| 'Haeundae' Hits 7-Million-Viewer Mark (Source) |
2009/08/09 |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Local summer blockbuster "Haeundae", directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, has been seen by 7 million viewers in 18 days since its premiere July 22.
The film is expected to break the 10-million-viewer mark soon with its present pace. Currently, only four domestic movies ― "Silmido" (2003), "TaeGukGi: The Brotherhood of War" (2004), "The King and the Clown" (2005) and "The Host" (2006) ― have drawn more than 10 million viewers.
"Haeundae" attracted 180,000 viewers on opening day and reached 1 million viewers July 25, four days after its release.
The film has continued to draw an average 300,000 viewers a day during the weekdays and 500,000 viewers a day on the weekends. If the film reaches the 10-million-viewer mark, it will be the fifth film to do so, three years after "The Host", the last film to do so.
The movie's popularity is attributed to the wide range of audience members it appeals to, from teens to the middle-aged, due to its co... |More
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| A disaster film, five years in the making (Source) |
2009/08/07 |
'I learned through making "Haeundae" that nothing in the world is impossible'.
The Korean blockbuster "Haeundae" has taken audiences by storm ? or perhaps it's more apt to say by tsunami, which happens to be the main focus of the movie.
As of yesterday, the film had drawn an impressive 6 million moviegoers since its release on July 22.
Many critics and viewers attribute the film's success to a gripping story line and its use of eye-catching advanced computer-generated graphics, which accounted for a big part of the movie's 13 billion won ($10.6 million) budget.
The story is told through the human relations between various characters played by seasoned actors such as Seol Kyeong-gu, Ha Ji-won and Park Joong-hoon, presenting audiences with a good mix of humor and touching, emotional scenes throughout the two-hour ride.
Director Yoon Je-kyoon, who also wrote the film, said he was staying in his hometown of Busan when he first heard about the tsunamis that hit Southeast Asia i... |More
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| Summer Action Flicks Are Coming
(Source) |
2009/06/30 |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Every summer, big budget Hollywood movies flow in, and many worry about the potential threat to homegrown films. Recent trends, however, suggest that competition is healthy.
"The fact that such a comparison (between national and international franchises) is even possible is unique; there aren't so many countries around the world where domestic films can compete with American ones", Han Seung-hee, researcher at the Korean Film Council, told The Korea Times.
After the turn of the new millennium, the Korean film industry enjoyed rapid growth, with blockbusters rewriting box office history each year. But the market plummeted for the first time last year, and investment and production hit an all time low. Moviegoers even criticized films that fared well at the box office as being formulaic.
So far, 2009 looks better. The success of "A Frozen Flower" and "Scandal Makers" ("Speedy Scandal") opened up a promising new year. Although February and March... |More
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| CJ Ent. Makes Waves at HK FILMART (Source) |
2009/04/16 |
The film sales arm of Korean major CJ Entertainment did brisk business at the Hong Kong FIILMART, closing deals on a slew of titles including pre-sales for its big-budget disaster film "Haeundae" going to Indonesia's VSG for rights over Malaysia, Singapore and home territory.
The Busan-set CGI driven film about a tsunami that hits the popular Korean beach resort of Haeundae, boasts a top cast of SEOL Kyeong-gu ("Oasis"), HA Ji-won ("Duelist"), PARK Joong-hoon ("Radio Star"), and UHM Jung-hwa ("Princess Aurora"). JK Youn (Yoon Je-kyoon - "Miracle on 1st Street") directs with Hollywood master Hans Ulrich (Star Wars 4 & 5, The Day After Tomorrow) supervising CGI.
"Haeundae" also sold to Indo Overseas along with KIM Ji-woon western "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" for India. CJ also sold KANG Woo-seok thriller "Public Enemy Returns" to Palisades Tartan for the US and UK, and JEON Yoon-soo's erotic period drama "Portrait of a Beauty" to UniArt for Japan. CJ also signed an agreemen... |More
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| KOFIC, Korea-China Interchange to Revitalize Two Industries (Source) |
2008/11/12 |
KOFIC (chairperson KANG Han-sup) is commencing two events in order to revitalize the film interchange between Korea and China.
First of the two events is '2008 Korea-China Business Campus' which will take place from Thursday, November 13 to Monday, November 17, over the course of 5 days. The event will mainly focus on the process of sharing films as well as co-production opportunities. This event first took place in 2006 in China, and then moved to Pusan International Film Festival in 2007 as a forum format, thus making this year's event second edition to be held in Korea. First annual event focused on the effect of Korean manpower and resources in Chinese film industry, while the current Business Campus will concentrate on not only the further advancements of above but how Korea and China can collaborate on projects that promote exchange of resources between the two countries. The event will hold pitching/mentoring sessions, seminars, business meetings for producers, production/po... |More
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