'Mickey 17' dominates Korea's holiday box office, topping 1 m admissions

Director Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" dominated the South Korean box office over the extended March 1 Independence Movement Day holiday, drawing over 1 million viewers nationwide, according to data released Tuesday. The computerized box-office tally from the Korean Film Council showed that the Hollywood sci-fi black comedy attracted 1.04 million moviegoers from Friday to Monday. South Koreans enjoyed a three-day break, as Monday was designated an alternative holiday for the March 1 Independence Mo

March 4, 2025

Strip club Cinderella story 'Anora' wins best picture at 97th Academy Awards

Adrien Brody wins second best actor for 'Pianist,' Mikey Madison wins best actress for 'Anora' "Anora,” a strip club Cinderella story without the fairy tale ending, was crowned best picture at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Sean Baker’s gritty, Brooklyn-set screwball farce Hollywood’s top prize. In a stubbornly fluctuating Oscar season, “Anora,” the Palme d’Or-winner at the Cannes Film Festival, emerged as the unlikely frontrunner. Baker’s tale of an erotic dancer who elopes with the

March 3, 2025

'Mickey 17' secures 68% of advance ticket sales on opening day

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" dominated advance ticket sales on the day of its premiere Friday, data showed. According to the Korean Film Council, the Hollywood sci-fi black comedy secured 319,000 reservations, capturing 68.5 percent of total bookings. Bong's latest film led by a wide margin, followed by the Korean animation "Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning" at 5 percent and "Captain America: Brave New World" at 4.8 percent. "Mickey 17" is Bong's adaption of Edward Ashton's

Feb. 28, 2025

'Squid Game' season 2 most watched show in latter half of 2024 : Netflix

Netflix's engagement report shows latest viewership trend includes watching animated films, non-English content Netflix announced Thursday that the second season of "Squid Game" dominated global viewership in the latter half of 2024, despite premiering just six days before the year ended. According to Netflix’s latest engagement report, which tracks member viewership from July to December 2024, subscribers watched over 94 billion hours of content during this period — marking a 5 percent year-ove

Feb. 27, 2025

DMZ Docs showcases Park Soo-nam's unflinching lens

Zainichi filmmaker's lifetime documenting Japanese wartime atrocities takes center stage The DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) will mark the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule with a retrospective of Zainichi Korean filmmaker Park Soo-nam's complete works. This first-ever comprehensive showcase runs online Feb. 28-March 28 and will make all five of her documentaries freely accessible via the docuVoDA platform. A second-generation Korean Japane

Feb. 26, 2025

Yeon Sang-ho's 'Revelations' to be released on Netflix

'Train to Busan' director's latest supernatural thriller explores collision of faith, justice Director Yeon Sang-ho's new film "Revelations" will be released globally March 21 on Netflix. The supernatural thriller brings together Yeon and writer Choi Gyu-seok, who previously teamed up on "Hellbound." Drawn from the duo's 2022 webtoon of the same title, "Revelations" follows two characters pursuing truths through parallel investigations. Pastor Min-chan (Ryu Jun-yeol) believes he has tapped into

Feb. 25, 2025

Hong Sang-soo fails to clinch Golden Bear at 75th Berlinale

Pregnant Kim Min-hee seen accompanying Hong to Berlinale Renowned Korean filmmaker and Berlinale regular Hong Sang-soo fell short of winning the Golden Bear at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday. Hong’s latest drama, "What Does That Nature Say to You," competed for the event's top honor. The film follows a young poet who takes his girlfriend to visit her parents, setting the stage for an intimate family encounter. The Golden Bear was awarded to Dag Johan Haugerud for "Dreams

Feb. 23, 2025

Kim Sae-ron's final film set for release

Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film "Everyday We Are" will premiere later this year, the film's director has confirmed to local media, following the actor's untimely death on Sunday. She was 24. Kim Min-jae, the film's director, is editing footage for the romance drama adapted from a webtoon of the same name, according to local media reports Thursday. No specific release date has been set, though the film is expected in the second half of 2025. The story follows Yeo-ul, a basketball-loving high school

Feb. 21, 2025

Bong Joon-ho still keen on human stories

'Parasite' director discusses 'Mickey 17,' his first film in six years, starring Robert Pattinson as expendable clones "I've never been freeloading," Bong Joon-ho quips with a mischievous glint. The Oscar-winning director is speaking to reporters at a hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday, discussing his first film in six years. "People might think I've been out of work, but I've been working on Mickey 17 and an animation project that's still in production. The studio keeps calling." The film "Mick

Feb. 21, 2025

Bong 'provides boundaries but loves you within them': Steven Yeun

'Mickey 17' cast discusses bringing humanity to Bong Joon-ho's meticulously crafted sci-fi vision "Mickey 17" rolled out its second wave of promo events at Seoul's Megabox Coex on Thursday, with director Bong Joon-ho showing up alongside Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie, and Steven Yeun. Robert Pattinson had already swung through last month for his own press stint. The sci-fi tale, hitting Korean theaters Feb. 28, follows a disposable worker on a frozen planet who is freshly reprinted each time he bite

Feb. 20, 2025

MMCA Seoul screens eight-film series on creative process

From Picasso's canvas to Nam June Paik's screens, 'Moment of Creation' spotlights artists in their element The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is screening eight documentaries that offer an intimate view of artists at work in a series entitled "Moment of Creation" at the MMCA Seoul's Film Theater through May 24. Headlining the program is "The Mystery of Picasso" (1956), in which Henri-Georges Clouzot captures the Spanish master's painting process in real-time. It is followe

Feb. 19, 2025

S. Korean box office shows mixed recovery in 2024: report

Domestic films rack up gains while foreign titles slump amid shift in audience habits South Korean theaters pulled in 1.19 trillion won ($911 million) and 123.1 million admissions in 2024, marking declines of 5.3 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, from 2023, according to the Korean Film Council's annual industry report released Tuesday. These figures reflect an industry in a gradual recovery but still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels, with theaters operating at roughly 60 percent of 2

Feb. 18, 2025

Actor Kim Sae-ron, 24, found dead

South Korean actor Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, police said Sunday. Kim was 24. Kim's friend discovered her body at her house and called the police at around 4:50 p.m. Sunday. The police are investigating the cause of her death, but said they had not discovered a sign of a break-in as of press time. Born in 2000, Kim debuted as a child actor in 2009. She rose to fame with her appearances in the 2010 film "The Man from Nowhere" and the 2012 thriller "The Neighbor

Feb. 16, 2025

Embattled Yang Ik-june takes stage at 'Confession' event

Movie director defends himself against last year’s assault allegations, while promoting his new thriller at pre-release event in Seoul as actor Movie director and actor Yang Ik-june showed up at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday with an air of defiance. The "Breathless" (2008) actor-director, fresh off an investigation for allegedly assaulting a staff member in December, pulled off an almost playful swagger during his solo appearance at the pre-release screening for Nobuhiro Yamas

Feb. 12, 2025

Incheon's Diaspora Film Festival adds screening venue

Asia's only film fest dedicated to migration stories receives record number of submissions The Diaspora Film Festival, Asia's only film festival dedicated to migrant narratives, will unspool its 13th edition from May 16-20 across multiple historic venues in Incheon. The festival received a record number of submissions this year, with 790 entries competing for selection in the official program, which will screen 60-70 features and shorts across multiple genres throughout the five-day event. Organ

Feb. 12, 2025