In the second half of 2006, Korean films led by "The Host", "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War of Flower") and "200 Pounds Beauty" enjoyed strong showings at the box office, outsmarting Hollywood blockbusters. This year, the situation has been completely reversed.
Big-budget Hollywood flicks like "Spider-Man 3" dominated the local box office in the first six months of 2007, while the share of local films, once hovering at around 40 percent, plunged to 20 percent in May.
The Korean film industry now places its hopes on a handful of movies to be released in the second half of this year.
The spotlight is on "May 18" ("Hwaryeohan hyuga", which roughly translates into "Colorful Holiday"), a tale that centers on the Gwangju massacre of May 18, 1980 when troops sent by the military dictatorship killed hundreds of innocent citizens.
The film, which cost about 10 billion won ($10.9 million) to make and is set to be released on July 26, portrays actual events leading up to the May 1...|
More