fukasaku, starring Kotaro Yanagi, Ayano

7. Salt (us)– d. Phillip Noyce, starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber www.saltmovie.co.kr

8. Taking Woodstock (us)–d . Ang Lee, starring Demetri Maritn, Imelda Stauton

It was another good week at the theaters for attendence with people escaping either the deluge of rain on Friday and Saturday or the heat of Sunday.  Moss came out on top as expected and the media followed its progress from opening day predicting correctly that it would reach one million viewers by the end of the weekend. Meanwhile, both The Servant and 71: Into the Fire slipped quietly over the 3 million mark–a fact that would have been given much fanfare a few years ago.   This week marks the start of vacation for primary school students which explains why the movies opening this week are mostly for younger viewers.  I don’t expect any of these to have a strong influence on the top tiers of the box office charts though.  The movies opening next are listed below.

1. Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky (jp)– d. Yasuichiro Yamamoto, voices Minami Takayama, Kappei Yanaguchi

2. Inception (us/uk)– d. Christopher Nolan, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe

3. Maeumi 2 (kr)– d. Lee Jeong-cheol, starring Dalyi, Seong Dong-il www.maumi2.c0.kr

4. Paco and the Magic Book (jp)– d. Tetsuya Nakashima, starring Koji Yakusho, Akaye Wilson

5. Sorcerer’s Apprentice (us)– d. Jon Turteltaub, starring Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel www.sorcerer2010.co.kr

Eclipse of the Twilight series took the top spot this week, which also marked the start of the rainy season which may have contributed to a jump in the number of people attending the theater this weekend.  Percentage-wise, Eclipse did no more than average for a number one release, but total audience count for an opening weekend is quite high.  Maumi 2 came in 1oth in Jeonju–The movie does not receive an official release date until July 21.  It was only tested on 7 screens nationwide. Coming next week is a film that has the potential to land in first and stay for a while–Moss.  Moss is based on a popular, long-running comic book but there are some concerns from fans as to whether or not director Kang can capture the atmosphere and the complexities of the story–especially in a two-hour time frame. Not having read the comic, I am looking forward to the movie without pre-conceived notions of what the story should be.  Below are all the films that are opening this week.

1. Moss (kr)– d. Kang Woo-seok, starring Jeong Jae-yeong, Park Hae-il www.moss0715.co.kr

2. Rebel (vn)– d. Truc Charlie Nguyen, starring Johnny Nguyen, Thanh Van Ngo

3. Refuge (fr)– d. Francois Ozon, starring Isabelle Caire, Melvil Poupaud

4. She’s the One (ch)– d. Xiaogang Feng, starring Qi Shu, You Ge

5. Shortcut to Happiness (us)– d. Alec Baldwin, starring Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt

6. Yuki & Nina (fr/jp)– d. Nobuhiro Suwa, Noe Sampy, Arielle Moutel

I watched Shrek 3 on tv a couple of weeks ago and, frankly I am surprised that was not the end of the franchise. However, Shrek Forever wound up in number 1 this past weekend nationally and in every province with the sole exception of South Jeolla where 71: Into the Fire continues to reign. Pagwedwen Sanai–which still hasn’t been assigned an official English title as of this writing (though the web address is ‘Vendetta’)– failed to meet expectation and opened with a lukewarm reception, landing in 4th.  Only four new films are opening this week..these are listed below.

1. Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (fr)– d. Luc Besson, starring Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow

2. Eclipse (us)– d. David Slade, starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart www.eclipse2010.co.kr

3. Kick Off (ir/iq)–Shawkat Amin Konki (director and lead)

4. Killer Inside Me (us)– Michael Winterbottom, starring Jessica Alba, Katie Hudson www.killer2010.co.kr

Knight & Day came out of the blue and wrested the top spot from 71: Into the Fire although the latter film generally took first in the provinces. Barefoot Dreams received terrible reviews and posed no threat at all to the top two films.

1. I Came From Busan (kr)– d. Jeon Soo-il, starring Park Ha-seon, Kim Jeong-tae www.mountainpictures.co.kr

2. I Love You Phillip Morris (fr/us)– d. Glenn Ficarra, starring Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor www.phillip2010.co.kr

3. Pagwedwen Sanai (kr)– d. Woo Min-ho, starring Kim Myeong-in, Uhm Gi-joon www.vendetta2010.co.kr  <no official English title yet–will update later this week>

4. Shrek Forever (us)– d. Mike Mitchell, starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy www.shrekforever2010.co,kr

5. Splice (ca)– d. Vincenzo Natali, starring Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley www.splice.co.kr

6. White Ribbon (at)–d. Michael Hancke, starring Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi

 I am sure that it didn’t take anyone by surprise that the number one film last weekend was 71: Into the Fire.  What was more surprising was some inexplicable movement in the mid-regions of the box office charts.  Sex in the City 2 rising 3 places nationally (do to its where it placed in Seoul) even as it fell 2 in Jeonju and the rest of the country.  Meanwhile Karate Kid rose a spot in Jeonju even as it dropped three places nationally.  I can’t explain it.  Next week, Barefoot Dream is opening and, while I normally would expect a film that took in nearly 50% of the box office to remain in the top spot for a second week, I think 71: Into the Fire is going to have a struggle on its hands to hold its place against an all-ages, ’feel-good’, soccer film. All the films opening this week are listed below.

1. Barefoot Dream (kr)– d. Kim Tae-gyun, starring Park Hee-soon, Ko Chang-seok  www.dream2010.co.kr

2. Keeper (us)– d. Keoni Waxman, starring Steven Segal, Steph Duvall

3. Knight & Day (us)– d. James Mangold, starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz www.foxkorea.co.kr/knightandday

4. Mistress of Spices (us) — d. Paul Mayeda Berges, starring Aishwarya Rai, Dylan McDermott

5. Nabbeunnomi Deo Jaljanda (kr)– d. Kwon Yeong-cheol, starring Kim Heung-soo, Jo An

6. Runaways (us)– d. Floria Sigismondi, starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Flemming www.runaways.co.kr

7. Sorority Row (us)– d. Steward Hendler, starring Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes www.sororityrow.co.kr

8. War of the Misses (fr)– d. Patrice Le Conte, starring Benalt Poelvoorde, Olivia Bonamy

9. Yosool (kr)– d. Ku Hye-seon, starring Im Jin-guy, Seo Hyeon-jin http://blog.naver.com/yosul2010

The new twist on the Chunhyang story, The Servant, held its position as the number one film in Korea last weekend for a second week in a row. I think I can also safely predict that it is its final week there as 71: Into the Fire will officially open.  ‘71′ received a limited test screening in theaters this past weekend and did very well. That and the other films opening this coming week are listed below.

1. 71: Into the Fire (kr)– d. Lee Jae-han starring Cha Seung-won, Kwon Sang-woo www.remember-71.co.kr

2. Back Up Plan (us)– d. Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex O’Loughlin <opening as Plan B>

3. Boto (kr)– d. Jo Yeon-soo, starring Han Tae-il, Oh Soo-hyeon

4. Hear Me (tw)– d. Fen-Fen Cheng, starring Eddie Peng, Ivy Chen

5. Hottie and the Nottie (us)–d. Tom Putnam, starring Paris Hilton, Joel Moore

6. Ip Man 2 (hk)– d. Wilson Yip, starring Dennie Yen, Xiong Dai-lin www.yipman2.co.kr

7. No Impact Man (us)– d. Laura Gabbert, starring ColinBeavan, Michelle Conlin

8. Sex, Party and Lies (sp)– d. David Menkes, starring Maria Casas, Ana de Armas

9. Street Dance 3D (uk)– Dania Pasquini, starring Richard Winsor, Nichola Burley http://streetdance3d.co.kr

10. Thomas & Friends (us)-d. Greg Tiernan, starring Kerry Shale, Togo Igawa