News

Two-part extravaganzas have always been huge gambles for their creative teams. Hollywood is no stranger to shooting back-to-back sequels, from “The Matrix” to “The Hobbit” to Netflix’s recent “Rebel Moon” saga, and Asian cinema has followed a similar path. John Woo split his expansive Han Dynasty battle epic “Red Cliff” in two for much of its worldwide distribution, while Bollywood’s “Gangs of Wasseypur“(with its initial 319 minute runtime) has seen many iterations, first as two films, then as eight much shorter episodes for its Netflix distribution. In all of these cases, there is a gravitas that comes with the filmmaker’s vision, bursting with ideas and flourishes that cannot be contained in the average one-off cinema experience. Yet with that comes a crucial hope for the goodwill of the audience, that they’re willing to come back, buy another ticket and sit back down to see the conclusion of the story.

“Alienoid: Return to the Future” is a 2024 Korean film streaming on several platforms. On most of the platforms, the movie is for rent. However, on Amazon Prime, it is included with the monthly subscription. This movie is categorized as Action, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), and Romance. Summary: Earth is invaded by alien criminals who have the power to possess human bodies and can kill humans instantly with a red fog. The alien criminals are led by a mastermind criminal who intends to take over the planet. Thunder is also an alien who has been sent to Earth to recapture the escape alien criminals. Thunder will work with humans in two different time periods – the late Goryeo dynasty and the present day South Korea – to bring the alien criminals to justice. ♦ I Grew Up in the Past, But I Must Return to the Future This 2024 Korean film is...

The 19th edition of the London Korean Film Festival (Lkff), organised by the Korean Cultural Centre UK (Kccuk) and supported by the Korean Film Council, is proud to unveil its 2024 programme. The London Korean Film Festival will take place at BFI Southbank, Ciné Lumière, and Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) from 1 November to 13 November. It will feature two strands; Cinema Now and Women’s Voices, as well as a programme from the BFI Echoes in Time: Korean Films of the Golden Age and New Cinema.

Opening Gala Film: Park Beom-su‘s Victory

Closing Gala Film: E.oni‘s Love In The Big City

Special Screening: Choi Dong-hoon‘s Alienoid: Return To The Future

Victory by Park Beom-su will open the festival on the 6 November at BFI Southbank with the director in attendance. In 1999, two rebellious teenagers start a cheerleading squad for their provincial high school, bringing confidence and solidarity to themselves,...

Netflix has announced new Korean action film Mantis (working title), a spinoff of the 2023 feature Kill Boksoon.

The film will star Yim Si-wan, Park Gyu-young and Jo Woo-jin.

Mantis is set in the same contract killer world as Kill Boksoon, which premiered at the Berlinale last year. While Kill Boksoon explores the story of Gil Bok-soon struggling to balance her life as a single mother and assassin, Mantis shifts the spotlight to other contract killers, named Mantis, Jae-yi and Dok-go.

Yim will play the role of Han-ul, an ace assassin also known as “Mantis,” working for Mk Ent. The character Mantis was briefly mentioned by Kill Boksoon‘s Cha Min-kyu to “have gone on a vacation,” and this spinoff will trace Mantis’ return to the industry in search of new opportunities.

Upon Mantis’ return, he encounters...

Korea’s Finecut has landed pre-sales of upcoming action-comedy The Desperate Chase and secured further deals for black comedy A Normal Family in the US and Asia.

The Desperate Chase, which marks the second feature of Devils director Kim Jae-hoon, has been snapped up for Japan (Rights Cube), Taiwan (Apex Success Global), and Vietnam (Mockingbird Pictures) ahead of its market premiere in Cannes, where a rough cut will be screened for buyers.

Starring Kwak Si-yang (The Battle Of Jangsari), Park Sung-woong (Hunt) and Yoon Kyung-ho (Alienoid), the caper centres on a detective on the case of a Chinese triad boss...

At the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy, Mitsuhiro Mihara’s Takano Tofu clinched the Golden Mulberry prize, the top honor at the festival’s audience awards.

Family drama Takano Tofu follows a father and daughter as they run a tofu shop in a small town, and stars Tatsuya Fuji and Kumiko Aso. The title also won the Purple Mulberry Award, chosen by users of Italian film fan platform MYmovies.

Feff hosted a parallel online component through the MYmovies One platform, where Takano Tofu came in as the second most-streamed film after Korean film Alienoid.

Taking second prize at the audience awards was another Japanese film, Confetti, directed by Naoya Futjita. The coming-of-age film follows Yuki (played by Matsufuji Shion), who takes on female roles for his father’s traveling theater troupe. Hong Kong film Time Still Turns the Pages by Nick Cheuk came in third.

The White...

Mitsuhiro Mihara’s Takano Tofu won two awards including the top Golden Mulberry prize at the closing of Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy, where the honours were dominated by titles from Japan and South Korea.

The family drama centres on a father and daughter who run a tofu store, and stars Tatsuya Fuji and Kumiko Aso. It received its European premiere at Feff, where director Mihara accepted the award, decided by audience votes, on Thursday (May 2).

The film also won the Purple Mulberry Award, selected users of Italian film fan platform MYmovies. The online component of Feff,...

Asian Cinema Celebration

Veteran Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be presented with a lifetime achievement award at the upcoming edition of the Festival of Far East Film in Italy’s Udine (April 24 – May 2). The lineup will include three films by Zhang: his 2023 political thriller “Under the Light” in its competition section; as well as “To Live” and “Raise the Red Lantern” in its restored classics section.

The festival’s total lineup includes 74 films in total – 47 in competition and 28 out of competition) from 11 countries. Events will kick off with a double bill of smash hit mainland Chinese movie “Yolo” and Korean action comedy “Citizen of a Kind.”

Other highlights include “13 Bombs” by Indonesia’s Angga Dwimas Sasongko; “The Goldfinger” by Hong Kong’s Felix Chong; investigative journalism drama “In Broad Daylight,” by Hong Kong’s Lawrence Kan; Ning Hao’s “The Movie Emperor”; a ten-strong Japanese selection that includes “(Ab)normal Desire,...

Time-traveling aliens team up with ancient sorcerers to save the planet once again in this year’s Alienoid: Return to the Future, the hotly anticipated sequel to 2022’s Korean sci-fi blockbuster Alienoid. Attempting any kind of efficient synopsis of either of these films is a challenge to which I won’t even attempt to rise, but suffice it to say, there’s a lot going on here. Alienoid the elder was a two-and-a-half hour overstuffed but very fun FX spectacular that captured the imagination while simultaneously bewildering the audience with layers upon layers of lore, both terrestrial and otherwise. The plots basically boil down to the idea that aliens were using human bodies to imprison dangerous criminals bent on galactic destruction, but when those aliens find a way...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Time traveling-fantasy-adventure movie “Alienoid 2” was a comfortable winner at the South Korea box office over the weekend. But with few fresh films on release the cinema-going market slowed.

“Alienoid 2” earned $2.06 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That was down by 42% compared with its opening session a week earlier and leaves it with a total of $7.96 million after 12 days on release.

The first instalment of “Alienoid” was one of the biggest flops of 2022. It opened brightly with a $5.19 million weekend in July that year. But it suffered terrible reviews and finished with just $12.2 million.

Whether the second part does better than the first may be a matter of market timing and competition. January is usually a quiet month in Korean cinemas and the lack of blockbuster titles competing for screen space may help “Alienoid 2.”

The overall market...

Two-part extravaganzas have always been huge gambles for their creative teams. Hollywood is no stranger to shooting back-to-back sequels, from “The Matrix” to “The Hobbit” to Netflix's recent “Rebel Moon” saga, and Asian cinema has followed a similar path. John Woo split his expansive Han Dynasty battle epic “Red Cliff” in two for much of its worldwide distribution, while Bollywood's “Gangs of Wasseypur”(with its initial 319 minute runtime) has seen many iterations, first as two films, then as eight much shorter episodes for its Netflix distribution. In all of these cases, there is a gravitas that comes with the filmmaker's vision, bursting with ideas and flourishes that cannot be contained in the average one-off cinema experience. Yet with that comes a crucial hope for the goodwill of the audience, that they're willing to come back, buy another ticket and sit back down to see the conclusion of the story.

Sci-fi fantasy comedy “Alienoid 2” opened on top of the South Korean box office with $3.57 million on a weekend that otherwise saw five animation titles and a political documentary in the top ten.

The big-budget, time-traveling “Alienoid 2” earned $3.57 million between Friday and Sunday with a market share of 39% and $4.77 million over its opening five days, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Imax reports that some $370,000 of the film’s total was earned from 24 Imax screens.

The film was made as a two-parter. The first instalment of “Alienoid” was one of the biggest flops of 2022. It opened with a $5.19 million weekend in July that year. But it suffered terrible reviews and word of mouth and finished with just $12.2 million. Director Choi Dong-hoon has recently spent several weeks pushing the message that the second part is better than the first.

Its opening performance was enough...

"Whatever's inside you, just leave it alone." Well Go USA has revealed the official US teaser trailer for the sci-fi sequel Alienoid: The Return to the Future – Part 2 of this epic Korean production. We posted multiple trailers for the original Part 1 - Alienoid back in 2022 when it first opened in theaters in the US and in Korea. Filming originally began in March 2020. Both first & second part were filmed simultaneously for 13 months. Alien + Human: Part 2, as it's also known, will open in US theaters later in January this winter. This is the second part to Alienoid, which will center on ancient Taoists traveling through time and space in an effort to obtain the Divine Sword. After locating the Divine Blade, a shaman and a modern-day woman race through time to battle a powerful alien commander intent on destroying mankind in this sci-fi follow-up, Part 2 of Choi Dong-hoon's epic action series.

Choi Dong-hoon unleashed his vision for the future last year with “Alienoid”, a sci-fi time-jumping epic that was his dream project, told in both the present time and the Joseon era. Though the multi-starrer large-scale production, starring Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol and Kim Woo-bin, failed to light up the box-office, Choi did manage to set up his expansive world with the first part of a tale that he shot simultaneously as a two-parter and the second part, now titled “Alienoid: The Return to the Future” is gearing up for release.

Synopsis

Ean and Thunder have become trapped in the distant past while trying to prevent the escape of alien prisoners who are locked up in the human brains. She eventually locates the Divine Blade. which can open a door through time. Meanwhile Moo-reuk who helps Ean escape is unnerved when he begins sensing the presence of a strange being in his body.

“Incredibly weird — but delightful” was one audience member’s indelible comment after the UK premiere of Lee Won-suk’s insane comedy Killing Romance on Friday. Starring Lee Hanee, a former Miss Universe recently seen in the sci-fi romp Alienoid, it tells the story of Hwa Yeo-rae, a viral internet star who becomes trapped in a controlling marriage to the evil Jonathan Na. To escape from Na, Yeo-rae teams up with her new neighbor Beom-woo (Gong Myung), a young superfan who dreams up a series of increasingly bizarre murder plots.

On paper, it sounds like a traditional neo-noir, but in Director Lee’s hands it becomes a delirious, twisted live-action Disney cartoon, complete with song-and-dance routines and a telepathic ostrich intent on spaghetti western-style revenge. The fact that it was shot during Covid didn’t help matters — turfed out...

Myths and ancient legends have continuously served as a solid backbone to many historical dramas coming from Korea over the past few years. Similar to the brand of Hong Kong or Chinese features, the blend of a known historical backdrop, drama, martial arts and/ a murder mystery has fueled many stories, many of which have been commercially very successful in Korea, but not so much outside, where the majority has been released either digitally or physically. The directorial debut of Ahn Tae-jin falls into this particular category, with “The Night Owl” having won numerous awards in its home country, while it is now being released for home cinema in many countries. The foundation for the features is the mystery surrounding Crown Prince Sohyeon, who attempted to reform his home country but died before doing so.

The Night Owl Comes to VOD on September 26th, courtesy of Capelight Pictures

However, the...

Special mention went to Chinese feature ‘Flaming Cloud’.

Malaysian drama Abang Adik scooped the top prize at the New York Asian Film Festival, which closed last night with a screening of Netflix animation The Monkey King.

Abang Adik received the Uncaged Award for best feature film, beating eight other titles from across Asia in Nyaff’s competition strand. It marks the directorial debut feature of Jin Ong and follows two orphaned brothers whose bond is tested after a brutal accident.

Director Ong was in New York to present the North American premiere of the film at the festival. Accepting the award,...

This JUNG_E article contains spoilers.

From Yeon Sang-ho, the director of Train to Busan, JUNG_E is a sci-fi drama set in a dystopian future where the Earth has been ravaged by climate change and is no longer habitable. Humans are forced to abandon the planet for man-made shelters in space, though not every shelter is on board with their proposed leadership. What remains of humanity becomes engulfed in a civil war between the Allied Forces and the Adrian Republic.

But there’s more to JUNG_E than war games and big CG-laden battles. Deep down, Sang-ho’s newest film is about the ethics of AI bred for war and the commercialization of death. JUNG_E tells the story of Captain Yun Jung-yi, a legendary soldier whose failed final mission leads to her brain being cloned by a military AI development company, Kronoid, in an effort to design the ultimate robotic soldier in her image.

Netflix has unveiled 34 new titles debuting on the platform in 2023, ranging from K-dramas and films to unscripted TV shows.

According to the platform, 60 of its users consumed Korean content last year and the demand continues to grow. Don Kang, VP of content for Korea, said: “The global popularity of K-content has continued apace over 2022, with Netflix bringing a wider variety of stories and genres to fans around the world. Over the last year, Korean series and films have regularly featured in our Global Top 10 list in more than 90 countries, and three of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever are from Korea.”

K-drama fans can expect new survival-themed series alongside the return of their favorites. Park Seo Joon partners with Han So Hee for the first time in “Gyeongsang Creature” (pictured), a monster thriller set in 1945, the darkest days of Korean history.

Elsewhere, sci-fi series “Black Knight” joins the lineup as we...

Our friends at Texas-based specialty distrbutor Well Go USA have been gracious enough to provide Screen Anarchy with three copies of Korean sci-fi action gem, Alienoid, for giveaway this week! Somehow the film managed to slip through our fingers when it released a few months back, so we don't have a review handy, but here's what they have to say about it: Written & directed by Choi Dong-hoon and starring Ryu Jun-Yeol, Kim Woo-bin (Friend 2), and Kim Tae-ri (The Handmaiden), the time-traveling sci-fi action epic Alienoid debuts on Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD December 6 from Well Go USA Entertainment and will land on martial arts action streaming channel Hi-yah! on December 23. The first in a...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Cj Enm, which includes Korea’s largest film producer and distributor, is using the Asian Contents & Film Market this week to launch a handful of new titles while basking in its recent box office and festival successes.

“The Boys” gets its premiere as a special screening withing the Busan International Film Festival’s expanded Korean Cinema Today section. This crime drama delves into the lives of three teenage boys, falsely accused and jailed for a brutal robbery-murder case. Fifteen years later, they seek a retrial in a bid to prove their innocence.

The veteran cast line-up includes Seol Kyung Gu (“Kingmaker”), Yu Jun Sang (“Along With The Gods: Two Worlds”), Jin Kyung (“Beasts Clawing At Straws”), Heo Sung Tae and Yeom Hye Ran (“Special Delivery”). “The Boys” was directed by Chung Ji Young, whose notable works include “National Security” and “Black Money.”

History has proven freedom comes at a price.

Next month’s London Korean Film Festival cloaks itself in a panoply of the country’s recent cinema, with a mix of commercial blockbusters, festival titles and documentaries. The long-running event also pays tribute to Kang Soo-youn, the performer who was the first Korean to win a best acting award in Venice and who died in May this year.

The event runs from Nov. 3 – 17, 2022 in venues across London and comprises 35 films. It opens with a previously announced screening of “Alienoid.”

The Cinema Now section includes: Jeong Ji-yeon’s psychological thriller “The Anchor”; Davy Chou’s “Return To Seoul,” which premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard; Byun Sung-hyun’s “Kingmaker”; “Hot Blooded,” the long-awaited directorial debut by acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Cheon Myeong-kwan; nostalgic road chase movie “Stellar: A Magical Ride”; “Director’s Intention,” by Kim Min-geun.

A special screening goes to “Broker,” the Kore-Ede Hirokazu-directed light drama that opened in competition in Cannes in May.

The world’s longest-running film festival dedicated to Korean cinema, the London Korean Film Festival (Lkff) returns with its 17th edition. Lkff will run from 3 November – 17 November 2022 in cinema venues across London.

With the biggest programme dedicated to Korean cinema outside of the country itself, the festival is proud to return with an exciting programme of 35+ films across strands including Cinema Now, Special Focus, After Dark: K-Horror, Indie Talents, Women’s Voices, Documentary, Shorts and Artist Video.

Korean Sci-fi film, Choi Dong-hoon’s Alienoid opens the festival on 3rd November at the Institute for Contemporary Arts (Ica) with the director in attendance. A box office hit in Korea starring leading talent including Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin and Kim Tae-ri, the Lkff Opening is the film’s UK premiere.

The programme includes a Special Focus strand dedicated to internationally celebrated, acclaimed actress Kang Soo-yeon. Beloved within Korea as a young actor,...

Format

HBO Max in Hungary will stream a local version of hit survival reality format “The Bridge.” The competition sees participants tasked with building a 250-metre-long bridge to an island for the chance to win a large cash prize. Presented by Csaba Magyarósi, “The Bridge Hungary” is produced locally by Free Monkeys Production. This is the sixth adaptation of the format, which was created in Spain by Zeppelin, part of Banijay Iberia and has U.K., Brazil and Australia versions..

Banijay Rights struck multiple deals for the U.K. version with broadcasters in the Netherlands and across Africa and Latin America. The U.K. series also aired on HBO Max in the US, Latin America, and Asia.

The Hungarian agreement was negotiated by Veronique Verges, senior VP German territories, Poland and Hungary, Banijay Rights.

***

LA and London based production company The Ats Team have launched competition series “Clash of Trades.

The 28th edition of the L-Etrange began this week and South Korea is definitely in the house this year. Lee Sang-yong's The Roundup, starring action studd Don Lee/Ma Dong-seok, kicked off the festival this past Tuesday. The festival will conclude its near two-week run with a closing night screening of sci-fi actioner Alienoid, from Choi Dong-hoon. Other South Korean films include Hong-sun Kim’s trapped on a boat action flick Project Wolf Hunting, Hunt (Lee Jung-jae), Hot Blooded (Cheon Myoung-kwan), Spiritwalker (Yoon Jae-geun). These last four films are in the international competition, vying for the coveted Canal+ grand prize, acquisition by French premium Pay-tv Canal+ for future broadcast. There are a number of interesting retrospective programs at this year's festival. There are tribute programs devoted to Japanese director, Masahiro Shinoda, Filipino director Mike de...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

More news from our friends at Sitges. Very, exciting news.    The festival has announced that the new films from Jason Eisener and Joe Begos will be coming. They're dipping into influences past, Eisener with his 80s kids in peril flick Kids vs. Aliens and Begos with his horror holiday sci-fi slasher, Christmas Bloody Christmas.    There will be lots of Asian cinema for the crowd this year. Jeong Woo-seong's A Man of Reason, Kim Hong-sun's Project Wolf Hunting and Choi Dong-hoon's Alienoid. There will be a slew of anime titles and if getting the bejeesuz scared out of you is your thing Joko Anwar's Satan's Slaves 2: Communion is beginning to make the festival rounds.    And speaking of getting scared there are two...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Cohen Media Group hopes a Spanish film can dent the tough market for foreign language fare, Bleecker Street is out with a hostage drama and A24 presents Owen Kline’s directorial debut about a teenage cartoonist as the arthouse market flexes more muscle than it has in weeks.

The dearth of new releases itself nudged some distributors to grab a window now before a more crowded fall, including Uar’s supersized specialty opening of the Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton-starring Three Thousand Years Of Longing on 2,436 screens, considerably wider than originally anticipated.

George Miller’s fantasy fairytale, written by Miller and Augusta Gore, is based on the 1994 A.S. Byatt short story ‘The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye’. Swinton is a complacent academic, Elba is the Djinn (a kind of spirit genie) she encounters at a conference in Istanbul in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival out-of-competition entry. Deadline review here.

The Good Boss...

A scene from the Korean fantasy/science fiction film Alienoid. Courtesy of Well Go Entertainment

Alienoid is a fairly light-hearted Korean fantasy about an alien race using Earth to house its evil-doers. The movie is a mixed blessing. The CGI effects are superb but the plot may strike many, myself included, as being far more complicated than needed.

In the 1300s, aliens unwilling to kill or confine their criminals in situ, instead send them to Korea where they plant them in unwitting humans’ brains, where they are trapped until they die along with their host. A couple of versatile, sentient robots, capable of morphing into many forms, are stationed there to recapture any criminals who manage to escape and try jumping into another body. That gives us a second epoch of action – the present, along with a child they rescued from the past and raised for a decade in our future.

If you want epic science fiction or fantasy action films worth their salt these days, you have to look to the East. Big budgets and dedicated crews who make no concessions to the embarrassment sometimes felt around genre fare mean there’s a lot of high quality stuff being produced, and this in turn means each production has to work hard to compete. As a result, there’s no messing about. For a long time, aliens have been storing their prisoners inside human bodies, but sometimes they escape, we are told at the start of Alienoid, and that’s it. Straight into the film. Straight into a wuxia-style battle in Medieval Korea with added robots and tentacles and explosions. it’s little wonder that this was a box office winner.

There is an explanation of sorts – or rather, multiple explanations, because this plot thickens like custard on a radiator – but information is provided.

"The great Controller is locked inside you. Ready to break free?" One last look! Well Go USA has revealed a final official US trailer for the Korean epic action sci-fi movie Alienoid, opening in US theaters this week (starting August 26th). We already posted three other trailers for this movie before, but they keep hyping it up with more more more. A tale of two eras, Alienoid follows two Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) gurus seeking a legendary, time-bending blade as they unexpectedly cross paths with modern-era people hunting down a dangerous alien concealed inside a human's body. This sounds and looks awesome. The sci-fi action fantasy features a cast including Ryu Jun-yeol as the master swordsman, Kim Tae-ri as "a woman who shoots thunder", Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung, Lee Ha-nee, and Jo Woo-jin. I totally want to bring everyone I know to the theater to watch this when it plays this week.

Still only 50, Choi Dong-hoon has been a front-runner among Korean directors for at least the past 15 years, with hits under his belt including “The Thieves,” “Assassination” and “Tazza: The High Rollers.” Now he is driving the Korean industry’s exploration of sci-fi.

Choi’s “Alienoid” recently played to U.S. audiences at the New York Asian Film Festival and will open in North American theaters from Aug. 26.

The film is a genre-bending caper in which two gurus from the Koryo Dynasty search for a time-bending blade and unexpectedly cross paths with modern-day folk hunting down a dangerous alien hidden inside a human body.

The result has plenty in common with “Jeon Woochi,” a period actioner that is another of Choi’s hits, but amped with richer visuals and cleverer VFX. The scale of its ambition fits the billing as the first part of a two-film franchise.

Choi spoke to Variety...

“Emergency Declaration,” a timely Korean-made action thriller, flew to an opening weekend of 6.5 million. But it was old-fashioned naval actioner “Hansan: Rising Dragon” that stayed afloat at the top of the South Korean box office for a second week.

“Hansan,” a sequel to a 2014 record breaker, earned 9.18 million from over 1,600 screens, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That was a week on week decrease of 32. Its market share fell from 60 to 45. Still, after 12 days in Korean cinemas, “Hansan” has accumulated 36.0 million and is now the fourth highest grossing film of the year to date.

“Emergency Declaration,” which had a special screening in Cannes last year, and had been rescheduled several times, finally got to fly on Wednesday. It took off strongly for distributor Showbox and topped the daily charts on Wednesday and Thursday. But the film flew into turbulence over the...

The 20th anniversary edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) closed out an epic 17-day run on Sunday night, after welcoming nearly 100 acclaimed filmmakers, international stars and other notable guests from across Asia and the US, screening over 60 films in-theater at Film at Lincoln Center (Flc) and Asia Society from July 15 – 31, hosting a range of masterclasses and compelling talk sessions, and smashing festival attendance records.

The 20th anniversary lineup included six world premieres, eight international premieres, 20 North American premieres, four US premieres, and 15 East Coast/New York premieres, showcasing the most exciting new action, comedy, drama, thriller, romance, horror, and art-house films from Hong Kong, Japan, China, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Mongolia, Singapore, and the United States.

Prior to the screening of the Nyaff Closing Film, time-travel sci-fi epic Alienoid, from blockbuster Korean director Choi Dong-hoon, the festival announced two Audience Award winners and...

Alienoid International Trailer 2 — Well Go USA Entertainment has released the second movie trailer for Alienoid / Oegye+in 1bu (2022). View here the first Alienoid international movie trailer. Cast and crew Choi Dong-hoon‘s Alienoid stars Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung, Lee Ha-nee, and Jo Woo-jin. Choi Dong-hoon [...]

Continue reading: Alienoid (2022) International Movie Trailer 2: Aliens Place Prisoners in Human Bodies in Choi Dong-hoon’s Sci-Fi Film...

"That blade can wake up prisoners, and it can move you through time." Sounds like one powerful blade! Korea's Cj Entertainment has revealed another official trailer for the epic sci-fi Alienoid, which is finally set for a US release. Well Go USA will drop this one in US theaters at the end of August. We already posted two other trailers for this movie before, but there's always more footage to see. During the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), Taoists try to take a mysterious holy sword. Meanwhile in present day (in 2022), aliens appear on Earth. A time door soon connects the late Goryeo period and the present day. The two parties cross paths when a time-traveling portal opens, causing chaos and confusion. The science fiction action fantasy features a cast including Ryu Jun-yeol as the master swordsman, Kim Tae-ri as "a woman who shoots thunder", Kim Woo-bin, So Ji-seob, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Eui-eung,...

A powerful debut for “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” a locally-made historical action film, lifted the South Korean box office to its second highest weekend of the year and helped July to be the best month of 2022.

The film is a prequel to “Roaring Currents” a tale of an heroic 14th century naval admiral that amassed some 17 million admissions in 2014 and is currently the most-watched Korean film of all time.

Data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic), showed that “Hansan” earned 13.4 million from 1.63 million ticket sales between Friday and Sunday, for a market share of 60. Over its first five days in theaters, the film amassed 17.9 million from 2.27 million spectators.

That makes it only the third Korean film so far this year to pass the 2 million ticket sales mark, behind “The Roundup” which has now reached 12.7 million spectators and 100.4 million in revenues and “The Witch: Part 2.

New release titles “Alienoid” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” dominated business at the South Korean box office over the weekend.

“Alienoid,” a sci-fi fantasy about the search for a legendary sword across different eras, opened on Wednesday and consistently, but narrowly, bested its animated rival.

“Alienoid” earned 5.19 million between Friday and Sunday for a 32 market share, having played on more than 1,800 screens. Over the five days from release it has amassed 7.37 million.

“Minions” earned 4.58 million between Friday and Sunday, for a 29 market share, having played on close to 1,400 screens. Its five-day cumulative is 6.29 million.

“Top Gun Maverick,” which the previous weekend bounced back to the top of the chart, fell to third place. In its fifth weekend of release, it dropped by 34 to record 3.68 million and a 23 market share. Since release on June 22, “Top Gun Maverick” has accumulated 53.0 million, making it the second highest scoring film of the year...

Update, writethru: Hollywood movies had another solid holdover session at the international box office this weekend, with slight drops essentially across the board — and some new or near milestones as audiences continue to flock to cinemas for varied fare (it helps that the mercury mercifully let up in certain areas). There were no new wide offshore releases this frame — Universal’s Nope starts overseas rollout in August.

Leading the pack at offshore turnstiles this weekend is Universal/Illumination’s Minions: The Rise Of Gru which added 42.1M from 79 markets for a 25 drop and a 342.4M offshore cume. The global total through Sunday is an estimated 640.3M. Notably, Korea went bananas with the biggest Illumination opening day ever and the best animated weekend debut of the pandemic. For its part, the UK jumped 13 — a recurring theme as we’ll see below.

Disney/Marvel’s Thor: Love And Thunder is again on...

Exclusive: Well Go USA Entertainment has expanded its slate of Korean films, acquiring North American rights to titles including Alienoid, Hansan: Rising Dragon, Gangnam Zombie, The Ghost Station and The Assassin. While the international and indie distributor has set theatrical releases in place for Alienoid and Hansan, plans for the other three films have not yet been finalized.

Alienoid is the first in a series of two big-budget sci-fi films from director Choi Dong-hoon. Ryu Jun-Yeol, Kim Woo-bin and Kim Tae-ri star in the pic, which is being distributed in Korea by Cj Enm.

Directed by Kim Han-min and starring Park Hae-il, Byun Yo-han and Ahn Sung-ki, Hansan: Rising Dragon is a follow-up to 2014’s The Admiral: Roaring Currents—the most-watched film in Korean cinema history—which brings to life the historic Battle of Hansan Island. Its Korean distributor is Lotte Entertainment.

In the horror film Gangnam Zombie, from director Lee Soo-sung,...