Korean Box Office: G.I. Joe 2 Wipes Out the Competition (03/29-03/31, 2013)

G.I. Joe 2 Wipes out the Competition

Spring is in the air following a long winter and as a result Korea's multiplexes saw a dip in admissions. Hollywood took back the top spot during the weakest frame in quite some time as only 1.64 million tickets were sold. Moreover, due to the new foreign number 1, only 42% of admissions were occupied by local releases. Following a huge winter for the Korean film industry the outlook for local productions is a bit weaker for the coming months as people will enjoy the great weather before the sweltering summer will force them back into the theaters.

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Korean Box Office: Strong Start for Very Ordinary Couple (03/22-03/24, 2013)

Strong Start for Very Ordinary Couple

March is generally not a busy period for movies and South Korea is no exception. After a rocket-fueled start which saw records fall as local films dominated (Miracle in Cell No.7, The Berlin File, New World, etc.) and almost completely shut out Hollywood, things have settled down considerably as the industry lies in wait for what is likely to be a gargantuan summer season. That said, at 1.69 million admissions, business was up slightly and the market share occupied by domestic films was still very strong at 67%. 

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Korean Box Office: Warm Bodies First Foreign No.1 of 2013 (03/15-03/17, 2013)

Warm Bodies First Foreign No.1 of 2013

Business was once again a little slow this weekend in what is generally on off period for the movies in Korea. That said both admissions (1.63 million) and local market share (60%) were marginally up from last year. However it was a Hollywood film that took the top spot, breaking an 11-week streak of local chart-toppers. It was also the first non-Korean first place finish of 2013.

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New Korean Films: The Coming of New Indie Filmmakers (2013 Week 11)

(by Fabien Schneider)

This week is all to the glory of independent cinema since the Korean Academy of Art Films delivers two films from its students and a third debut movie completes the series. But don't get your hopes up, success will only smile upon My Paparoti, as this one has all the cards in hand to propel itself to the top of the box office. There is also a particular challenger that I decided not to include in my article despite being quite interesting for what it tells about the foreign interests in the Korean market: The Fifth Execution, a Russian film co-produced with South Korea and the U.S., where the main character is embodied by Kim Bo-seong, a famous actor of the 90s who starred in the trilogy of Two Cops, a few comedies and some soap operas.

Your Time is Up 

(누구나 제 명 에 죽고 싶다)

 

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