Kim Yoon-seok (김윤석)

The movie "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard", directed by Choi Dong-hoon and produced by Zip Cinema, has broken the 5-million mark in just 26 days after its release.

According to Zip Cinema, the cumulative number of people who have seen the film stood at around 4.93 million as of January 16.

Although "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" premiered on December 23, 2009, one week a...More

The movie "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" will be made into a comic book series. And the series will also be downloaded and provided as a subscription-based online service.

Hit movies and TV dramas are often as adapted into novels or comic books. But the comic book series "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" is a special case since it is not a one-time publication of a single comic book that usually coincides with the release of the movie. Instead, it will be a long-running, 3-season series.

Starting January 25, the first seas...More

"The Murderer" director Na Hong-jin

Korean film "The Murderer" has signed on major Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox as one of its co-investors, according to the film's distributor Showbox Mediaplex Co. on Tuesday.

Showbox announced in a press release that the Na Hong-jin helmed pic -- which already has Korean entertainment agency Wellmade Star M as its main investor -- will receive additional funding from Fox, making "The Murderer" the first Korean movie to receive direct investment from the Hollywood studio.

The new business partnership, Showbox explained, will further expand into diverse business opportunities. Fox -- which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation -- will reportedly take part in producing sequels and remakes of the film. In case of a Hollywood remake, Na will be contractually guaranteed to direct the film with original Korean producer Popcorn Films on board as well....More

Film insiders excited over new works by three star directors

Hits came from all quarters in Korean cinema last year, with big blockbusters "Take Off" and "Haeundae", auteur films "Thirst" and "Mother - 2009" and indie sleepers "Old Partner" and "Breathless" all filling seats.

Disaster flick "Haeundae" was the first locally made film to top 10 million tickets sold in three years. Industry-wide box office returns hit a record high of 1.08 trillion won ($964 million), about half from Korean-made films.

The state-funded Korean Film Council forecast in a recent report that the local movie market will continue its incremental growth over the next five years, and 2010 is expected to be another bonanza for the local film studios. But the most hotly anticipated movies inside the industry aren't quite as diverse as 2009's top sellers - on the contrary, they're all in a single genre: thriller.

Korea's thriller renaissance, kicked off by "The Chaser" in 2008 and continued by "Secret - 2009" at the end of last year, continues with "No Mercy", the first big, locally made release of 2010.

According to a recent survey by the JoongAng Ilbo of 20 film experts including producers, investors and critics, the three most highly anticipated films scheduled to be released this year were all thrillers. "The Housemaid", a remake of a local classic, came in first, followed by "The Murderer" (working title), which will reunite "The Chaser" director Na Hong-jin with his two leads from that film. In third was "Moss" (working title) by veteran director Kang Woo-seok.

"The Housemaid", a remake of the 1960 film by the late director Kim Ki-yo...More

A scene from film "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist WizardWOOCHI" [Zip Cinema]

"JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" is the sole Korean movie on the local box office which will be up to par for competition against the recent rush of some of Hollywood's most anticipated films. The collaboration between director Choi Dong-hoon of hit films "The Big Swindle" and "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War Of Flower") and the cast composed of Kang Dong-won, Kim Yoon-seok and Im Soo-jeong is already enough to catch the eye of the moviegoers. But the plot in which character Woochi (played by Kang Dong-won) comes to life in modern day Korea for the first time in 500 years to fight off his opponent Hwadam (played by Kim Yoon-suk) and other monsters, clearly reveals what "WOOCHI" is aiming for. This 'Korean superhero flick' is a Korean-style blockbuster which creates buzz with its sheer scale, ahead of having to judge how well it has been made. Of course, its size may seem relatively small compared to its competitors but it will be interesting to see how well this movie -- made by a director who has a firm understanding on Korean stars and the mentality of the Korean public -- will fare amongst the crowd of Hollywood blockbusters....More