KCN: The Thieves Cracks 10 Million and JIFF Gets a New Director (08/16-08/22, 2012)

The Thieves made history this week by becoming only the 6th Korean film to cross the 10 million admissions mark and is now bearing down on the all-time record. In other news, some important castings and appointments, not to mention some festival news, posters and box office.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

Samuel L. Jackson Steps Aboard Spike Lee's Oldboy

Veteran actor Samuel L. Jackson is the latest star to join the remake of Park Chan-wook's classic Oldboy (2003), which is being helmed by Spike Lee with Josh Brolin in the lead. Bruce Horsnby has also recently joined the cast. (Modern Korean Cinema, August 22, 2012)

The Thieves to Screen in Hong Kong from September
The summer blockbuster The Thieves will begin screening across Asia from next month. On Sept. 6, the movie will premiere in Hong Kong and Indonesia before opening in Singapore on the 13th, and Malaysia and Thailand in October and November. (Joong Ang Daily, August 22, 2012)

JIFF Gets a New Festival Director

Ko Seok-man has been appointed the new director of the Jeonju International Film Festival, which will be entering into its 14th edition next year. Ko, the former director of the Korea Culture & Content Agency (KOCCA) will be stepping into the shows of previous head Min Byung-lock for a three-year term beginning on September 1. Min stepped down following the debacle around programmer Yoo Un-seong's dismissal. (Film Business Asia, August 21, 2012)

The Taste of Money to Screen at 14th Rio de Janeiro Film Fest

Im Sang-soo's controversial Cannes competition film will be screened the at the 14th Rio de Janeiro Film Festival which runs from September 27th to October 11th. The director, whose previous work includes A Good Lawyer's Wife (2003) and The Housemaid (2010) will make an appearance at the fest. (KoBiZ, August 17, 2012)

The Thieves May Steal Box Office Record
The heist movie about 10 crooks dreaming of a perfect caper has attracted more than 10 million moviegoers since opening on July 25, amassing 73 billion won ($64 million) at the box office. Only five other Korean movies have reached that audience landmark. And it took only 22 days to get there, close to the record of 21 days set by The Host, a 2006 thriller. (Wall Street Journal, August 16, 2012)

Korean Movies Find New Recipe for Success
A series of successful domestic films at the box office hints at the changing face of Korean cinema. The Thieves, which was released on July 25 amid great expectations with its heist movie plot and star-studded cast, has attracted almost 10 million viewers in only three weeks. The Grand Heist also drew one million moviegoers earlier this week despite its lack of rave reviews. (The Chosun Ilbo, August 16, 2012)

POSTERS

Masquerade (Character Poster 1)

Masquerade (Character Poster 2)

Masquerade (Character Poster 3)

Masquerade (Character Poster 4)

Spy (Poster 1)

Spy (Poster 2)

BOX OFFICE

The Thieves Takes 4th Victory Lap

(Modern Korean Cinema, August 20, 2012)

Korean Cinema News is a weekly feature which provides wide-ranging news coverage on Korean cinema, including but not limited to: features; festival news; interviews; industry news; trailers; posters; and box office. It appears every Wednesday morning (Korean Standard Time) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Korean Reviews. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site. 

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