Although we will post a more detailed box office report after the Korean Independence holidays are over, '웰컴투 동막골' ('Welcome To Dongmakgol') emerged as the big winner this weekend, reaching the all important barrier of 3 Million tickets sold nationwide. Distributors Showbox announced that the film sold 3,057,899 tickets as of August 14, after only 11 days on release. 'Dongmakgol' was able to beat this year's record setting '말아톤' ('Marathon') in reaching the 3 Million by 7 days. And, since the Jo Seung-Woo film sold more than 5 Million tickets, the filmmakers and investors couldn't be happier. Although partial figures from KOBIS have been released, more or less confirming the online preorder ticket sales predictions, we will wait for the full report as those only cover 76% of the country's screens.
Other good news for Korean Cinema. During the Independence Holidays Weekend, domestic films reached an impressive 73% at the box office, distributed as follows:
'웰컴투 동막골' ('Welcome To Dongmakgol') 32.7%
'박수칠 때 떠나라' ('The Big Scene') 21.6%
'친절한 금자씨' ('Sympathy For Lady Vengeance') 9.9%
'가발' (The Wig) 8.1%
'왕후심청' (Empress Chung) 0.7%
Via Yonhap News and MyDaily News
Hwang Jung-Min and Ryu Seung-Beom have been cast in '사생결단' ('死生決斷', 'Desperation') by director Choi Ho. Ryu will play a gangster, Hwang an inspector, in the film starting its shoot on September, for a Late 2006 Release. The two have been getting dialogue training to master the Busan dialect (the film will shoot entirely in Busan).
Via Maxmovie
Kim Min-Jung, currently enjoying lots of popularity thanks to her role in the hit Tv Drama '패션 70s' ('Fashion 70s'), has been added to the cast of '음란서생' ('Sleazy Scholar'), after the two leads Lee Beom-Soo and Han Suk-Gyu were announced recently. The film will start shooting at the end of the month, for a January 2006 release.
Via Maxmovie
In other casting news, Park Joong-Hoon and Cheon Jung-Myung will star in '강적' ('The Great Rival'), from the director of '정글쥬스' ('Jungle Juice') Jo Min-Ho. Park will play an inspector, 6 years after Lee Myung-Se's '인정사정 볼것 없다' ('Nowhere To Hide'), and Cheon, fresh off the success of the TV Drama '패션 70s' ('Fashion 70s') will have a chance to forget the flop of '태풍태양' ('The Aggressives'), where he played one of the main characters. He wil play a fugitive from prison. The film starts shooting in the middle of September, and will release Spring next year.
Via Yonhap News
Kim Ki-Duk continues to do well at the European Box Office. His film
'사마리아' ('Samaritan Girl') was released on 14 screens in Italy this June, selling 32,695 tickets so far.
Via Naver News