chasmmi Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 and he was a real-life scammer even. haha. what a jerk. The Last Godfather should have tanked harder. It still managed to attract about 2.5 mil admissions.. why people... Yeah 2.5 million is still about 3 million too many. I can't believe Jay from Jay and Silent Bob was playing a Mafia family member, it was so surreal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Korea was a developed country but government censorship was huge up until 1997 ish (and even a little bit after that) which means that it is still behaving like a developing market. When Shiri was released in 1999 it was the first film to pass 4, 5 and 6 million admissions and I think it was only something like 1993 or 4 when the first Korean film ever broke 1 million. After that the scene exploded with great directors releasing awesome films like JSA, Friend, Silmido, Taegukgi, the king and the Clown and finally The Host in 2006. So in the 7 years from Shiri to Host the record went from 6 to 13 million admissions (and if you go b ack before Shiri then over the course of little more than a decade the admissions record rose 13,000%. Then D War happened. It may be overreacting but D War almost killed Korean cinema as a potential major world player. It came at the prime time for an English Language Korean production to come out and show subtitle-phobes why people were raving about Korean film and it was an abomination of cinema. It killed the chance for Korean Productions to reach Bollywood level grosses at least in the States and UK as well as in some other markets. Between D-War and Sunny (2007-2011) only 5 films surpassed Shiri's 1999 gross compared to 9 before D War. Because there is no secondary market for films in Korea (nobody buys DVDs), big budget movies had to be scaled back and mid buddget 4 million admission target films became the focus. Now finally Korean Cinema has rebounded and everyone is the winner again, and hopefully snowpiercer can possibly succeed where D War miserably failed. tl,dr: It's D War's fault. I remember the D War promotion as I was an exchange student in Seoul at the time. The director (who is one of the biggest jokes and arseholes in the Korean film industry) was flat out telling people that if they didn't see D War then they hated Korea and were not true Koreans and something stupid. I am so happy that The Last Godfather Failed (possibly objectively worse than D War but will never be objectively so). 2003 was a great year yes. It also had Silmido I believe. It's just nice that the relative doldrums of 2008-2011 are seemingly over now. Well I avoided D-War back in summer 2007. Don't blame me. and he was a real-life scammer even. haha. what a jerk. The Last Godfather should have tanked harder. It still managed to attract about 2.5 mil admissions.. why people... I'm still mad that The Last Godfather beat The Yellow Sea (one of my favorite Korean Movies of this decade) in December 2010. Edited January 7, 2014 by podo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Tuesday The Attorney (변호인) 160,383 (828 Screens/3974 Showtimes) The Suspect (용의자) 71,945 (593/2379) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 36,504 (351/1568) The House of Magic 22,610 (361/765) About Time 21,734 (277/819) Ender's Game 15,885 (420/1617) Justin and the Knights of Valour 11,858 (295/553) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 7,315 (170/386) Way Back Home (집으로 가는 길) 5,646 (143/311) Walking with Dinosaurs 4,046 (204/301) Total The Attorney (변호인) 8,186,219/$55.7M The Suspect (용의자) 3,248,880/$22.1M About Time 3,138,484/$21.6M The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2,237,382/$16.4M Way Back Home (집으로 가는 길) 1,839,525/$12.1M The House of Magic 795,481/$5.1M Walking with Dinosaurs 591,789/$4.5M Ender's Game 589,455/$4.2M The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 581,346/$4.0M Justin and the Knights of Valour 226,627/$1.4M 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catlover Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Wow thanks for all the insights guys. Really interesting. More than I expected . "Japanized", I like that. Easy to understand, because I lived in Japan and I'm following the box office too. I knew D-War was bad from the reviews, but I watched it anyway out of curiosity. Didn't know it was THAT bad lol. Fortunately I had already watched a bunch of great Korean films before that. I think the first one that caught me was My Sassy Girl. That one was very popular here in my country. Then I moved to Japan, so I got easier access to Korean films. I remember I watched Shiri and was blown away. Then Friend became one of my favorites ever. Memories of Murder, Silmido, and Oldboy made me more and more interested in Korean films. And then in around 2003-2004, Winter Sonata was sooooo HUGE in Japan and everything Korean became popular. Thanks to that, a lot of Korean films were released in Japan. I got to see Taegukgi, Welcome to Dongmakgol, The King and the Clown, The Host, etc in the theater. Then I moved back to Indonesia, and now a lot of Korean films are released here too. I just love Korean films. A lot of them are really good. They don't always have happy endings. A lot of them are tragic/sad/bitter, but that's what I like about them. I almost have never been disappointed after watching a Korean film. Edited January 7, 2014 by catlover 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 The last few posts are really informative and interesting. Thank you for those insights, guys Can I ask something? It seems that South Korean box office for local movies has exploded in the last 2 years. I mean before 2012, there were only 5 local movies above 9 million admissions, and the last one was in 2009. Now there will be 11 soon. 3 of them had more than 12 million admissions in the span of 7 months. How did that happen? Since South Korea is a developed country, I don't think the market is expanding. Or is it?Anyway, I love Korean movies. They are really really good. I've seen all Korean movies in the top 20, except The Face Reader and The Attorney (I hope they will be released here), and I love ALL of them (except D-War). Some of them are among the best movies I've ever seen in my life.Me too. I love Korean movies. Actually, I love the culture in general and have enjoyed many types of entertainment from them. South Korea is a great country, I hope I'll have the chance to visit one day.So you already watched Snowpiercer? I'm jealous. I don't even know when or will it ever got released here in US Anf not to mention it'll probably be the Weinstein-cut version which is frustrating and ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catlover Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 The last few posts are really informative and interesting. Thank you for those insights, guys :)Me too. I love Korean movies. Actually, I love the culture in general and have enjoyed many types of entertainment from them. South Korea is a great country, I hope I'll have the chance to visit one day.So you already watched Snowpiercer? I'm jealous. I don't even know when or will it ever got released here in US Anf not to mention it'll probably be the Weinstein-cut version which is frustrating and ridiculous. I've always wanted to go there too. I had plans but all of them were cancelled. I should've gone while I was still in Japan. It's cheaper from there. And I had more money back then. And yeah, I've seen Snowpiercer. Pretty violent but great movie. Kinda philosophical. It was released here in November. I'm surprised there's no release date yet in US. I mean, it has Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer and Ed Harris. Btw, do they really re-cut foreign films for US release? Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I've always wanted to go there too. I had plans but all of them were cancelled. I should've gone while I was still in Japan. It's cheaper from there. And I had more money back then. Well, at least you got to live a Japan already I also want to visit the country but I heard it's pretty expensive to travel there. And yeah, I've seen Snowpiercer. Pretty violent but great movie. Kinda philosophical. It was released here in November. I'm surprised there's no release date yet in US. I mean, it has Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer and Ed Harris. Btw, do they really re-cut foreign films for US release? Why? They never settled on a release date, I guess next year probably. I'm not sure how's the situation now, but Weinstein has a reputation for cutting foreign films. There was an article out a few months back that stated Weinstein will cut out approximately 20 min from the movie that involved mostly characterizations stuff. The stupid reason given is that they want to dumb it down (not the exact word of course but read that way) so that it can appeal to and be understood by a wider audience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catlover Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 They never settled on a release date, I guess next year probably. I'm not sure how's the situation now, but Weinstein has a reputation for cutting foreign films. There was an article out a few months back that stated Weinstein will cut out approximately 20 min from the movie that involved mostly characterizations stuff. The stupid reason given is that they want to dumb it down (not the exact word of course but read that way) so that it can appeal to and be understood by a wider audience That's really stupid. I hope they don't do that. This movie deserves to be seen as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Wednesday The Attorney (변호인) 151,242 (829 Screens/3948 Showtimes) The Suspect (용의자) 70,396 (592/2370) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 35,674 (358/1562) About Time 23,941 (282/837) The House of Magic 20,261 (360/766) Ender's Game 15,641 (409/1569) Justin and the Knights of Valour 11,602 (302/560) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 7,271 (171/388) Way Back Home (집으로 가는 길) 6,048 (143/328) Walking with Dinosaurs 3,777 (200/293) Total The Attorney (변호인) 8,338,991/$56.8M The Suspect (용의자) 3,320,249/$22.6M About Time 3,162,667/$21.8M The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2,244,707/$16.5M Way Back Home (집으로 가는 길) 1,845,704/$12.2M The House of Magic 815,742/$5.2M The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 617,505/$4.2M Ender's Game 605,320/$4.3M Walking with Dinosaurs 595,566/$4.5M Justin and the Knights of Valour 238,229/$1.5M 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) Weekend Showtimes Counts The Attorney (변호인) 6,465+ The Plan Man (플랜맨) 3,689+ The Suspect (용의자) 3,461+ Tarzan 1,663+ The Wolf of Wall Street 1,574+ The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 1,573+ Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 1,412+ Ender's Game 837+ The House of Magic 764+ About Time 752+ Presales The Attorney (변호인) 39,579 Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 36,692 Tarzan 33,756 The Plan Man (플랜맨) 17,483 The Wolf of Wall Street 16,600 The Suspect (용의자) 11,845 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 8,189 The House of Magic 5,145 About Time 5,102 Edited January 8, 2014 by podo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olive Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Well Go USA to release The AttorneyBy Jean Noh Current South Korean hit The Attorney is set to hit North American theatres Feb 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Thursday The Attorney (변호인) 123,563 (717 Screens/3422 Showtimes) The Suspect (용의자) 54,583 (465/1874) The Plan Man (플랜맨) 53,671 (457/1968) Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 45,532 (331/747) Tarzan 40,787 (389/978) The Wolf of Wall Street 37,791 (333/975) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 21,975 (330/977) About Time 17,096 (221/518) The House of Magic 10,891 (247/421) Ender's Game 5,584 (253/551) Total The Attorney (변호인) 8,463,793/$57.8M The Suspect (용의자) 3,375,647/$23.0M About Time 3,180,052/$22.0M The House of Magic 826,633/$5.3M The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 639,866/$4.4M Ender's Game 611,051/$4.3M The Plan Man (플랜맨) 70,244/$450K Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 46,725/$280K Tarzan 44,226/$310K The Wolf of Wall Street 39,255/$270K 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Friday The Attorney (변호인) 148,593 (726 Screens/3543 Showtimes) The Suspect (용의자) 64,924 (471/1950) The Plan Man (플랜맨) 55,408 (438/1998) The Wolf of Wall Street 41,411 (345/981) Tarzan 41,279 (410/1009) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 28,993 (326/997) Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 26,638 (365/840) About Time 21,095 (219/534) The House of Magic 9,834 (259/423) Ender's Game 6,966 (252/554) Total The Attorney (변호인) 8,613,375/$59.0M The Suspect (용의자) 3,441,188/$23.5M About Time 3,201,348/$22.2M The House of Magic 836,464/$5.3M The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 669,040/$4.6M Ender's Game 618,092/$4.4M The Plan Man (플랜맨) 126,232/$840K Tarzan 85,503/$600K The Wolf of Wall Street 81,157/$570K Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 73,363/$440K Edited January 10, 2014 by podo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasmmi Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Tarzan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) Tarzan? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1705952/ Edited January 11, 2014 by podo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Looks like The Attorney is slowing down. But still, great results regardless. So what are the opinions about the movie from our resident SK members here? Is it good, or at least worth checking out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olive Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Looks like The Attorney is slowing down. But still, great results regardless. So what are the opinions about the movie from our resident SK members here? Is it good, or at least worth checking out? 78,647 users rated it with an average rating of 8.92 out of 10 on Naver.com. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) Looks like The Attorney is slowing down. But still, great results regardless. So what are the opinions about the movie from our resident SK members here? Is it good, or at least worth checking out? I really liked it. And yeah, it's definitely worth checking out. The story is a bit predictable, but the entire cast shines. Especially Song Kang Ho and Kwak Do Won deliver phenomenal performances. Also it captures the dark and repressive mood of undemocratized South Korea in the 1980s well. B+ from me. Edited January 11, 2014 by podo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Saturday The Attorney (변호인) 334,590 (777 Screens/3671 Showtimes) The Suspect (용의자) 143,907 (508/2037) Tarzan 123,294 (503/1313) The Plan Man (플랜맨) 110,465 (426/1969) Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 81,095 (406/1082) The Wolf of Wall Street 78,355 (380/1024) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 54,936 (327/919) About Time 35,235 (222/527) The House of Magic 22,779 (257/439) Ender's Game 13,867 (239/484) Total The Attorney (변호인) 8,949,548/$61.4M The Suspect (용의자) 3,586,006/$24.6M About Time 3,236,824/$22.4M The House of Magic 859,243/$5.5M The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 724,345/$5.0M Ender's Game 632,123/$4.5M The Plan Man (플랜맨) 237,557/$1.6M Tarzan 208,801/$1.5M The Wolf of Wall Street 160,291/$1.2M Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 154,458/$940K 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
podo Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Sunday The Attorney (변호인) 309,551 (767 Screens/3526 Showtimes) Tarzan 136,142 (527/1374) The Suspect (용의자) 132,546 (495/1938) The Plan Man (플랜맨) 105,331 (429/1896) Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 71,147 (393/1058) The Wolf of Wall Street 70,529 (394/1004) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 47,487 (322/853) About Time 31,162 (226/514) The House of Magic 21,159 (249/422) Ender's Game 10,370 (223/429) Weekend The Attorney (변호인) 797,633 (-35.5%) The Suspect (용의자) 344,281 (-36.6%) Tarzan 300,729 (New) The Plan Man (플랜맨) 273,466 (New) The Wolf of Wall Street 192,596 (New) Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 178,878 (New) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 132,381 (-44.0%) About Time 88,119 (-38.0%) The House of Magic 53,777 (-67.8%) Ender's Game 31,605 (-83.3%) Total The Attorney (변호인) 9,262,389/$63.6M The Suspect (용의자) 3,720,543/$25.5M About Time 3,268,372/$22.7M The House of Magic 880,407/$5.6M The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 772,428/$5.3M Ender's Game 642,729/$4.6M Tarzan 344,953/$2.5M The Plan Man (플랜맨) 344,290/$2.4M The Wolf of Wall Street 232,342/$1.7M Pokemon: ExtremeSpeed Genesect 225,603/$1.4M 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
