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“Hidden Face” is a remake of the 2011 Spanish-Colombian production “The Hidden Face”, and upon its release in 2024, it became the first Korean R-rated movie to surpass 1 million viewers during a local theatrical run since 2019 and “Tazza: One Eyed Jack”. This success proves that the Korean industry retains a healthy adult-oriented sector that works particularly well at the box office, even if it is not heavily promoted outside the country.

Hidden Face is debuting on Digital September 16 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

The story follows conductor Seong-jin, who leads an orchestra where his fiance Soo-yeon, the embodiment of the diva archetype, serves as a cellist. One day, Soo-yeon suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a video message.

South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong, whose last three features played in Competition at Cannes, has set his next film at Netflix.

Possible Love (working title) will mark Lee’s first feature since 2018 psychological drama Burning, which won the Fipresci prize at Cannes and made the international feature film shortlist at the Oscars.

The story will follow the intertwined lives of two married couples who lead completely opposite lives. As their worlds collide, fractures begin to appear in their daily existence. The two central couples will be played by Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong.

Jeon previously worked with Lee on Secret Sunshine,...

Burning and Secret Sunshine director Lee Chang-dong is returning to directing after eight years. He’ll reunite with Secret Sunshine star Jeon Do-yeon on Possible Love, the working title of a new feature film for Netflix.

The film will follows the intertwined lives of two married couples leading completely opposite lives. As their worlds collide, fractures begin to appear in their daily existence.

Jeon, who won the Best Actress award at Cannes in 2007 for Secret Sunshine, will play Mi-ok, and Sul Kyung-gu is her husband, Ho-seok. The second couple is played by Zo In-sung as Sang-woo and Cho Yeo-jeong as Ye-ji. Jeon and Sul have appeared on screen together three times: in I Wish I Had a Wife, Birthday and Kill Boksoon. Sul and Lee also worked together on Peppermint Candy and Oasis.

Oh Jung-mi, Lee’s collaborator on Burning,...

The super successful Spanish thriller The Hidden Face (2011) has already been remade as many as three times. First it was Bollywood – Murder 3 (2013), then Turkey – The Other Side (2017) and then Mexico did it with Perdida (2019). Each of the remakes has tried to add something new to the story while keeping the basic premise intact. Quite naturally, South Korean director Kim Dae-woo had quite the tough mountain to summit with the onus of making another remake. But going by how spectacular Hidden Face has turned out, it is safe to say that the Koreans have not only nailed the assignment; they have, in fact, bettered the original. That’s a tricky thing to say, though, as without the original, this wouldn’t have existed. But the erotic angle in the Korean Hidden Face is something that was not in any version before, including the Spanish one. And dare I say that...

Korean drama Firefighters rose to the top of the local box office this weekend, despite a swell of political controversy linked to the director’s brother.

The film opened on December 4 and ranked second after its first weekend but has climbed to the top on its second outing, taking $4.38m from just over 657,000 admissions and a 41.9% market share from Friday to Sunday (December 13-15). The 17% uptick in sales from its opening weekend has brought its cume to $11.7m, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking service.

Awareness of the film has risen as the brother of...

The South Korean film market produced mixed results this week, indicating persistent volatility. Local projects performed well, although they struggled to sustain the recent box office revival trend.

The firefighter drama “The Firefighters” was the weekend’s biggest hit. Directed by the renowned Kwak Gyeong-Taek, the film grossed $4.3 million and had 657,124 admissions, accounting for 41.9% of the market. Its captivating story follows a rookie firefighter and a seasoned veteran as they navigate rescue operations’ emotional and physical challenges, emphasizing themes of heroism and sacrifice.

Despite this local success, the overall box office performance revealed major challenges for the industry. The top ten films collectively earned less than $10 million, a significant drop from last week’s $16 million. This drop indicates ongoing difficulties in keeping audiences engaged.

Disney’s animated sequel “Moana 2” maintained its strong international appeal in second place, earning $2.5 million and 389,500 admissions. The film remains popular with local audiences and...

Local hit “The Firefighters” led the South Korean box office, which returned to its sluggish ways after a brief spell that showed signs of recovery.

In its second weekend, “The Firefighters” climbed from second place to first with a $4.3 million gross, 657,124 admissions and a 41.9% market share, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The film now has a cumulative gross of $11.5 million in the territory. However, the total box office for the top 10 titles fell to below $10 million, down from last week’s $16 million.

Directed by Kwak Gyeong-Taek (“A Love”), “The Firefighters” revolves around a fire station in Seoul, where a rookie firefighter joins the Rescue Unit and is quickly sent out on his first mission alongside a seasoned veteran, celebrated for saving many lives. In the chaos of a raging fire, the veteran defies the chief’s orders to withdraw, determined to save an occupant.

After a sluggish few weeks where the South Korean box office struggled to cross a total of $10 million, “Moana 2” and local hit “The Firefighters” improved matters somewhat. The total box office for the weekend was just above $16 million.

“Moana 2” led the box office for the second weekend in a row with $4 million, a 36.4% market share and 610,389 admissions, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The film now has a cumulative gross of $14.1 million in the territory.

Close behind in second place was Dec. 4 release “The Firefighters” with $3.7 million, a 34.2% market share and 569,286 admissions. The five-day total for the film is $4.8 million.

Directed by Kwak Gyeong-Taek (“A Love”), the film revolves around a fire station in Seoul, where a rookie firefighter joins the Rescue Unit and is quickly sent out on his first mission alongside a seasoned veteran, celebrated for saving many lives.

Disney’s Moana 2 surged to the top of the Korean box office on its opening weekend, commanding 58% of ticket sales on one of the busiest weekends of the year.

The animated sequel earned an impressive $7.1m from Friday through Sunday (November 29 - December 1), according to data provided by Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking service.

The strong performance appears to have revitalised a sluggish Korean box office that had seen weekend earnings dip below $10m for 10 consecutive weeks. Within its first five days in theatres, the film has racked up a cume of $8.9m, already positioning...

Wicked Box Office (North America): 1st Monday Update(Photo Credit – Instagram)

Wicked has started out with a bang. It will surely surpass many movies this year and might even go for the top two spots at the global box office. It has collected amazing numbers on its first Monday at the North American box office, surpassing Wonder Woman’s first Monday collections. It has also registered the biggest Monday ever for November releases. Scroll below for the deets.

The movie is based on the $5 billion-grossing Broadway musical and has opened to exceptional numbers at the US box office. It is performing well not only in the US but also in other parts of the world. For example, in Korea, it collected $4.64 million during its debut weekend and earned the #1 spot at the box office, followed by a local movie, Hidden Face. The Korean film collected $1.75 million.

According to Luiz Fernando’s report,...

“Wicked,” which was by far the highest grossing film in the world this weekend, failed to give the South Korea box office market a much-needed jolt.

The Jon M. Chu-directed fantasy claimed a strong 45% share of the box office in Korea with $3.58 million earned from 501,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday. Over five days, it collected $4.64 million.

Korean-produced “Hidden Face” earned $1.75 million, and a more than 21% market share, for second place. Over its full five-day opening, it accumulated $2.41 million.

Directed by Kim Dae-woo (“Obsessed”), the film is a remake of the 2011 Spanish-Columbian picture of the same title. It involves a woman who is thought to have disappeared, but instead is trapped in a secret room in her house. She is forced to be an observer as her fiancé becomes romantically entangled with another woman. It stars Cho Yeo-jeong, Song Seung-heon and Park Ji-hyun.

While the new releases elevated the box...