Hong Sang-soo, photo time alone… ‘full-term’ Kim Min-hee, who left the country with him, did not attend [DA:Issue]
MOVIESMa Dong-seok, this time, slaying the devil… ‘Holy Night: Demon Hunters’ to be released on April 30Ma Dong-seok is out to catch the devil this time. The movie ‘Holy Night: Demon Hunters’ starring Ma Dong-seok has confirmed its release date on April 30th and released a teaser poster and teaser trailer. ‘Holy Night: Demon Hunters’ is an occult action film about a city thrown into chaos by a group that worships evil, and the dark solvers ‘Holy Night’ team with special abilities, Bau (Ma Dong-seok), Sharon (Seo Hyun), and Kim Gun (David Lee), who punish the evil group. The teaser poster that was released captures the intense chemistry of the ‘Holy Night’ team that even catches devils. The only one who can stand against the devil that has taken over the city and those who worship evilJan 06, 2025
MOVIESDetailed art → Music that stimulates the five senses… ‘Black Nuns’, a high-quality productionThe movie ‘The Black Nuns’ is drawing attention with its production that enhances the perfection of the movie. ‘The Black Nuns’ is a movie that depicts the story of people who embark on a forbidden ritual to save a boy possessed by a powerful evil spirit. The second story of ‘The Black Priests’, the movie ‘The Black Nuns’, which will captivate theaters in the coming new year, is drawing attention with its art and music production that adds immersion to the play. The first production point is the art that captures the situations and characteristics of the characters. Oh Hyo-jin, the production director of House Film, said, “We tried not to miss the fact that the story and characters are based on reality” and “The nuns or priests I passed by at the cafe today could be saving someone... I think that kind of thought makes the movie more enjoyable for the audience”, and the production team made detailed efforts to naturally capture everyday life that is not far from reality on screen. IncluJan 06, 2025
MOVIESMa Dong-seok, defeating the devil… ‘Holy Night’, teaser trailer releasedThe movie ‘Holy Night: Demon Hunters’ has confirmed its release date of April 30th and has released a teaser poster and teaser trailer, drawing attention. Ma Dong-seok teams up with Seo Hyun and David to defeat demons. In a city thrown into chaos by a group that worships evil, the dark troubleshooters ‘Holy Night’ team Bau (Ma Dong-seok), Sharon (Seo Hyun), and Kim Gun (David David) with special abilities take down the evil group in the occult action film ‘Holy Night: Demon Hunters’ has released a teaser poster and teaser trailer. The teaser poster that was released captures the intense chemistry of the ‘Holy Night’ team that even defeats demons. The ‘Holy Night’ team with special abilities are the only ones who can stand against the demons and evil worshippers that have taken over the city. Bau, who hunts demons with his rock-like strength and fists, radiates an overwhelming aura with his mere presence. Sharon becomes Bau‘s strong right-hand man with powerful exorcisms that can exorciJan 06, 2025
MOVIES‘Ogame2’ Lee Jung-jae “Two months of practice for the Jegi Kick... The truth about the 1.3 billion won per episode guarantee”[Interview]Director Hwang Dong-hyuk and actor Lee Jung-jae have once again succeeded in achieving ‘all-time’ global success with ‘Squid Game’, which is considered the biggest hit of Netflix history. Since its release on the 26th of last month, ‘Squid Game’ season 2 has been writing great records, such as taking ‘overall No. 1’ in 93 service countries and regions, the first time in Netflix history. Director Hwang smiled, saying, “There hasn‘t been any good news in Korea recently, so it’s a blessing to be able to deliver some good news in Korean content instead of English.” Lee Jung-jae also said, “It helped us create an even better season 3, in addition to the current global success.Jan 06, 2025
MOVIES‘Ogame’ Director Hwang Dong-hyeok “Preparing for Season 2, Lifespan Shortened… Pointing Out the Vulnerabilities of Representative Democracy”[Interview]Director Hwang Dong-hyuk and actor Lee Jung-jae have once again succeeded in achieving ‘all-time’ global success with ‘Squid Game’, which is considered the biggest hit of Netflix history. Since its release on the 26th of last month, ‘Squid Game’ season 2 has been writing great records, such as taking ‘overall No. 1’ in 93 service countries and regions, the first time in Netflix history. Director Hwang smiled, saying, “There hasn‘t been any good news in Korea recently, so it’s a blessing to be able to deliver some good news in Korean content instead of English.” Lee Jung-jae also said, “It helped us create an even better season 3, in addition to the current global success.Jan 06, 2025
MOVIESSuspicion of corporate hunting + controversy over Han Dong-hoon and Jung Woo-sung‘s ’Kkanbu‘… Lee Jung-jae’s calm explanationLee Jung-jae is having an eventful year-end and New Year‘s holiday season, being caught up in various ’noises‘ that seem to be proportional to his increased global status. These include the management rights conflict that arose during the acquisition process of the production company Raemongraein ahead of the release of Season 2 of ’Squid Game‘ on the 26th of last month, and the controversy surrounding ’best friends‘ Han Dong-hoon, former head of the People’s Power Party, and actor Jung Woo-sung. The management rights conflict of Raemongrae arose during the process of Artist United, founded by Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung, acquiring the management rights of Raemongraein. Former Raemongraein CEO Kim Dong-rae sued Lee Jung-jae and others for fraud, claiming, “They initially approached me with the purpose of corporate hunting and tried to take away management rights,” and Lee Jung-jae and othersJan 06, 2025
MOVIESDo Kyung-soo ♥ Won Jin-ah ‘Secret That Can‘t Be Told’ Confirmed for Release on the 28th [Official]The movie ‘The Secret That Cannot Be Told’ has confirmed its release on the 28th. ‘The Secret That Cannot Be Told’ is a fantasy romance film that captures a miraculous and magical moment when Yoo-joon and Jung-ah accidentally meet in a campus practice room where the secret of time is hidden. The main trailer, released on the 3rd, begins with the signature piano battle scene of ‘The Secret That Cannot Be Told’ and grabs attention. Yoo-joon (played by Do Kyung-soo) gives it his all to give Jung-ah (played by Won Jin-ah) a sheet music gift, and his powerful performance stimulates the eyes and ears, heightening expectations. The fateful first meeting between Yoo-joon and Jung-ah and the line “It‘s a miracle that we met” follow, conveying the sweet emotions of first love. The copy “I’ll go across time to meet you” is then added, raising expectations for the deep aftertaste that the film will leave behind. Yoo-jun and Jeong-ah spend precious time together playing the piano, but Jeong-ah‘s seJan 03, 2025
MOVIESPark Sung-hoon, ‘Ogame2’ Best New Face‘s ‘Self-Image Eaten’… Next Work Also SparksActor Park Sung-hoon, who was gaining attention as the ‘most outstanding character’ in Netflix‘s ‘Squid Game’ Season 2, accidentally tarnished his image in an instant. His agency’s clumsy response, rather than helping to resolve the situation, only fueled the controversy, and it even spread to his next work. The controversy started with a post that Park Sung-hoon uploaded to his personal SNS on the 30th of last month. The post in question was a cover for a Japanese AV (pornographic video) parodying ‘Squid Game’ that clearly showed naked women in provocative poses. It was immediately deleted, but it quickly spread through various online communities. Regarding this, his agencyJan 03, 2025
MOVIESHyun Bin, Song Joong-ki win by a landslide… Ongoing success ‘Harbin’ vs. harsh criticism ‘Bogota’Hyun Bin is expected to easily win the year-end blockbuster competition with Song Joong-ki. The two actors were expected to have a fierce box office competition with the ambitious ‘Harbin’ and ‘Bogota: Land of Last Chance’ (Bogota) released just one week apart, but it seems that the winner was decided early due to the favorable reviews for ‘Harbin’, which was released first, and the lower-than-expected response for ‘Bogota’. ○‘Harbin’ Landslide victory over ‘Bogota’ According to the Integrated Computer Network for Movie Tickets on the 2nd, ‘Harbin’, which was released on the 24th of last month, maintained the top spot at the box office for 9 days in a row, surpassing 3 million cumulative viewers, and a total of 3,094,600 as of the 1st.Jan 03, 2025
MOVIES‘Ogame2’ Highest Opening Score of All Time… Season 3 ‘Cheolsu is Coming’‘Squid Game’ Season 2 has set an incredible record of 500 million hours of global cumulative viewing in its first week of release, reaffirming its status as Netflix‘s most lucrative IP (intellectual property). There are also projections that Season 2 will record at least 1.5 trillion won in revenue, and expectations are also rising for Season 3, which will herald the appearance of the terrifying murder doll ‘Cheolsu’. ○ Highest opening score ever According to Netflix, ‘Squid Game’, which was released on the 26th of last month, recorded 487.6 million cumulative hours in just four days, ranking first in the combined weekly viewing rankings in both English and non-English languages for the fourth week of December (23rd-29th).Jan 02, 2025
MOVIES[2025 Film Industry] Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook Return… The Return of the MastersMasters who will bring vitality to theaters will meet audiences with new films in 2025. Global directors representing Korean films, Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, are aiming for the international stage once again with their next films, ‘Mickey 17’ and ‘There‘s No Way Around,’, respectively, while directors with solid fandoms such as Na Hong-jin and Yeon Sang-ho are also presenting theatrical films after a long time. Director Bong Joon-ho’s new film and Hollywood project ‘Mickey 17’, which is his first in six years since ‘Parasite’, will finally be released in theaters in March. After having its release date changed several times due to COVID-19 and the Hollywood actor strike, it has finally been released in March.Jan 02, 2025
MOVIESNetflix: “‘Ogame 2’ revenue 1.5 trillion? Not true” (Full text) [Official]Netflix has stated its position on the analysis of the expected revenue for ‘Squid Game 2’. Netflix said in an official statement on the 1st, “We deeply appreciate the interest and love you have sent to ‘Squid Game 2’, a proud Korean work that has ranked first worldwide on the official Netflix statistics site since its first week of release,” but added, “We are expressing our position as there are some parts that are completely different from the facts regarding the analysis of the individual work revenue of ‘Squid Game 2’ announced by a domestic research organization yesterday (December 31, 2024). Netflix said, ”Monthly subscription services such as Netflix cannot generate additional revenue from the number of views or viewing time of individual works. Therefore, it is impossible to calculate revenue from the success of a single work. There is also no official information that enables the estimation of financial revenue from individual works. Netflix also does not and cannot evaluateJan 01, 2025
MOVIES‘Harbin’ Surpasses 3 Million Viewers in 9 Days of Release [DA:Box]The movie “Harbin” has surpassed 3 million moviegoers in just 9 days since its release. The movie “Harbin” is a story of breathtaking pursuit and suspicion between those who head to Harbin for a single purpose in 1909 and those who pursue them. According to the integrated computer network distribution company statistics for movie tickets on the 1st, “Harbin” has surpassed 3 million cumulative moviegoers. Released on December 24th of last year, it reached 1 million moviegoers on the second day of its release, 2 million moviegoers on the fifth day, and 3 million moviegoers on the 9th day of its release. This trend is faster than the 13 million box office hit movie ‘Spring of Seoul’ (10th day), and if there was ‘Spring of Seoul’ in 2023, ‘Harbin’ is unfolding the ‘Parallel Theory of Box Office Performance’ beyond 2024 and into 2025. The box office momentum of ‘Harbin’ continues with the number 1 spot in overall movie ticket sales for 18 consecutive days. A special poster has also been relJan 01, 2025
MOVIES‘Harbin’ Surpasses 3 Million on 9th Day of Release [DA:Box]The movie ‘Harbin’ has surpassed 3 million moviegoers in just 9 days since its release. According to the integrated computer network for movie ticket distributors on the 1st (Wednesday), the movie ‘Harbin’ (provided/distributed by: CJ ENM | produced by: Hive Media Corp | directed by: Woo Min-ho | cast: Hyun Bin, Park Jung-min, Jo Woo-jin, Jeon Yeo-bin, Park Hoon, Yoo Jae-myung, Lily Frankie and Lee Dong-wook) has surpassed 3 million moviegoers. ‘Harbin’ was released on Tuesday, December 24th of last year, and reached 1 million moviegoers on the 2nd day, 2 million on the 5th day, and quickly surpassed 3 million on the 9th day since its release. In particular, the box office success of ‘Harbin’ has continued with the number 1 spot in overall movie ticket reservations for 18 consecutive days. Meanwhile, a special poster has also been released. The special poster, which contains the images of all the actors who showed their dedication and devotion, draws attention to the main characters whJan 01, 2025
MOVIES‘Bogota’ Box Office No. 1 [DA:Box]The movie ‘Bogotá: Land of Last Chance’ topped the box office for films released during the same period on its first day of release. The movie ‘Bogotá: Land of Last Chance’ (provided/distributed by: Plus M Entertainment | produced by: Film Company Subak, Idioplan | co-produced by: Plus M Entertainment | directed by: Kim Sung-jae | cast: Song Joong-ki, Lee Hee-joon, Kwon Hae-hyo, Park Ji-hwan, Jo Hyun-chul, Kim Jong-soo) depicts the story of Gook-hee (Song Joong-ki), who heads to Bogotá, Colombia, on the other side of the globe with new hope right after the IMF, and gets entangled with Soo-young (Lee Hee-joon) and Byeong-jang Park (Kwon Hae-hyo), the powerful figures in the Korean community in Bogotá. According to the Integrated Computer Network for Movie Tickets, the movie ‘Bogotá: Land of Last Chance’ mobilized 97,296 moviegoers on its first day of release, Tuesday, December 31, and took first place at the box office for films released during the same period. The movie ‘Bogotá: Land oJan 01, 2025
MOVIESYang Jo-wi X Tang Wei‘s Irresistible Fateful Romance ‘Lust, Caution’ ReleaseThe movie ‘Lust, Caution’ will start the new year of 2025 hotly. The movie ‘Lust, Caution’ (Importer: NK Contents Inc.│Distributor: Destination Inc.│Director: Ang Lee│Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tang Wei), which won the Golden Lion Award at the 64th Venice Film Festival, will finally be released on January 1, 2025. The melodrama ‘Lust, Caution’, which depicts the irresistible fateful love between Lee (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), a key pro-Japanese figure, and Wang Chia-zi (Tang Wei), who has disguised herself as his wife in order to assassinate him, is based on the short story [Lust, Caution] by Zhang Ailing, a representative modern Chinese writer. When it was released in 2007, it caused a huge sensation due to Tony Leung‘s transformation in acting and his fatal romance with Tang Wei, and it has been a long time since it was re-released in 2016 and can be seen on the screen again. Meanwhile, an SNS viewing certification event will be held where those who watch the movie from the opening day aJan 01, 2025
MOVIESBrad Pitt and Angelina Jolie End 8-Year Divorce [DA:Hollywood]Hollywood‘s century couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have finalized their divorce. On the 30th (local time), foreign media outlets such as CNN and BBC reported that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie signed a divorce agreement. In September 2019, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce, claiming that Brad Pitt had physically and verbally abused her and her children. This marks the end of a long battle that lasted about eight years. Angelina Jolie’s legal representative stated, “I am very tired, but I am relieved that this part is over.” Meanwhile, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie developed into lovers after working together on the 2005 film ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ and got married in 2014. The couple has Shiloh, twins Knox and Vivienne, adopted son Maddox, and daughter Zahara.Dec 31, 2024
MOVIESSo Ji-sub‘s tenacity paid off... ‘Substance’ 150,000 viewers, long-term box office hitSo Ji-sub‘s determination paid off... ‘Substance’ Surpasses 150,000 Viewers The long-term box office hit film ‘Substance’ has been firmly maintaining its position as the number one independent art film box office for three weeks in a row, and has surpassed 150,000 viewers. Thanks to the rave reviews and long-term box office success, theatrical release of director Coralie Farza’s previous work and the short film ‘Reality+’, which gave birth to ‘Substance’, has also been confirmed. According to the integrated computer network for movie ticket sales, the film ‘Substance’ surpassed 150,000 viewers on the 30th, the 20th day since its release. ‘Substance’, which has been firmly holding the top spot at the independent art film box office for three weeks, is continuing its long-term box office success despite the high barriers of being rated R and being a body horror genre. Riding on the ‘Substance’ craze, CGV Arthouse will screen the second work of the ‘Shorts House’ project, director CoralieDec 31, 2024
MOVIES‘Ogame2’ Choi Seung-hyun, low-level ‘acting’ harsh criticism… Foreign media “overflowing with charm” temperature differenceChoi Seung-hyun (TOP), a former member of Big Bang, who returned to acting through Netflix‘s ’Squid Game‘ Season 2, is embroiled in a so-called ’acting controversy‘. He was heavily criticized from the casting stage due to his drug use record, and since then, he has been criticized by public opinion for his ’substandard acting skills‘. However, foreign media outlets have been continuously praising him, drawing attention in contrast to the harsh evaluations of domestic viewers. Choi Seung-hyun plays Thanos, a rapper who loses a large sum of money through coin investment and participates in a game of death. Thanos particularly garnered attention for his sensitive portrayal of ingesting an unidentified drug. Season 2Dec 31, 2024
MOVIES“First ever #1 in 93 countries, all-kill”… ‘Ogame2’ unprecedented box office success, stark contrast ‘likes and dislikes’Netflix original series ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 is sweeping global popularity charts immediately after its release, showing off its reputation as a ‘mega hit’. In proportion to the hot interest and expectations, there are distinct likes and dislikes and sharp criticisms. Behind the favorable reviews that it has successfully expanded Season 1, there are also harsh criticisms that it is a ‘sequel that lacks creativity’. ○‘All-time’ box office performance from the start According to FlixPatrol, ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 ranked first in 92 of the 93 countries where Netflix is available, excluding New Zealand, immediately after its release on the 26th. PublicDec 31, 2024