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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KCN: Masquerade Triumphs at Daejong, Korean Films Wins Awards at Festivals (10/25-10/31, 2012)

Masquerade won a record-breaking 15 trophies at the Daejong Film Awards while a number of Korean films won prizes at major international film festivals.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

49th Daejong Film Awards: Masquerade Wins... Everything
The largest movie awards show returned tonight as it held its 49th edition in Seoul. As the size and prestige of the industry has risen over the years, so has this awards show, which could be seen as Korean cinema's equivalent to the Oscars. It's not the only awards show in town as the Blue Dragon Awards, which take place in November, are also fairly prominent, but it's the longest running and the one with the highest profile. (Modern Korean Cinema, October 30, 2012)

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Interview: The Singular Lee Sang-woo, Director of Barbie

I was fortunate to sit down with Lee Sang-woo a few weeks ago on a Saturday evening in Hongdae after having seen his latest two films Barbie (which came out last week in Korea) and Fire in Hell (which premiered in Jeonju earlier this year).

Lee has been in the industry for a long time, most notably as Kim Ki-duk's assistant director, before making the transition to becoming a prolific director in his own right. His official debut was Tropical Manila in 2008 and he has released six films up until now, including Mother Is a Whore (2010), but has actually shot as many as 12, most of which will be released in the near future.

Lee was extremely frank during his interview which, it should be noted, was conducted after a few bottles of soju. Be warned however, some parts of our discussion may not be to suitable for all tastes. 

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49th Daejong Film Awards: Masquerade Wins... Everything

The largest movie awards show returned tonight as it held its 49th edition in Seoul. As the size and prestige of the industry has risen over the years, so has this awards show, which could be seen as Korean cinema's equivalent to the Oscars. It's not the only awards show in town as the Blue Dragon Awards, which take place in November, are also fairly prominent, but it's the longest running and the one with the highest profile.

Last year a couple of films, all with big box office tallies took home most of the awards but this year's event fortunately featured a few smaller films in the mix, not least Kim Ki-duk's Pieta, which picked up the Venice Film Festival's top prize, the Golden Lion, only a few weeks ago. The nominees list is still largely dominated by commercial hits, as this awards show as not traditionally been kind to independent fare, but it's nice to see a few make the cut. Though in the end it seems the variety was all for nought.

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KBO: Skyfall Ends Masquerade's 6-Week Reign (10/26-10/28, 2012)

Skyfall Ends Masquerade's 6-Week Reign

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Skyfall (us/uk)	10/26/11	45.60%	870,836	871,823	749
2	Masquerade	9/13/12	20.90%	412,777	10,944,763	503
3	Perfect Number	10/18/12	16.80%	325,268	1,233,658	436
4	Almost Che	10/25/11	6.00%	119,294	158,827	358
5	Brave (us)	9/27/12	1.90%	42,088	1,186,522	153
6	A Company Man	10/11/12	2.20%	40,652	1,091,606	261
7	Looper (us)	10/11/12	2.00%	36,434	548,015	181
8	Paranormal Activity 4 (us)	10/25/11	1.70%	34,918	43,274	173
9	Lawless (us)	10/25/11	0.60%	10,603	16,722	170
10	Dangerous Liaisons	10/11/12	0.30%	5,998	293,263	70

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Barbie (바비, 2012)

Though I have long been a fan of the aesthetic merits of Korean cinema, I also realize that there exists a dark side to Korean culture, a pervasive materialism that often favors beauty and perfection above all else. Designer goods and Western trappings have quickly become staples of life for modern urban Koreans. So as Korea has leapt forward in the rush of globalization, what has been lost? Director Lee Sang-woo, with his new feature Barbie, cuts right through the façade as he exposes the dark underbelly of contemporary consumerism.

A young girl (Soon-young) takes care of her sister (Soon-ja) and their mentally-ill grandfather while their mercenary uncle (Mang-tek) hatches a plan to sell her to a wealthy American. The American arrives in town with his daughter but Soon-young doesn’t want to abandon her family. The sickly Soon-ja, who plays with her Barbie and wears makeup, desperately wants to take her place. Meanwhile the American is harboring a secret.

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WKR: More From Busan and Doomsday Book Plays Toronto After Dark (10/20-10/26, 2012)

A few more reviews trickle in from Busan while Doomsday Book plays at Toronto's After Dark Festival.

UPCOMING FILMS

Azooma

(Variety, October 20, 2012)

Juvenile Offender

(Film Business Asia, October 26, 2012)

The Russian Novel

(The Hollywood Reporter, October 25, 2012)

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KCN: Success of Korean Films and Local Festivals on Horizon (10/18-10/24, 2012)

More festivals on the way and continued success of Korean film at the local box office.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

Korean Films Around the World
As The Thieves breaks the 13 million mark and admissions overtake 10 million for Masquerade, interest in Korean cinema abroad is geting stronger. The Korean Cultural Center in Washington D.C. will screen Choo Chang-min, director of Masquerade’s previous film, Late Blossom (2011). It will be shown at 6:30pm on 25th October. Director Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta, recipient of the Golden Lion Award at Venice, will be released across the U.S. through Drafthouse Films in 2013. (KoBiz, October 23, 2012)

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KBO: Masquerade Streak Continues After Tight Finish (10/19-10/21, 2012)

Masquerade Streak Continues After Tight Finish

	Title	Release Date	Market Share	Weekend	Total	Screens
1	Masquerade	9/13/12	32.50%	545,866	10,255,655	619
2	Perfect Number	10/18/12	32.50%	534,306	632,824	553
3	A Company Man	10/11/12	11.20%	176,295	963,201	399
4	Looper (us)	10/11/12	6.70%	104,853	453,391	302
5	Brave (us)	9/27/12	3.20%	57,888	1,139,057	248
6	Ghost Sweepers	10/3/12	2.50%	43,776	935,762	218
7	The Assassins (ch)	10/18/12	2.30%	39,101	49,038	227
8	Dangerous Liaisons	10/11/12	2.40%	38,750	255,172	248
9	Lawless (us)	10/18/12	1.90%	30,803	46,713	275
10	Infinite Concert 3D	10/18/12	2.10%	25,313	31,395	84

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WKR: Busan Winds Up (10/13-10/19, 2012)

Few more pieces come in from Busan as the festival wraps up, not to mention some reviews of brand new films on the Korean marquees.

UPCOMING FILMS

Doctor

(Variety, October 14, 2012)

National Security

(Film Business Asia, October 19, 2012)

(Modern Korean Cinema, October 13, 2012)

Touch

(Word From the ROK, October 13, 2012)

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KCN: Deals Made at BIFF, Masquerade Still King (10/11-10/17, 2012)

BIFF Wraps up while a swath of deals while Masquerade continues to set records.

KOREAN CINEMA NEWS

17th BIFF Shows Maturity Both as an Event and in Audience Viewing Culture

“As the number of the festival days has gone up, so has the maturity level of the audience.” said Lee Yong-kwan, BIFF Festival Director, about this year's edition. At the closing press conference held on 13th October, LEE said “The Busan Cinema Center has now firmly been established as the main venue of the festival. We need to explore further how to make best use of the Nampo area.” (KoBiz, October 16, 2012)

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