‘Tenet’ Takes $717K In Two Days Of Korea Previews As Coronavirus Surge Threatens Movie Theaters

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAsia’s biggest annual film festival in Busan, South Korea is to be postponed by two weeks due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. And organizers warned that the festival could still be canceled outright.At a meeting Friday between the festival’s board of directors and the city authorities, it was decided to shift the event backwards.

South Korea will be this year's country of honor at international TV confab MIPCOM, honoring the global success of Korean television drama and reality formats. Korean shiny floor competition show The Masked Singer has been one of the most successful formats worldwide in recent years —the U.S.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaPoorly recorded, pirated versions of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” leaked online last week. Both are camcorded copies of negligible quality — at least one has Korean subtitles and another has German subtitles.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean cinemagoers came out to see “Tenet,” but their enthusiasm extended almost no further, as coronavirus cases resurge in the world’s number four box office market. And Korean cinema operators are retrenching.“Tenet,” the much-anticipated time-looping spy thriller earned $2.90 million from 353,000 ticket sales over the Friday to Sunday weekend.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHollywood blockbuster “Tenet” opened on top of the Korean box office, but its performance is declining as the coronavirus makes a comeback in the country. Releases of other films, including “Mulan,” are now being postponed or halted.Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” began its commercial career in the world’s fourth largest theatrical market on Wednesday earning $596,000 from 2,228 screens, according to data from the Korean Film Council’s KOBIZ system.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterSong Kang-ho, the star of Oscar sensation Parasite and the 2013 feature Snowpiercer, will lead the cast of Korean feature Broker. The film marks the Korean directing debut of Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose previous credits include the Palme d’Or-winning and Oscar-nomianted 2018 drama Shoplifters.Also starring in Broker will be Gang Dong-won and Bae Doona.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSong Kang-ho, star of Oscar-winner “Parasite,” will head the cast of “Baby, Box, Broker,” the Korean-language debut of “Shoplifters” director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Rounding out a stellar acting lineup are Bae Doona (“Cloud Atlas,” “The Host”) and Gang Dong-won (“Peninsula,” “The Priests”).The film takes as its starting point boxes that are left out for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies.

Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that Suzy, Nam Joo Hyuk, Kim Seon Ho, And Kang Han Na are coming together to film a new series titled Start-Up. And now, we have a teaser of the Korean drama in our hands.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefProduction of films and TV series across South Korea is being halted as the country undergoes a resurgence of the coronavirus. Companies including industry leaders CJ ENM, JTBC and Netflix have all confirmed disruptions to their series shooting schedules.The country had seemingly been successful in controlling earlier waves of the COVID-19 outbreak through strict border controls, rapid testing and rigorous contact testing.

Aaron Neuwirth Director Yeon Sang-ho brought back much of his crew from velocity-infused 2016 Korean zombie blockbuster “Train to Busan” to deliver the goods for “Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula,” bowing in theaters Aug.