‘Peninsula’ Zombie Action Film Leads Box Office as Asian Audiences Return to Cinemas

Andreas Wiseman International EditorSerialized fiction app Radish says it has raised $63.2M in Series A funding led by SoftBank Ventures Asia and Korean firm Kakao Page Corp.The company also announced a new office in Los Angeles amid plans to grow its local team, build new content and adapt its original IP into gaming and TV opportunities.Radish, which has offices in Seoul, Korea, and New York, says it has seen significant revenue growth since its 2016 launch, and that it has produced more than

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAction thriller “Steel Rain 2: Summit” dominated the South Korean box office in its opening weekend. In doing so, it knocked “Peninsula” from the perch where it had been for the past two weeks.Released on Wednesday by Lotte Entertainment, “Steel Rain 2” earned $4.92 million from 663,000 admissions over the weekend.

It was one helluva Saturday night for Korean drama viewers! With Backstreet Rookie and It's Okay To Not Be Okay heading to its season finale, the ratings for both series witnessed a good rise in ratings on Saturday. Starting with Backstreet Rookie, the Ji Chang-wook and Kim Yoo-jung starrer premiered its 13th and 14th episodes over the weekend.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorChina’s second Friday with cinemas back to business in low-risk areas rang up another $4M at local turnstiles, a 39% increase versus the same day last week. About 60% of movie theaters are now operating, with capacity limits and social distancing still in place, so all numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt, though they are encouraging.

Sony Pictures Releasing International, Santiago Segura’s family comedy “Father There is Only One 2” punched a sensational first-day debut on July 29, garnering €465,014 ($548,716) in Spain.That’s 60% up from the original installment’s first day total of €272,686 ($320,449), which went on to earn €14.2 million ($16.1 million) in Spain, becoming the highest-grossing domestic movie of last year.“Spaniards have spent months in confinement, seeing tons of films, and now need to get out and watch

2020 has been a dull year, to say the least! Especially for the movie industry, which literally went on standstill mode all across the globe. Many big-ticket movies which promised a fun summer had to be delayed while upcoming movie shoots had to be stalled.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorAs expected, Chinese authorities have given the go-ahead for cinemas in Beijing to reopen this coming Friday. That’s also when the first new Hollywood titles will hit the market, including Dolittle and Bloodshot.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorEXCLUSIVE: Lots of movement on the international box office front this past weekend, and into the beginning of the week. Korean zombie sequel Peninsula, as we reported Sunday, made a meal of five overseas markets with a $21M Wednesday-Sunday frame.

Vivienne Chow PCCW’s Asian regional OTT platform Viu has extended several volume deals with South Korean broadcasters.Newly added deals include content partnerships with broadcasters SBS and KBS through streaming platform Wavve, CJ ENM and JTBC. The new agreements are made in addition to Viu’s existing deal with MBC.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe much-awaited release of “Peninsula” in South Korea lived up to the hype, despite capacity limitations and other social distancing measures imposed across the nation’s cinemas.The “Train to Busan” sequel earned a thumping $9.20 million over the weekend from 2,575 screens, giving it an unapproachable 93% market share.

Half of 2020 has gone by and there has been a slew of Korean drama series that have released this year. This includes the two returning Oppas - Lee Min Ho and Kim Soo Hyun - starring in unique projects.

The Train To Busan sequel Peninsula is off to a great start in South Korea. The Korean flick stars Kang Dong Won and Lee Jung Hyun in the lead and it has been one of the most anticipated sequels this year.

A 40-year-old Star Wars film has topped the box office chart in the UK, as cinemas continue to resort to old favourites to woo back customers.

Ellise Shafer editor“Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” is back at the top of the box office this weekend for the first time in 23 years.The film has grossed a total of $175,000 so far at 483 locations, originally reported b Deadline, and is estimated to end the weekend in the $400,000 to $500,000 range.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorFor the first time since the February 1997 reissue, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is leading at the box office this weekend after clocking an estimated $175K at 483 locations. Empire should end the weekend with a 3-day take in between the high $400K and low $500K.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSouth Korean e-commerce company Coupang is believed to have acquired Hooq, the Southeast Asian streaming platform that was put into liquidation in March.The information was reported by the Bloomberg financial news service, without quoting any company sources. The report said that Coupang is buying the company’s software, having already acquired its assets.

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorTrain to Busan Presents: Peninsula, the sequel to the hit 2016 Korean horror thriller and one of the 56 titles that was part of the official selection of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, will embark in North American theaters on August 7. It also landed an exclusive streaming deal with Shudder, AMC’s horror streaming site.The zombie horror sequel, which returns Yeon Sang-ho to the director’s chair, will bow on 150 screens across the U.S.

Jude Law will be sporting a hook on his hand for his next role in Peter Pan & Wendy!