Content Investment In India, Korea & SE-Asia Grew 21% To $10bn In 2021, But Film Contracted Due To Delayed Releases

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKakao Piccoma, a Japanese online animation firm, has reportedly pushed back its plans for a share listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, previously indicated for December this year. The company hopes that the delay will help it hold on to a $6 billion valuation.The company is jointly owned by Kakao, the Korean tech and messaging giant, and Kakao Entertainment, with shareholding respectively 73% and 18%. Piccoma raised finance last year though a private share sale that brought in Anchor Capital, valued it at JPY847 billion ($6.17 billion at current exchange rates).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Hunt,” the period political thriller directed by “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, held top spot at the South Korea box office for the second weekend. “Nope” was the highest opener, landing in third spot.“Hunt,” made $5.68 million over the weekend, down 35% compared with its opening score a week earlier.

KQ Entertainment, the label of K-pop boyband ATEEZ, has filed a lawsuit against a South Korean YouTuber it alleges has shared and profited off “very malicious” content about the group.On August 17, the South Korean label took to ATEEZ’s official fancafé page to announce that it has taken legal action against an unnamed YouTube channel it alleges published a “malicious video” against the boyband, “on charges of violating the law on promoting the use of information and communication networks, insulting, obstructing business, and breaking copyright laws”, as translated by Koreaboo.“In addition, the YouTuber in question created a video spreading rumours as if they were true and was able to make a profit through it, which we judged to be very malicious,” wrote the label in their statement. “In particular, for deceiving fans supporting ATEEZ, we have decided to take strong legal action.”KQ Entertainment concluded its statement by urging those who have made “unfounded claims and malicious posts” against the company’s in-house artists to “delete their posts”, and those who have related evidence or documentation to submit it via email.“There will be no lenience or cooperation as we pursue both civil and criminal liability in these cases in the future.

Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are back on the Bullet Train press tour!

AsianCrush and the Kocowa venture among major Korean broadcasters are generating viewership and creating a big secondary market for scripted series known as K-dramas — a movement that will only accelerate South Korea’s maturation into a major player in media and entertainment. For evidence, look no further than the 14 groundbreaking Emmy nominations racked up last month by Netflix’s “Squid Game.” “We’ve seen this growth in interest of Asian entertainment over the last 10 years and really picking up more recently in the last three to five years,” says Sam Wu, CEO of Rakuten Viki, the streaming arm of the Japanese retail conglomerate.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefInternational TV audiences may have fallen in love with Korean series “All of Us Are Dead,” “Itaewon Class” and “Dr. Brain” without ever being aware that each originated as a webtoon, or online comic.A clutch of Korean companies is now getting ready to make sure webtoons are the next big thing in the global K-culture takeover.Webtoons launched in the early years of the new century when Yahoo and Korean internet portal Daum started publishing news and web-only cartoons.

Hunt will get a US theatrical release in December.On August 15, Deadline reported that film distributor Magnolia Pictures has acquired US rights to the South Korean film Hunt and is currently planning a December theatrical release.The spy-action film notably marks the directorial debut of veteran actor Lee Jung-jae, who gained significant international recognition for his role in Netflix’s 2021 hit series Squid Game. He also wrote the screenplay for Hunt, which is set in the ’80s at the height of South Korea’s military dictatorship.Lee also stars in the film alongside with Jung Woo-sung as intelligence agents tasked with hunting down a North Korean spy embedded in their agency.

Decision To Leave has been selected to represent South Korea in the Best International Feature Film category for the upcoming Oscars.Deadline reported that the Korean Film Council announced its pick yesterday (August 11), sharing it took into consideration “workmanship and directing ability, the possibility of box office success in the North American market, and the promotion ability of overseas distributors”. As a result, the council agreed that Decision To Leave was “the most appropriate choice, and we expect the work to be well-received”.Starring South Korean actor Park Hae-il (The King’s Letters) and Chinese star Tang Wei (Long Day’s Journey Into Night), Decision To Leave is a slow-burn mystery romance about a police detective who gets dispatched to a scene of a man’s death.

Park Chan-wook’s crime drama Decision To Leave has been selected by South Korea to represent the country in the Best International Feature category at the 95th Academy Awards.

EVERGLOW member Aisha has been hospitalised due to a “sudden health deterioration” and will not join her bandmates at the K-pop festival HallyuPopFest in Sydney this weekend, her label says.South Korean news outlet News1 reported earlier today (August 11) that the K-pop idol had collapsed amid preparations for an undisclosed scheduled activity. Following the incident, News1 said that her label, Yuehua Entertainment, immediately took her to the hospital.In response to the report, Yuehua Entertainment issued a statement to XSports News to confirm Aisha’s hospitalisation.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. who are shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re speaking with Korean super-agent Soyoung Lee, who represents some of the nation’s biggest stars and talked to us about her experiences of the Korean content boom.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Minions: The Rise of Gru” has been given a mainland China theatrical release date of Aug. 19, 2022.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Emergency Declaration,” a timely Korean-made action thriller, flew to an opening weekend of $6.5 million. But it was old-fashioned naval actioner “Hansan: Rising Dragon” that stayed afloat at the top of the South Korean box office for a second week.“Hansan,” a sequel to a 2014 record breaker, earned $9.18 million from over 1,600 screens, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

Good afternoon Insiders. We have truly entered holiday season but in TV and film Land things simply don’t slow down. I’m Max Goldbart and here’s your list of the week’s biggest headlines.

promoted television executives Maggie Burkhead, Katie Giarla and Mina Baban to VP of TV development.

Endeavor Content has named former AMC Networks finance exec Kasee Calabrese to the newly created role of EVP and Chief Financial Officer.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterEndeavor Content has named Kasee Calabrese, AMC Networks’ executive vice president of global finance, its new CFO.In her newly created role as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Endeavor Content, Calabrese will oversee the TV and film production company’s financial affairs and planning in support of its studio and distribution, documentary, music and live experiences divisions as the studio continues to expand.Calabrese’s new position is effective immediately. She will be a member of the senior leadership team, reporting to Endeavor Content co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.The AMC Networks vet joins Endeavor Content on the heels of South Korean media company CJ ENM acquiring an 80% stake in Endeavor Content.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA powerful debut for “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” a locally-made historical action film, lifted the South Korean box office to its second highest weekend of the year and helped July to be the best month of 2022.The film is a prequel to “Roaring Currents” a tale of an heroic 14th century naval admiral that amassed some 17 million admissions in 2014 and is currently the most-watched Korean film of all time.Data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic), showed that “Hansan” earned $13.4 million from 1.63 million ticket sales between Friday and Sunday, for a market share of 60%. Over its first five days in theaters, the film amassed $17.9 million from 2.27 million spectators.