Virus Fears Dampen Korea Box Office, Halt Movie Promotions

Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” is reaping box office riches after its groundbreaking Oscar best picture win.

HONG KONG — At the 2010 World Expo, AEG unveiled its stunning new Shanghai arena. The 18,000-seat venue, now called the Mercedes-Benz Arena, was designed to be China’s version of Los Angeles’ Staples Center and a showcase for the concert giant.

Stormzy, the superstar British rapper, has postponed a string of upcoming shows in Asia amid ongoing health and travel concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival will be postponed from its scheduled date in March and early April. The decision was a response to the growing fear of the novel coronavirus which has spread from mainland China to reach more than 20 countries and territories so far.

Another hit game is getting the big-screen treatment.

A tiny South Korean hedge fund hit the jackpot when it made a long-shot investment in the surprise Oscar-winning movie “Parasite,” according to a report Wednesday.

Parasite made history this week. The South Korean movie directed by Bong Joon-ho won three prestigious awards at the 92nd Academy Awards. From bagging the Oscars for Best Direction to beating 1917, Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit and several other movies to bag the Best International Feature, Parasite became the first international movie in the almost 100-year long history of the award show to have won the Best Picture award. The movie has received praise from critics all over the world. 

Fear of the coronavirus increased its impact on the South Korean cinema industry. Films were cancelled and box office revenues dropped for a second weekend.

On Monday morning (Feb. 10), BTS took to social media following the Academy Awards to congratulate director Bong Joon Ho on Parasite's history-making success at the show.

South Korea, home to some of the most distinctive cinema of the past two decades, is finally basking in Oscars glory.Bong Joon Ho's acclaimed thrillerParasitescored big early in the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night, winning in the best original screenplay category.

Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” won the best international film prize at the 92nd annual Academy Awards on Sunday night, making history as the first Korean film to do so.

Concerts and shows are being canceled, not just in China but across much of Asia, as a virus outbreak that has killed more than 300 people and reached more than 20 countries spooks the entertainment industry.Performances have been called off or postponed in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macao over concern that people could be infected by the virus that first appeared in the central China city of Wuhan.The Boston Symphony Orchestra called off its Asia tour, and the Hong Kong

Concerts and shows are being canceled, not just in China but across much of Asia, as a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 300 people and reached more than 20 countries spooks the entertainment industry.

GFRIEND is all set to drop their new mini-album titled “Labyrinth” this week. The singers drop their first album since Big Hit Entertainment, the entertainment management company behind BTS, took over GFRIEND's agency Source Music.

Measures to limit travel and the closure of most cinemas almost completely eliminated box office takings in China on what should have been the country’s busiest movie-going weekend of the year. The pain is set to continue.