CJ ENM Studios Launched as Korean Entertainment Giant’s Third TV Production Hub

Deadly secrets come to light in the trailer for “Now and Then”, released by Apple TV+ on Tuesday.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed Korean filmmaker Kim Yong-hwa, one of the most important figures in the Korean screen industry.

Naman Ramachandran The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the highest governing body of international soccer, has launched digital platform FIFA Plus with plans to stream 40,000 live games per year. The games will be from 100 FIFA member associations and will include 11,000 women’s matches. Live coverage will range from Europe’s topflight leagues to previously unserved competitions from around the world in men’s, women’s and youth football.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine has set Chinese-Italian co-production “The Italian Recipe” as the opening title of a revived, largely in-person event.The film, directed by Hou Zuxin, sees an unexpected series of events bring together a Chinese reality TV show contestant and a woman already resident in Italy. The collision of personalities, connections and chemistry between stars Liu Xun and Yao Huang resemble those of “Roman Holiday,” festival organizers suggest.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe release of “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and “Ambulance” gave Hollywood a rare one-two-three at the South Korean box office over the weekend. But neither newcomer managed to earn $1 million in another deeply depressed session.“Sonic 2” earned $843,000 over the weekend and $979,000 over its opening five days, according to data from Kobis, the theatrical tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).“Ambulance” earned $450,000 between Friday and Sunday and a total of $674,000 over its five days since release on Wednesday.

EXO member Lay Zhang has parted ways with his long-time label SM Entertainment.Today (April 8), which is also notably the 10th anniversary of EXO debut, the Chinese K-pop idol took to his personal social media accounts with handwritten letters, in both English and Korean, to announce his departure from long-time label SM Entertainment.Lay captioned his posts with, “This decade is one of the greatest gifts I could’ve ever received,” and expressed his gratitude towards his fellow EXO bandmates, SM Entertainment staff and fans for their support throughout his 10 years at the companyThis decade is one of the greatest gifts I could’ve ever received. pic.twitter.com/7Cmpyygprg— Lay Zhang (@layzhang) April 8, 2022Despite his departure from the company, which he wrote now marks a “new beginning” for himself, he reassured that his support for EXO will never waver.

Tiffany Young sang an a cappella, bilingual rendition of the song ‘For Good’, from the popular stage musical Wicked.In a new video interview with Elle Korea, the Girls’ Generation member opened up about the stage musical roles she would like to play after her successful run as Roxie Hart in the South Korean production of Chicago. The singer named Glinda the Good Witch from Wicked (originated by Kristin Chenoweth) as the role that she hoped to tackle next.Young then launched into an impromptu, partial rendition of ‘For Good’, in both English and Korean, from the long-running musical, before recalling her emotional experience watching the production.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean-made series have continued to dominate viewership on Netflix, following on from the breakout successes of “Squid Game” and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” in 2021.For ten of the 13 weeks in the first quarter so far this year, Korean shows have held top spot in Netflix’s global non-English series ranking. Romantic comedy “Business Proposal” is currently the top non-English series for the third week in a row (March 28-April 3, 2022), and is Netflix’s third-ranking series of all origins, behind only “Bridgerton” (seasons 1 and season 2) with over 32 million watch hours.“Business Proposal” has played particularly strongly in Asia, ranking as the top series in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam and in second place in India and Sri Lanka in the last week.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefProduction has wrapped on the long-gestating “Ajoomma,” a feature film that delves into the fascination that Korean pop culture holds for middle-aged women in Asia. The story, said to be based on the mother of director He Shuming, involves a K-drama-obsessed widow from Singapore who tries to find new purpose in life and instead ends up getting lost in Korea. The script was co-written by He and Kris Ong.

Media giant CJ ENM is launching CJ ENM Studios, a new venture that will specialize in content production for OTT platforms in Korea and worldwide. Yong Soo Ha, former EVP of CJ ENM’s Business Development & Investment team, has been appointed CEO.

IZ*ONE leader Kwon Eun-bi has made her comeback with a brand-new solo single ‘Glitch’, from her sophomore mini-album ‘Color’.In the gorgeous new visual, the idol dons a series of extravagant gowns as she runs through a deserted city, her surroundings glitching in and out of existence. Later, accompanied by backup dancers, she dances to the song’s sharp choreography, which incorporates elements of vogueing.“I come and go, like a glitch / Stealin’ and getting people crazy, I’m that snitch / And move it like a glitch,” she sings in the chorus.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBanijay has picked up multi-territory format rights to two Korean reality shows which it will begin pitching this week at the MipTV market in Cannes.From Korean broadcaster and producer MBC, Banijay has picked up format rights to competition show “Bloody Game” in France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands. From CJ ENM, it has acquired rights in the Nordics, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Australia to relationship format, “EXchange.”“Bloody Game” launched in Korea in November last year, helping draw subscribers to Wavve, a joint venture streaming platform, in which MBC is a partner. The show is nominated for a C21 Format Award, with the winner revealed during MipTV.

Naman Ramachandran Seven of the nine features selected for the Korean competition at the Jeonju International Film Festival (Apr. 28-May 7) are directed by women.

NEW YORK -- Korean pop star Luna is ready to make her Broadway debut this fall in the musical "KPOP" and she's already dreaming of who might be there on opening night — like BTS.“I would be thankful if they showed up on opening night,” Luna told The Associated Press through her translator.She also wants fans and other stars to show up, too.“This is New York City, it’s got its own celebrities and also audiences who would enjoy this. So, I would love to see New York celebrities, as well as Hollywood celebrities,” Luna said.Luna was introduced at a press event for the musical Wednesday at the Korean Cultural Center in New York.Luna began her musical career as a member of the popular K-pop group f(x) before becoming a solo artist.

reported Deadline. “KPOP” will feature Korean superstar Luna, 28, who has been in the Korean productions of “Mamma Mia” and “In the Heights,” as well as several movies and TV shows.

KPOP, a new musical about the global K-pop phenomenon starring Korea’s recording superstar Luna, will arrive on Broadway this fall, producers announced today.

Naman Ramachandran Korean dramas were the largest consumed online video content category in Southeast Asia in 2021, according to the latest analysis published by Media Partners Asia (MPA).The MPA report, titled Southeast Asia Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics, also reveals that the popularity of Korean dramas were followed by local content, particularly Thai and Indonesian, with U.S. content driven to third place in some markets. The report notes that the region added 16.2 million net new subscribers through 2021 with the total aggregate customer base reaching 36.6 million by the end of the year.