UDINE 2013: A Gothic Fantasy: A Werewolf Boy (늑대소년, 2012)

Part of MKC's coverage of the 15th Udine Far East Film Festival.

(by Rex Baylon)

Of all the film cultures in the world that embrace the ideals of romantic love it is only in South Korea where the connection between the ghosts of the past, the shifting of the seasons, and the tragic melodramatic love story can exist and thrive. While the French may have their amour fou, the Italians and Spanish their unbridled passion, and the Americans their once witty rom-coms South Korea has, for over a decade now, been cornering the market on never-can-be romances. If one were to retrace the genesis of this popular genre you wouldn’t need to go further back than 2002 with the broadcast of Winter Sonata on television screens all over the peninsula. Part of the Endless Love quadrilogy of stories that charted the ups and downs of a couple who meet in adolescence, were separated by some uncontrollable force, reunited later in adulthood, and then depending on the whims of nature and the show’s producer would either come back together again or be painfully ripped apart from one another.

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A Gothic Fantasy: A Werewolf Boy (늑대소년, Neukdae Sonyeon) 2012

(by Rex Baylon)

Of all the film cultures in the world that embrace the ideals of romantic love it is only in South Korea where the connection between the ghosts of the past, the shifting of the seasons, and the tragic melodramatic love story can exist and thrive. While the French may have their amour fou, the Italians and Spanish their unbridled passion, and the Americans their once witty rom-coms South Korea has, for over a decade now, been cornering the market on never-can-be romances. If one were to retrace the genesis of this popular genre you wouldn’t need to go further back than 2002 with the broadcast of Winter Sonata on television screens all over the peninsula. Part of the Endless Love quadrilogy of stories that charted the ups and downs of a couple who meet in adolescence, were separated by some uncontrollable force, reunited later in adulthood, and then depending on the whims of nature and the show’s producer would either come back together again or be painfully ripped apart from one another.

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KBO: The Hobbit Stands Tall at No.1 (12/14-12/16, 2012)

The Hobbit Stands Tall at No.1

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	The Hobbit (us)	12/13/12	45.20%	921,177	1,080,351	1,028
2	26 Years	11/29/12	17.10%	409,708	2,557,122	474
3	My P.S. Partner	12/6/12	15.90%	353,277	1,223,873	420
4	Rise of the Guardians (us)	11/29/12	6.70%	165,984	899,826	361
5	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	4.10%	102,475	372,017	233
6	One Day (us)	12/13/12	3.50%	79,190	102,936	236
7	Power Rangers (jp)	11/29/12	1.90%	48,317	63,041	229
8	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	1.00%	22,544	2,720,064	114
9	Masquerade	9/13/12	0.90%	20,635	12,274,047	88
10	Wreck-it Ralph (us)	12/13/12	0.80%	19,179	33,623	118

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KBO: 26 Years Steady at No.1 (12/07-12/09, 2012)

26 Years Steady at No.1

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	26 Years	11/29/12	31.10%	606,877	1,815,877	610
2	My P.S. Partner	12/6/12	25.40%	473,527	565,557	553
3	Rise of the Guardians (us)	11/29/12	13.60%	258,352	677,900	430
4	Werewolf Boy (Director's Cut)	10/31/12	8.10%	164,554	183,029	278
5	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	5.20%	104,602	2,578,609	305
6	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	5.10%	95,262	2,648,477	281
7	Tone Deaf Clinic	11/29/12	2.00%	42,000	303,714	212
8	Masquerade	9/13/12	1.60%	32,353	12,227,303	97
9	Don't Cry Mommy	11/22/12	1.30%	26,550	956,740	201
10	Judge Dredd (us)	12/6/12	1.40%	26,402	34,731	184

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WKR: Current Release and Much More (12/01-12/07, 2012)

Even spread of write-ups this week covering old and new releases.

UPCOMING FILMS

Tumbleweed

(Modern Korean Cinema, December 6, 2012)

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KBO: The Controversial 26 Years Shoots to the Top (11/30-12/02, 2012)

The Controversial 26 Years Shoots to the Top

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	26 Years	11/29/12	32.80%	663,704	803,186	609
2	Rise of the Guardians (us)	11/29/12	15.00%	277,161	361,738	472
3	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	12.80%	265,304	6,519,784	415
4	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	10.70%	220,160	2,390,761	351
5	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	9.10%	176,703	2,471,307	315
6	Don't Cry Mommy	11/22/12	6.60%	136,890	883,290	339
7	Tone Deaf Clinic	11/29/12	5.90%	127,304	206,344	361
8	Masquerade	9/13/12	2.50%	54,186	12,167,317	128
9	National Security	11/22/12	1.50%	31,110	305,802	216
10	Trouble With the Curve (us)	11/29/12	0.50%	11,261	17,225	129

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KBO: A Werewolf Boy Claims 4th Win During Crowded Weekend (11/23-11/25, 2012)

A Werewolf Boy Claims 4th Win During Crowded Weekend

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	24.80%	550,880	6,015,700	595
2	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	21.50%	468,965	1,940,783	536
3	Don't Cry Mommy	11/22/12	19.20%	425,916	538,138	444
4	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	15.10%	310,819	2,109,450	382
5	National Security	11/22/12	6.90%	147,759	188,020	310
6	Masquerade	9/13/12	2.80%	62,631	12,064,506	166
7	Rise of the Guardians (us)	11/29/12	2.80%	50,523	56,850	197
8	Iron Bag Man	11/22/12	1.20%	26,250	42,208	119
9	Tone Deaf Clinic	11/29/12	1.20%	25,876	42,251	203
10	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	1.10%	23,232	2,349,440	122

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KBO: Werewolf Boy Fights Off Twilight For Third Win (11/16-11/18, 2012)

Werewolf Boy Fights Off Twilight For Third Win

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	34.40%	901,842	5,093,692	678
2	Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (us)	11/15/12	34.60%	880,700	1,080,756	665
3	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	17.20%	416,119	1,538,341	388
4	Code Name: Jackal	11/15/12	4.10%	109,017	141,284	301
5	Masquerade	9/13/12	3.80%	98,383	11,933,678	283
6	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	2.70%	69,181	2,285,115	239
7	Sinister (us)	11/15/12	1.10%	26,386	33,809	183
8	Upside Down (us)	11/8/12	0.40%	11,328	169,384	107
9	Jungle Emperor Leo (jp)	11/8/12	0.30%	9,984	38,984	56
10	Brave (us)	9/27/12	0.20%	5,424	1,228,682	34

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WKR: Current Korean Hits, LKFF and Classic Film Reviews (11/10-11/16, 2012)

Lots of reviews in from the LKFF and more than classic films reviewed than usual, thanks in large part to a big new update on koreanfilm.org.

CURRENT FILMS

A Werewolf Boy

(Hanguk Yeonghwa, November 12, 2012)

Confession of Murder

(Screen Daily, November 9, 2012)

Masquerade

(oriental nightmares, November 12, 2012)

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KBO: A Werewolf Boy Chews Up the Competition (11/09-11/11, 2012)

A Werewolf Boy Chews Up the Competition

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	A Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	51.70%	1,333,425	3,603,599	855
2	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	23.80%	567,631	725,877	548
3	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	8.90%	222,312	2,119,922	350
4	Masquerade	9/13/12	6.90%	174,674	11,734,840	317
5	Upside Down (us)	11/8/12	3.70%	93,968	126,282	308
6	Now Is Good (uk)	11/8/12	1.10%	26,495	34,742	142
7	Jungle Emperor Leo (jp)	11/8/12	0.90%	25,189	25,725	159
8	Perfect Number	10/18/12	0.90%	22,622	1,534,523	192
9	Argo (us)	10/31/12	0.60%	14,519	128,393	121
10	Brave (us)	9/27/12	0.40%	9,711	1,222,736	58

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KCN: AFM Sales, London and Paris K-Film Fests and More BO Records (11/01-11/07, 2012)

More box office records broken and films sold at the American Film Market while both Paris and London stage their annual Korean film festivals.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

7th Paris Korean Film Festival Opens
Paris, which had its hottest summer this year, is once again experiencing the heat of Korean films this fall as the 7th Paris Korean Film Festival unfolds. The event opened on October 30th and Masquerade, the opening film, was sold out with other screenings also proving very popular. Q and A sessions following screenings are helping to satisfy the audience's curiosity and the event is fulfilling the role of bridging the cultural gap between the two nations. (KoBiz, November 6, 2012)

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KBO: Werewolf Boy Opens Big, Masquerade All-time No. 5 (11/02-11/04, 2012)

Werewolf Boy Opens Big, Masquerade All-time No. 5

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Werewolf Boy	10/31/12	48.70%	1,030,285	1,294,479	707
2	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/12	22.80%	459,005	1,694,359	581
3	Masquerade	9/13/12	13.10%	272,736	11,418,849	404
4	Perfect Number	10/18/12	5.30%	108,248	1,462,108	316
5	Argo (us)	10/31/12	2.70%	56,647	79,989	238
6	Confession of Murder	11/8/12	2.60%	49,809	59,519	214
7	Brave (us)	9/27/12	1.00%	23,145	1,211,560	106
8	Almost Che	10/25/12	1.00%	21,287	215,887	195
9	The Peach Tree	10/31/12	0.70%	13,980	24,048	201
10	Savages (us)	10/31/12	0.40%	8,340	13,278	171

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WKR: Im Kwon-taek London Retro and More From Busan (10/27-11/02, 2012)

Though it ended almost three weeks ago, the pace of reviews coming in from this year's Busan International Film Festival has yet to let up. Additionally, a comprehensive Im Kwon-taek retrospective is currently taking place in London with Eastern Kicks leading the charge on the review front.

UPCOMING FILMS

Don't Cry Mommy

(Variety, October 29, 2012)

El Condor Pasa

(Film Business Asia, October 28, 2012)

Juvenile Offender

(The Hollywood Reporter, October 31, 2012)

Pluto

(Film Business Asia, October 29, 2012)

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