NCT Dream bodyguard may face charges for allegedly injuring a fan

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean-produced crime action film “The Roundup: No Way Out” dominated proceedings at the South Korean cinema box office for the second successive weekend. Its massive haul now totals $60 million. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” opened with a puny second place. The Friday to Sunday period saw the film bring in $10.4 million from 1.32 million ticket sales and account for a 72% market share, according to data from Kobis, the data tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Including pre-release previews and strong midweek sales, the film has now rushed on to an aggregate of $59.6 million that has been earned from 7.78 million spectators.

A woman said to be “obsessed” with true crime television shows has been accused of murder in South Korea after allegedly luring a tutor to her brutal death and dismemberment. On Wednesday of last week, police in t

Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher’s latest pic La Chimera has inked a series of international deals for The Match Factory following its well-received debut at last month’s Cannes Film Festival.

Youth, a K-drama series set in the BTS Universe, has been released.South Korean production company Chorokbaem Media has released the first trailer for its upcoming K-drama series Youth, which was produced in collaboration with BTS’ label HYBE Corporation.The series is set in the BTS Universe, which was first introduced in the boyband’s music videos for their 2015 ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life’ albums, and further developed in several later music videos and the 2016 Naver webtoon series Save Me.Youth revolves around a group of seven friends tied together by fate, each with their own secrets and struggles. The characters’ personalities are loosely based upon the members of BTS and their friendship, though their backgrounds and the plot of the series are fictional.The new trailer showcases the friendship between the seven, who live in a cramped apartment, but are content together.

BLACKPINK have announced six more support acts for their upcoming appearance at London’s BST Hyde Park.Taking place between June 24 and July 8, this year’s edition of BST Hyde Park will feature a headline slot from global superstars BLACKPINK — making them the first K-pop group in history to headline a major UK festival.Back in March, the girl group announced the first wave of artists set to support them for their slot on July 2, including American singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter and South Korean indie-rock band The Rose. Now, BLACKPINK have announced six more acts set to join them at the festival.Rebecca Black is the first of the newly-announced artists set to support Jennie Kim and co.

ENHYPEN have announced their 2023 ‘Fate’ world tour, featuring shows in the US, Japan, South Korea and more.ENHYPEN are set to embark on a tour of Asia and the US this year, featuring 13 shows over three countries so far. The boyband’s ‘Fate’ world tour will kick off this July with a two-night concert in Seoul’s KSPO Dome.In September, ENHYPEN will play four shows in Japan.

AB6IX have announced the dates for their upcoming 2023 ‘The Future’ world tour.AB6IX are set to go on a 12-date world tour from July to September this year, in support of their new mini-album ‘The Future Is Ours: Lost’. The upcoming tour will feature shows in Asia and across North America.AB6IX’s ‘The Future’ world tour outside of South Korea will kick off in Macau, China on July 15.

What to watch: 7 movies and shows to stream this week - May 5What to watch: 7 movies and shows to stream this week - May 12What to watch: 7 movies and shows to stream this week - May 19Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are an incredible comedic duo. “Platonic” reunites them, having them play estranged college best friends who reunite in their 40s and seem to bring out the most childish and unhinged parts of themselves. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first TV role is a big moment for Netflix.

Anthony Chen’s well-regarded Mainland China-set “The Breaking Ice” has found favor with multiple European and Asian buyers in the few days since its Sunday premiere as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard. The film narrates a love triangle story among China’s lost youth generation and is set in the middle of winter in Yanji, a town that is heavily populated by ethnic Koreans. It is headlined by a star-studded Chinese cast of Zhou Dongyu (“Better Days”), Liu Haoran (“Detective Chinatown” franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (“The Wandering Earth”). “The Breaking Ice” has been newly licensed to Challan for release in South Korea, Trigon-Film for Switzerland, One From the Heart for Greece, Tucker Film for Italy and Edko Films for Hong Kong.Rights sales are handled by Rediance, Mainland China’s leading indie sales company, which reports that addition territory deals are currently being negotiated.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief In late night proceedings on Wednesday, a Seoul court dismissed police requests for the formal arrest of prominent Korean actor Yoo Ah-in on drug charges. The star of “Burning,” “The Throne” and Netflix series “Hellbound,” appeared at the Seoul Central District Court on charges that he used five different drugs. Local media photos showed that Yoo’s hands were tied with what appeared to be a blue cloth or cord before and during his 90-minute daytime court appearance. Footage also showed that he was hit by a bottle of coffee thrown by a disgruntled fan, before Yoo was led away, unhurt, by bodyguards.

88rising has announced the first slate of artists for its fifth annual Head In the Clouds festival in Los Angeles.Head In the Clouds LA is set to take place on August 5 and 6 at Brookside at The Rosebowl. This year’s edition will be headlined by DPR Ian, DPR LIVE, Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, Rina Sawayama, XG and YOASOBI, plus special guest Zedd.In addition, the festival will also feature performances by South Korean singer-songwiter Baek Yerin, Thai musician Phum Viphurit, Thai rapper MILLI, Chinese singer Akini Jing and J-pop girl group Atarashii Gakko.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Latin American companies have descended on the 60th LA Screenings, mindful of the ever-shifting panorama in content distribution and production.  The ongoing writers’ strike is viewed by some as a boon for international content. Take what Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the company’s first quarter financials report presentation when the writers’ strike was looming: “If there’s a strike — and we want to work really hard to make sure we can find a fair and equitable deal so we can avoid one — but if there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world.” “The global market is finally realizing that Latin America, with almost 700 million inhabitants that speak the same language, is a territory that has a huge penetration in terms of OTT and – still – pay tv subscribers,” says Mexico City-based Manuel Marti, Fremantle’s head of scripted development, Latin America. “At the same time, it has a long history of producing local content with a distinctive genre that’s slowly being embedded into American culture via the 62 million Latinos that live in the U.S.,” he adds.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Maxime Rappaz’s debut film “Let Me Go,” which plays in the Cannes ACID sidebar, has been sold to Brazil and Taiwan. The film stars Cannes regular Jeanne Balibar in the lead role as a fiftysomething woman torn between her family commitments and pursuing her own desires. Every Tuesday, a neighbor takes care of Claudine’s son while she goes to a mountain hotel to meet men passing through. When one of them decides to extend his stay for her, Claudine is confused and finds herself dreaming of another life. Imovision has acquired all rights for Brazil, and will release the film in cinemas after a Brazilian festival premiere. “The mise en scène is excellent and Jeanne Balibar is extraordinary,” Jean-Thomas Bernardini, president of Imovision, commented.

Asian buyers are ultra-cautious as theatrical markets are still in recovery following the pandemic, but bright spots include animation and re-releases of classic titles, said a group of leading European sales agents at the Cannes Marche’s Spotlight Asia panel today. 

Hong Sang-soo shows no signs of slowing down, does he? After two feature films a year for the past two years, the South Korean director will do it again in 2023, with his 30th film, “In Our Day,” ready to close the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25. Hong’s latest comes after “In Water” premiered at the Berlinale in February to universal acclaim.

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent Two Japanese films by internationally renowned auteurs — “Monster” by Koreeda Hirokazu and “Kubi” by Kitano Takeshi — are in the Cannes lineup this year, and both carry with them big box office expectations in Japan.  “Monster,” which is screening in competition, will be released on June 2 by Gaga and Toho, the latter Japan’s largest distributor and theater chain operator. Koreeda’s two previous films — “The Truth” (2019), shot in France, and “Broker” (2022), filmed South Korea — were both box office disappointments in his home market. “Monster,” however, promises a return to the earnings form of his 2018 Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters,” whose $34 million cumulative total was the fourth-highest among Japanese releases that year. 

Lee Yong-Kwan has submitted his resignation as Chairperson of South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the second high-profile exit in a week, after Executive Director Huh Moonyung tendered his resignation last Friday. 

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Global Screen has racked up presales to multiple territories for the animated family adventure movie “Niko — Beyond the Northern Lights,” the third in the box office hit franchise about a flying reindeer. The sales agency will be showing a first scene to buyers at Cannes Film Market. The animated movie has been picked up Kino Swiat for Poland, Bluelabel for South Korea, Just4Kids for the Benelux, GPI for the Baltic states, Karantanija for ex-Yugoslavia, Zinos Panagiotidis for Greece, Bad Unicorn for Romania, Bohemia Motion Pictures for Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Pro Film for Bulgaria and Bir Film for Turkey.

BTS just dropped a super catchy new theme song, called “The Planet”!

Mubi has acquired 11 films by Lars von Trier for North America, including the director’s Dogme 95 entry The Idiots. It will release a new uncut 4K restoration of the film June 16 theatrically timed to its 25th anniversary, followed by an exclusive streaming release.