‘Soul’ and ‘Demon Slayer’ Revive Korea Box Office Weekend

GOT7 member Jackson Wang has revealed that he was not allowed to promote his solo material in South Korea while under his former label JYP Entertainment.Back in 2017, while still under JYP, Wang started his own label called Team Wang, through which he released a slew of solo material. Including his debut solo album ‘Mirrors’ in 2019, and singles such as ‘100 Ways’ and ‘Fendiman’.

EXCLUSIVE: The highly anticipated Train to Busan remake at New Line looks to be gaining steam as sources tell Deadline, Timo Tjahjanto in negotiations to helm the studio’s remake based on the South Korean blockbuster hit.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBig Hit Entertainment, the South Korean company that brought BTS to the world, and Universal Music Group today announced an expanded strategic partnership that will see the two companies working together to “increase opportunities for artists through innovation and technology, whilst expanding the global reach of K-pop music and culture around the world,” according the announcement.

In an exclusive conversation with Genius News, Takashi Murakami reflects on more than a decade’s worth of music collaborations spanning his album art for Kanye West’s Graduation to recent visuals with KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Billie Eilish, and J Balvin. The Japanese visual artist also reveals he started “rough sketches” for a horror-style anime based on a concept by Juice WRLD.

Manori Ravindran International Editor“Saturday Night Live” is back for more high jinks in Korea.Leading Korean producers ASTORY, best known for dramas such as Netflix’s hit series “Kindgom,” are bringing back the storied sketch show, which will again be hosted by comedian Shin Dong-yeob (pictured).

Demon Slayer: Hinokami Kepputan.The footage was showcased during the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba amine second anniversary event for the Japanese streaming service AbemaTV.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe South Korean box office reached its highest weekend total of 2021 with the help of strong hold over performances by “Soul” and “Demon Slayer The Movie: “Mugen Train” and two new release titles that entered the chart in third and fourth place.“Soul” kept its first place and increased its weekend score by 5% to $1.84 million, in its fourth weekend of release.

Also Read: China and Japan Delivered Half of 2020's Top 10 Box Office Hits for First Time EverWhile “Detective Chinatown 3” is not likely to challenge “Endgame”‘s all-time global record of $2.79 billion, it is well on pace to pass the Marvel blockbuster’s Chinese total of $679 million.

Jamie Lang In today’s Global Bulletin, “The Terror” sets sail on BBC Two and iPlayer, “The Man Standing Next” tops South Korea’s Blue Dragon Awards, Banijay announces two European remakes of “Lego Masters,” Discovery Plus is now available on Samsung Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV in the U.K.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefPixar animation “Soul” and Japanese anime “Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train” held station at the top of the South Korean box office for the second successive weekend.Still heavily under the influence of COVID conditions, nationwide overall takings remained anemic.

Davide Abbatescianni Swiss sales outfit Lightdox has acquired Julien Faraut’s documentary “Les Sorcières de l’Orient,” taking part in the Big Screen Competition of the Rotterdam Film Festival.The film follows the former players of the Japanese women’s volleyball team. Now in their 70s, they used to be known as the “The Sorcerers of the East” because of their seemingly supernatural powers on the courts.

Naman Ramachandran In today’s Global Bulletin, Korea’s IU joins the cast of Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Broker”; Bertelsmann sells Groupe M6; Red Arrow takes series “Blackout”; Shorts festival sets dates; and ITV commissions game show “Moneyball.”Lee Ji-eun, the popular Korean singer-actor better known as IU, has joined the cast of “Broker,” Japanese auteur Kore-eda Hirokazu’s debut Korean-language movie.

So Nic Cage is a bank robber sprung, naked except for a sumo-nappy, from a lengthy stint in jail by the white-hatted, black-hearted Governor (Bill Moseley) of a fake Japanese cowboy town populated exclusively by caged Geisha prostitutes, one of the favorites of whom, Bernice (Sofia Boutella, being bafflingly good again despite the material) recently escaped, so The Governor straps Cage into a leather suit rigged with explosives on the arms, neck and testicles that are primed to explode if they

PlayStation 5 console restock caused chaos.The Akihabara branch Yodobashi Camera – one of the biggest electronic retail chains in japan –  was intending to sell the consoles via a first-come, first-serve system.As detailed in a report on PSU, most retailers in Japan are using a lottery system at the moment in order to try and deter scalpers from profiting off sales of PlayStation 5 consoles.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentTheatrical box office takings in Japan fell by 45% in 2020, compared with the previous year, as coronavirus took its toll on cinemagoing. But that makes Japan one of the most resilient major box office territories.Data published Wednesday by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren) show that total box office was $1.37 billion (JPY143 billion) 45% down on 2019’s $2.5 billion (JPY261 billion).