Everyone Wants to Be Korean, as the K-wave Sucks in International Talent

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorNetflix’s “Squid Game” featured sets such as the M.C. Escher- like staircase and a tug-of-war area, as characters on a remote island compete in deadly versions of childhood games.Production designer Chae Kyoung-sun built killer sets on a large scale for the 456 contestants as they battle it out to be the last man standing, all for a cash prize.Its most iconic set is right at the beginning, as the contestants play Red Light, Green Light.“I wanted to fill the set for the first game with fantasy and fairy- tale-like images,” Chae says.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Jurassic World: Dominion” kicked off at the international box office with a mighty $55.4 million.The sixth installment in Universal’s dinosaur-centric franchise opened in 15 major overseas markets over the weekend, playing on roughly 10,000 screens across Mexico, Korea, Brazil, Italy and more.“Jurassic World: Dominion” had the biggest start in Mexico with $18 million, followed by Korea with $15 million, Brazil with $4.3 million and Italy with $3.4 million. The film will continue its international rollout throughout June in France, Germany, Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, China and Japan.“Dominion” is widely expected to be one of the biggest films of the summer when it opens in U.S.

Refresh for latest…: Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick, as projected yesterday, has flown past $500M worldwide, with $548.6M through its first two frames. The offshore weekend is estimated at $81.7M, an incredible hold of -20%, to lift the international box office cume to $257M in 64 markets. This does not include big Tom Cruise hub Korea which rolls out on June 23 (nor are China and Russia in the mix).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Jurassic World Dominion” kicked off at the international box office with a mighty $55.4 million.The sixth installment in Universal’s dinosaur-centric franchise opened in 15 major overseas markets over the weekend, including Mexico, Korea, Brazil and Italy.“Jurassic World: Dominion” had the biggest start in Mexico with $18 million, followed by Korea with $15 million, Brazil with $4.3 million and Italy with $3.4 million. The film will continue its international rollout throughout June in France, Germany, Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, China and Japan.“Dominion” is widely expected to be one of the biggest films of the summer when it opens in U.S.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Jurassic World: Dominion” is off to a roaring start at the international box office.The blockbuster hopeful opened in 15 major markets this week, including the likes of Italy, Mexico and Brazil, and has already sunk its teeth into $16.7 million through Thursday. “Jurassic World: Dominion” is expected to bring in more than $45 million this weekend, giving it a healthy head start before it opens in U.S.

Park Shin-hye and Choi Tae-joon are parents!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefComing only three years after the Palme d’Or for “Parasite,” the two Cannes prizes for Park Chan-wook as best director and for Song Kang-ho as best actor are further proof of the strength of Korean cinema’s originality, its elevated skills and its resilience.Korean movies have been temporarily overshadowed by K-pop and Korean TV dramas – think BTS and “Squid Game” – both of which flourished during the COVID era, while Korean film was struck down by the pandemic.Closed cinemas and disrupted release schedules meant that the film sector was not fully able to capitalize on the 2019 Cannes and multiple Oscar successes of “Parasite” and “Minari.” Korean film producers’ revenues crumbled between 2020 and early 2022. Talent from in front of and behind the camera shifted across to the more vibrant streaming sector.

Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick is soaring in its overseas debuts, clocking $33M from 47 markets at the international box office through Thursday. The Tom Cruise-starrer officially launched on Wednesday offshore, following paid previews in some hubs, and adds another 15 markets today, bringing the total to 62 in what is the studio’s widest release ever internationally on nearly 24,000 screens.

Broker, starring singer-actress IU, was given a 12-minute standing ovation at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.Broker, the first-ever Korean-language film by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, recently premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 27. Once the screening had concluded, the fil received a 12-minute-long standing ovation from those in-attendance, according to a report from Korean news outlet Edaily.The publication also claimed that the standing ovation began with Cannes Film Festival’s executive director, Thierry Frémaux.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“The Three Musketeers,” Pathé Films’s $75-million two-part adventure epic saga based on Alexandre Dumas’s masterpiece, has been bought in major international territories rolling off a busy Cannes market. Pathé unveiled a sprawling 15-minute promoreel for both “The Three Musketeers” – D’Artagnan” and “The Three Musketeers – Milady” at Cannes Marché du Film. Both movies are directed by Martin Bourboulon and boast a star-studded cast, including Vincent Cassel, Eva Green, Vicky Krieps, Romain Duris, Pio Marmaï, François Civil, Lyna Khoudri and Louis Garrel.

Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP) is set to remake Ariel Winograd’s Argentinian comedy Mama Se Fue De Viaje (Ten Days Without Mom) in Turkey and South Korea.

Naman Ramachandran India’s long awaited location shooting incentive scheme is now a reality. At the Cannes Film Market on Wednesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur revealed a 30% reimbursement scheme for international productions shooting in India.The Indian federal government will reimburse up to 30% of qualifying production expenditure to a maximum of INR20 million ($260,000).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefEpic Pictures Releasing has licensed North American rights to Korean action film “Hot Blooded,” from leading Seoul-based film sales agency Finecut. The deal is one of several struck by the agency ahead of Cannes, where it is also launching sales on Critics’ Week title “Next Sohee.”Starring Bae Doona and Kim Si-eun, “Next Sohee” is directed by Jung July, whose acclaimed “A Girl at My Door” played in Un Certain regard in 2014.

B.I is back!

Marta Balaga “Face Off” helmer John Woo will receive a Career Achievement Award during Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, about to celebrate its 26th edition. The Hong Kong filmmaker is currently working on “Silent Night,” starring Joel Kinnaman and Kid Cudi.“I defy anyone to watch ‘Bullet in the Head,’ ‘Hard Boiled’ or ‘The Killer’ and not walk away wanting to break down the shots and make a movie.

It's been eight years since musical theatre five-piece Collabro won the eighth series of Britain's Got Talent.The boyband formed in January 2014, and just a month later they auditioned for BGT and received a standing ovation from judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams. Collabro, which was originally made up of Michael Auger, Jamie Lambert, Matthew Pagan and Thomas Redgrave and Richard Hadfield, received a yes from each of the judges without hesitation, and they went on to be crowned the winners of the series.

Japanese illusionist Keiichi Iwasaki made quite the impression when he auditioned for “Britain’s Got Talent” during the show’s recent episode.