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August 2, 2012

'The Thieves' steals attendance record
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily

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Eight days after being released, “The Thieves” has set a box office record of more than four million viewers.

According to statistics released by the Korea Film Council on Wednesday, the movie starring some of Korea’s hottest talents - from Kim Soo-hyun to Kim Hye-su - has been seen by 4,365,090 people.

“The Thieves” has become the Korean film to draw the largest audience in the shortest time, similar to the sci-fi action films “The Host” (2006) and “D-War” (2007). 

“Despite the fact that the Olympic Games is on, the film is steadily maintaining a top position,” said a spokesperson of the film, adding that “The Thieves” sold more than a million tickets over a two-day stretch. 

For the second week in a row, the film is also the most booked movie at the theaters.

The plot centers on a gang assembled in Macau by legendary thief Macao Park (Kim Yoon-seok) to steal a $20 million diamond. The gang works with Hong Kong thieves, but they all plan to keep the diamond for themselves.

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August 4, 2012
[interview] Lee Jung Jae Praises Kim Soo Hyun for Lightening the Mood on SetCJ E&M enewsWorld Oh, MiJung Translation Credit: Erika Kim l Nate
Lee Jung Jae of The Thieves praised his junior Kim Soo Hyun as "an actor who lightens up the scene.”
In a recent interview with enews about The Thieves, Lee Jung Jae said about Kim Soo Hyun, “He worked hard to lighten the mood on set. When I was a rookie, I felt daunted but Kim Soo Hyun didn’t seem to feel so. Kim Soo Hyun was an actor who enjoyed being on set.”
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Kim Soo Hyun made his big screen debut through this film as the new thief Jampano. 
Although he is a big star on the small screen, he’s a rookie on the big screen, and he had to act alongside such big names as Kim Hye Soo, Kim Yun Suk, Jun Ji Hyun, Oh Dal Su and Kim Hae Sook. He wasn’t overwhelmed, however, and lightened up the mood on set as the youngest member of the cast. The filming took place before he joined the hit drama The Sun and the Moon.
Lee Jung Jae showed off his prowess in the film as the sly thief Popeye. Lee Jung Jae said, “The mood on set was great. None of the actors made anyone feel uncomfortable. Other than Jun Ji Hyun, it was my first time working with the actors, but we never felt awkward. I believe The Thieves can shine thanks to the actors’ teamwork and the director’s passion.”
The Thieves is an action film about thieves who get together to steal one diamond. Director Choi Dong Hoon’s brand of rapid scenes and large-scale settings from Macau and Hong Kong add to the entertaining element of the film.
Photo credit: Kim Byung Kwan
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August 5, 2012
[interview Part I] Lee Jung Jae Will Now Only Concentrate on ActingCJ E&M enewsWorld Oh, MiJung  Translation Credit: Erika Kim   

Lee Jung Jae is a cool actor. He used to be a model, but as soon as he made his debut as an actor he became a big teen idol. His tall height and sharp features gave him enough strength to make his way into the hearts of female fans.
The actor, however, didn’t settle for being a teen idol forever. In director Lim Sang Soo’s The Housemaid, he left a big impression as Hoon, and in director Kim Yong Hwa’s Oh! Brothers, he gave everyone something to laugh about as the photographer Oh Sang Woo, who only takes photos of adultery scenes. The range of his filmography goes beyond imagination.
This time he’s meeting with his fans as a sly thief through The Thieves. Lee Jung Jae appears in this film as the thief Popeye. He pretends he’s cool and sharp and holds big ambitions, but he’s actually clumsier than anyone and isn’t very smart. Lee Jung Jae took this role and peppered it with his well-acknowledged acting skills.
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You always make the most unexpected choices, and this choice was again very surprising. Why did you decide to take up the Popeye role?
“First of all I decided to be in the film because of director Choi Dong Hoon. The project shined so brightly. I believed that this project would be great for me to lightly get in and out of, without much pressure." 
"Actually, in the scenario, Popeye is even duller. They said they made him be like that because they didn’t know who would be cast for the role. After they cast me, he became cooler. He was originally supposed to die, but the producers agreed that ‘since Lee Jung Jae has been cast for this role, it would be better not to kill him.’”
Did you relate to your character?
“It was so much fun. Popeye is a man who believes he can turn his back on anyone for his greed, desires and wants. Compared to the size of his greed, though, he’s not very smart. He can’t help but be funny. I thought also that Popeye’s character was funny.”
Were there any difficulties you had to endure during your shoots? For example there was a scene in which you get hit by a car.
“I didn’t have any. The scene where I get hit by a car is actually an edit. Because it’s all in one take it may look like I was the one getting hit, but we actually edited in my face.”
What are the attractions of ‘The Thieves’?
“A lot of things are subtly implied. It’ll be much more fun if you watch it more than once.”
You’re a great actor, but that characteristic seems to have been downplayed because you were a teen idol.
“It is true that I didn’t suffer much at the time of my debut because of my image as a teen idol. I understand why the public thinks so, since I haven’t been in many pieces. I have more pieces from when I was a teen star. (Laugh)”
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You’re a great actor but you haven’t been seen for a while. You actually appeared on the news more often as an entrepreneur.
“When men reach age 30, the people around them start to hand them a lot of offers. There are people that say since I’m popular, I should use that popularity to push a business. Many tell me to invest my money too, because they assume I must have a lot of money.”
Why were you so bent on being a businessman? You owned a restaurant, a men’s clothing brand and were even a real estate developer.
“Celebrities often become anxious on how much time they have left in their work lives. Celebrity jobs are affected by so many variables. They also worry about what they should do when their popularity takes a dip and no one wants to see them anymore. The older we get, the more temptations and offers we meet. Even though we weren’t interested before, we suddenly become interested in some things." 
"That’s why I worked with an Italian restaurant, men’s clothing and real estate development. Restaurants are fun [to work with], but they require a lot of care. It is great to invite people you know. It was impossible, however, for me to do something that required a lot of care while acting at the same time. Expertise is important in businesses these days. That’s why I closed down all my other businesses. 
"Now, I’ll try to concentrate only on being in more pieces, and that’s why I decided on my next piece so quickly. I was originally trying to choose a drama but Choi Min Sik sunbaenim (senior) gave me an offer and had me land in this new world.”
Photo credit: Kim Byung Kwan
Reach reporter Oh MiJung on Twitter @isyutar!

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August 5, 2012
[interview Part II] Lee Jung Jae on His Personal Life and His FutureCJ E&M enewsWorld Oh, MiJung  Translation Credit: Erika Kim  
What do you do when you don’t have shoots?
“I watch movies or go to see concerts or exhibitions. Recently I was so busy I didn’t get to see much.”
Why don’t you ever go overseas?
“If I had been in dramas it would’ve been easier for me to go overseas, but I think I didn’t go overseas because I usually appear in films. I do have Japanese fans, though. They continue to like me a lot.”
You’re an actor who′s mean toward his fans; you never hold fanmeetings.
“I don’t have an official fanclub or any official fansites. I think my fans would probably feel bad about that. I used to depend on my management company [to take care of such things], but now that I manage myself I wasn’t able to care for them. I’m very sorry.”
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There were a lot of articles these past few years about your personal life.
“Since I’m a celebrity, of course I’m followed by rumors, scandals and gossip. I don’t act against all of them. I just believe the truth will be revealed someday. I acted against them by not acting at all, but then something came out entirely out of the blue. It was the first time something like that had happened.
"When stories about that were first released, I just thought it was funny, but when they kept coming I got mad. It felt like they were thinking I was a pushover since I was staying quiet. I kept it bottled up until then because I didn’t want to get engaged in a conflict with the press. I passed it over since I’m the celebrity. "
"One reporter, however, then wrote an article that made it seem as if he had spoken with my father. I was mad at how he had used even my family as a tool for his articles. That’s when I thought of taking legal measures, but then the company released a correction.”
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You’re probably embroiled in such rumors since you’re not married.
“I don’t want to get married because of things like that, though. Many actors my age aren’t married yet. That’s what the people around me are like, and so I don’t think much [of marriage] either. I’m also used to living freely.”
Do you have any plans to venture to areas other than acting?
“No. I plan to concentrate on appearing in great pieces to put together a great character.”
How do you pick out pieces?
“I don’t care about the genre. I only care about the character. I choose those characters that I believe the audience will remember for a long time. I believed that although Popeye wouldn’t be loved much, he would be remembered for a long time.”
Photo credit: Kim Byung Kwan
Reach reporter Oh MiJung on Twitter @isyutar!

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August 6, 2012

The Thieves breaks more records, climbs all-time chartsby girlfriday dramabeans.com
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Turns out if you cast enough bandits in your movie, they’ll run away with the bank. New summer heist movie The Thieves has reported numbers for its second weekend, breaking another set of box office records in Korea. In Week 2 the film has sold nearly 7 million tickets — 6,884,220 admissions in total by Day 12 of the film’s release. The press is having a field day with the box-office-record-breaking movie, and why not? There’s nothing like a homegrown blockbuster to make you happy to do the math.
Over the weekend the film broke the 5-million-by-Day-10 record, a small club for some of the highest grossing films in Korea, both foreign and domestic (The Host previously held the record at 5.1 million at Day 10). But more interesting is the fact that it’s well on its way to topping the all-time box office charts for domestic films, if it keeps up this insane rate of growth.
In twelve days it reached 14th in all-time box office admissions for domestic releases, topping total gross ticket sales for movies like Shiri, Ajusshi, and The Good The Bad The Weird. Director Choi Dong-hun’s own Tazza held the 14th spot until this weekend, when his new film The Thieves broke it in just twelve days. Is it more or less consolation if it’s your own film beating out your other film?
It’s reportedly earning an estimated $39 million gross (for those of us counting in dollars), and seems poised to break into the 11-million ticket range where the top five all-time domestic films live (Silmido, Haeundae, Taegukgi, The King and the Clown, and of course at number one: The Host with 13 million +).
Is there a new top dog on the horizon? It’s still early, but things are looking up for Popeye and his merry band of thieves.
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Via Hankook IlboHollywood Reporter

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August 8, 2012

"The Thieves" heads for 10 million
Nate Reporter: Lee Tae-ho Editor: Monica Suk Kstar10.com

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Korean blockbuster “The Thieves” is one step closer to reaching 10 million audiences.

The director Choi Dong-hoon’s latest film, which hit local theaters on July 25, has since brought in 7,596,732 moviegoers as of Wednesday, according to the data compiled by Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

Thanks to the tremendous upturn, the movie shattered the 2012 local box office record and held off the former No. 1 of the year, "Avengers." 

The superhero pic stopped at attracting about 7,060,000 moviegoers since its opening on April 26.

The comedy action flick, starring actor Lee Jung-jae, Kim Yoon-seok, actress Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Hye-soo, has landed at No. 7 at the Korean box office history, beating out the former ranker “Arrow The Ultimate Weapon” (2011).

Box office watchers are expecting "The Thieves" to catch up with the record set by Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host” (2006), which attracted about 13 million audience in just 21 days of opening in local theaters. 

This does not seem to be a difficult task for the hit film, considering that "The Thieves" reached seven million ticket sales in 13 days of premiere while “The Host" accomplished it in 12 days.

The latest 10-million-audience film in Korea is director Yoon Je-kyoon's blockbuster "Haeundae," which posted 11 million ticket sales in 2009. 

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August 10, 2012

'The Thieves' tops 8 million viewers
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean box-office hit has continued to break records with over 8 million viewers, and is expected to reach the 10 million mark next week.

   "The Thieves," featuring 10 Korean and Chinese thieves teaming up to steal a valuable diamond necklace at a Macao casino, drew 8,098,952 viewers in the first 16 days through Thursday, data from the Korean Film Council showed on Friday.

   The film directed by Choe Dong-hoon, who is known for "Tazza: the High Rollers" and "The Big Swindle," has been drawing moviegoers at the same pace as director Bong Jun-ho's box-office hit "The Host."
  
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Industry watchers say "The Thieves" will likely attract 10 million viewers around next week if the current pace of ticket sales continues.

   The film drew an average of 250,000 viewers on weekdays in its third week, according to the official data.

   The last Korean film that attracted more than 10 million moviegoers was "Haeundae," a 2009 disaster drama directed by Yoon Jae-gyun.

   "The Thieves," starring top actors and actresses Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yun-seok and Lee Jung-jae, has raked in more than half of local box revenues, outperforming the Hollywood blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises."

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August 10, 2012

'Thieves' stealing the show in Korea
By Park Eun-jee Korea JoongAng Daily

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Korean action movie “The Thieves” has set a box office record again with more than eight million viewers, becoming the 10th-most-popular Korean movie of all time as of yesterday.

According to statistics released by the Korea Film Council yesterday, the movie has been seen by 8,098,952 moviegoers since its release on July 25.

Many industry watchers say that “The Thieves” will likely attract 10 million viewers around next week with the current pace of ticket sales.

The film overtakes Hollywood super hero film “The Avengers” as the most-watched movie of this year, raking in more than half of the local box office revenue. It has also surpassed Hollywood blockbuster “The Dark Knight Rises.”

“The Thieves” garnered a lot of attention before its release as the action-thriller stars A-list actors and actresses Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yun-seok and Lee Jung-jae. The plot centers on a gang assembled in Macau by legendary thief Macao Park (Kim Yun-seok) to steal a $20 million diamond.

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August 14, 2012

'The Thieves' Takes Box Office by Storm with Nearly 10 Million Viewers
ChosunIlbo

Choi Dong-hoon's "The Thieves" is set to become sixth Korean film to attract 10 million spectators. 

"A total of 9.24 million moviegoers have seen the movie as of Sunday," said its distributor Showbox Mediaplex on Monday. The flick was released on July 25. "We expect the figure to surpass 10 million by Thursday."

If so, it will become the first Korean film to achieve the feat in three years after "Haeundae" by Yoon Je-kyoon in 2009. The first domestic film to attract such a large audience was "Silmido" by Kang Woo-suk in 2003.

Choi is credited with the immense success of "The Thieves." His three previous films were all commercial hits -- "The Big Swindle" attracted 2.12 million viewers, "The War of Flower" had 5.68 million, and "Woochi: The Taoist Wizard" sold 6.13 million tickets at the box office. 

The Chosun Ilbo asked Choi on Monday whether he thought "The Thieves" would prove to be this popular. "No film director thinks about how many spectators their film will draw when making a movie," he said. "Because it was a crime film, I thought the reviews would be split, so I can't still believe that the film has been such a huge success. I even doubted if the figures by the Korean Film Council were correct, so I checked them again and again."

With the exception of "Woochi: The Taoist Wizard," all the other films he has directed revolve around criminals. "This is the kind of material I like to see as a cinemagoer. People have a boundless curiosity about crimes, accidents and so forth. Nobody wants such things to happen to them personally, but they still want to see them in a dramatic setting," said Choi.

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Actor Lee Jung-jae (left) hugs a fan at an event to welcome the 10 millionth viewer of the film "The Thieves" at the Time Square plaza in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul on Monday. Also attending the event were director Choi Dong-hoon (second left), and actresses Kim Hye-soo (second right) and Kim Hae-sook.

This is the first film Choi has worked on with his wife and producer Ahn Soo-hyun. "Initially, we didn't like the idea of collaborating because we were worried that it would cause arguments. But there are actually a lot of positives to working together. Whenever I doubted myself as a director, she gave me very valuable advice. We stuck to our principle of respecting each other's work, and she is very good in keeping work and private matters separate. That made everything a lot easier. We are husband and wife, but also friends, so it was fun working together," said Choi. 

Ahn, who joined in the middle of the interview, said, "As we used to work on different films, there were times when we couldn't see each other for three months at a stretch. This time, it was good because we worked in the same place and got to see each other all the time."

When asked about his future plans, Choi was tight-lipped, saying merely that he is "a young director who still has a long way to go."

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August 16, 2012

Korean Movies Find New Recipe for Success
ChosunIlbo

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A series of successful domestic films at the box office hints at the changing face of Korean cinema. "The Thieves," which was released on July 25 amid great expectations with its heist movie plot and star-studded cast, has attracted almost 10 million viewers in only three weeks. "The Grand Heist" also drew one million moviegoers earlier this week despite its lack of rave reviews. 

The trend has been developing since the start of the year. Domestic films drew 44.17 million spectators in the first half of 2012, up 34.6 percent from the same period last year. This even beats the previous record high of 41.48 million viewers in the first half of 2006. 

In total, 18 Korean movies have now drawn more than one million viewers each so far this year, compared to 16 over the same period in 2011 and 13 in 2010. So what is the driving force behind this trend? 

◆ Diversification of Genres 

Local moviegoers used to prefer comedies or action movies, but these days their interest is spread more evenly across the genres. Although romantic comedies and melodramas were in the past regarded as unlikely to score a huge hit at box office here, "All About My Wife" and "Architecture 101" attracted more than four million viewers each this year. Meanwhile, "Unbowed," a courtroom drama based on a true-life incident, proved its commercial success by selling 3.42 million tickets. 

"Ten years ago, moviegoers were divided into two distinct types: people who like Hollywood movies, and those who like Korean movies. But as many people have become familiar with a variety of genres of American movies and dramas, local audiences tend to prefer domestic films that contain elements of Hollywood genres tailored to Korean tastes," said film critic Jeon Chan-il. 

◆ Star-Studded Casts

"The Thieves" has 10 lead actors, while "The Grand Heist" has 11. Even melodramas and romantic comedies, which used to rely on one leading actor and actress, now often have three or four actors in starring roles. At the same time, it is increasingly common to see major stars play supporting roles. 

"In the past, many viewers were attracted to movies based on their plot, but now they like character-oriented movies with a good story. Movies that have many leading characters or supporting characters with distinct personalities are also getting popular," said Kim Ho-sung, CEO of production company REALise. 

◆ Mature Audiences

As producers have raised the target age group from teenagers and people in their 20s to those in their 30s and over, movies are naturally attracting a more diverse audience. 

According to ticket sales data for "The Thieves" compiled by Korea's largest movie site Maxmovie, 26 percent of those who watched the movie were in their 20s, 40 percent were in their 30s and 31 percent in their 40s. In the case of "Architecture 101," 24 percent were in their 20s, 45 percent in their 30s and 28 percent in their 40s. The bulk of viewers who went to see "All About My Wife," or 45 percent, were also in their 30s.

The combined number of spectators in their 30s and 40s now far outstrips those in their 20s, and this demographic can be seen as playing a leading role in Korean movies' raging success at home.

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August 16, 2012

'The Thieves' breaks 10 million audience number
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean box-office hit has broken the 10 million mark in total audience, becoming the sixth homegrown film to do so in the local movie history, official statistics showed Thursday.

   "The Thieves," featuring 10 Korean and Chinese thieves teaming up to steal a valuable diamond necklace at a Macao casino, drew 10,095,387 viewers in the first 22 days through Wednesday, data from the Korean Film Council showed.

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The film opened on July 25 and is now being shown on 552 cinema screens across the country.

   Directed by Choe Dong-hoon, who is known for "Tazza: the High Rollers" and "The Big Swindle," it stars top actors and actresses Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yun-seok and Lee Jung-jae.

   It became the first Korean film to break the 10 million mark since "Haeundae," a 2009 disaster drama directed by Yoon Jae-gyun.

   The four other films to reach the mark are "Silmido," "Taegukgi," "The King and the Clown" and "The Host."

   "The Host," a 2006 action-packed thriller by director Bong Jun-ho, drew the most viewers at 13 million.

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August 16, 2012

'The Thieves' breaks 10 million mark
By Jennifer Ryu, Intern reporter The Korea Herald

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“The Thieves” became the sixth Korean movie to reach 10 million viewers, achieving the feat in just 22 days. 

According to the Korean Film Council, “The Thieves” brought in 10,095,387 viewers in total as of Wednesday. Released on July 25, the movie is now showing on 552 screens. 

Director Kang woo-suk’s “Silmido” (2003) was the first Korean film to draw 10 million viewers, followed by “TaeGukGi: Brotherhood Of War,” “The King and the Clown,” “The Host,” and “Haeundae.” 

“The Host” (2006), directed by Bong Joon-ho, so far holds the record for most viewers among South Korean films with over 13 million. The film reached the 10 million mark in only 21 days. “The Thieves” is the first movie to break the 10 million barrier since “Haeundae” (2009). 

The star-studded movie “The Thieves” tells the story of a group of 10 professional thieves who travel to Macau to steal a diamond necklace.

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August 17, 2012

THE THIEVES steal 10 million hearts
KOBIZ
  
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The 6th Korean film to surpass the 10 million mark.

The Thieves has surpassed the 10 million mark at the box office. The record has been set in just 22 days since its release. The film drew 338,199 on 15th August, Independence Day Holiday in Korea, becoming the 6th Korean film to bring in more than 10 million in total. The Thieves recorded the best opening score on the day of its release and within the first 4 weeks, it drew 10,096,957. 

This means that the film is the 6th film to go over the 10 million mark following Silmido of 2003 (11,081,000), Taegukgi from 2004 (11,756,735), King and the Clown of 2005 (12,302,831), The Host (13,019,740) and Haeundae from 2009 (11,390,000).
   
The speed of The Thieves reaching the ten million mark is similar to that of The Host which reached the milestone in 21 days. It's 12 days earlier than Haeundae and 17 days faster than Avatar. The film is attracting on average 200 thousand per day, beating out stiff competition from local and Hollywood blockbusters of various genres.
  
Director CHOI Dong-hoon said “the star of the 10 million milestone is the audience. Thank you to all those who came to see the film on behalf of the actors and the production team.” 

KIM Yun-seok said “It’s great to reach this milestone. Thank you. Let’s aim for 20 million with the overseas release.” 

KIM Hye-soo said, “"I didn’t expect this, so I'm very grateful to the director for giving me a wonderful role. Thank you to the team and the other actors for supporting me but most of all my biggest thanks go to all those who came to watch the film.” 

JUN Ji-hyun said “I’m so moved that another Korean film has broken the 10 million mark. I can really feel the power of Korean cinema and how much Korean audiences love Korean films.” 

The Thieves has reaffirmed the quality of Korean cinema with its strong characters and a well-structured storyline, gaining the reputation of being a top-class entertainment film.

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August 21, 2012

The Thieves Goes International
KBS Global

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Next target for the seemingly unstoppable movie The Thieves? Asia and Toronto!

After holding down the #1 spot at the domestic box offices for the fifth week and having attracted over 11 million movie-goers in Korea, The Thieves will also be premiering in movie theaters across Asia. 

The date is set for September 6th in Hong Kong and Indonesia, September 13th in Singapore, followed by unconfirmed dates in October and November for Malaysia and Thailand. The news of the premiere dates comes after the movie was agreed to be exported to eight Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Jeon Ji-hyun (or Gianna), who played the role of "Yenny-Call" in the movie, will be making appearances at gala premiere events in Hong Kong and China.

Also was invited to the 37th annual Toronto Film Festival, starting on September 6th, to be included in the "Contemporary World Cinema" category. It will play at the Ryerson University indoor theaters on September 13th.

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August 23, 2012

'The Thieves' outperforms 'Haeundae' to become fourth best-selling movie at home
YonhapNews

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SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- The Korean heist film "The Thieves" became the fourth best-selling Korean film of all time, beating "Haeundae," a disaster drama that opened three years ago, according to the latest official box office tally.

   "The Thieves," featuring 10 Korean and Chinese thieves teaming up to steal a valuable diamond necklace at a Macao casino, had attracted about 11.5 million viewers as of Wednesday, the data from the Korean Film Council showed.

   The movie passed the 11.4 million audience record for "Haeundae," pushing it down to the fifth spot on the list of the top 10 homegrown films that have hit the local box office.

   Industry watchers say, if the current pace of ticket sales continues, "The Thieves" will soon likely overtake the third most-watched Korean film, "Taegukgi" (2003), which attracted more than 11.7 million viewers.

   "The Host," a 2006 action-packed thriller by director Bong Jun-ho, drew the most viewers at 13 million. The No. 2 film is "The King and the Clown" with 12 million.

   Directed by Choe Dong-hoon, who is known for "Tazza: the High Rollers" and "The Big Swindle," and starring top actors and actresses Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yun-seok and Lee Jung-jae, "The Thieves" opened on July 25 and is now being shown on 552 cinema screens across the country.

   Meanwhile, the movie will be released throughout Asia in the coming months, according to its distributor.

   The film will be shown in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore next month and open up in theaters in Malaysia, Thailand and other Asian countries in October and November, Mediaplex Co. said on Tuesday.

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August 27, 2012

'The Thieves' Set for New Box Office Record
ChosunIlbo

The crime flick "The Thieves" has leapfrogged "Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War" to claim third place in the all-time box office hit parade for Korean films. According to the Korean Film Council on Sunday, it drew 215,072 viewers on Saturday alone, bringing the total to 11.91 million spectators.

"The Thieves" will also likely overtake "The King and the Clown," which lured 12.3 million moviegoers as it remains the top spots at local box office charts one month after its release.

Now attention is being paid to whether it will eclipse "The Host," which has held the box office record for the last six years.

"The Thieves" has drawn attention for its star-studded cast, which includes Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae, Jeon Ji-hyun, and Kim Soo-hyun, and has invited comparisons with Steven Soderbergh's hit movie "Ocean's Eleven."

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August 27, 2012

Korean movies dominate box office
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald

Market share of homegrown movies rises to nearly 80 percent over the weekend

Korea’s homegrown films are doing better than ever at the box office, with its market share rising to nearly 80 percent in the past weekend.

The top four movies at the box office from Aug. 26 to 27 were local films, according to the Korean Film Council. 

The films are director Kim Hwi’s thriller “Neighbors”; Kim Joo-ho’s period comedy “The Grand Heist”; Choi Dong-Hun’s star-studded blockbuster “The Thieves”; and Kim Dong-won’s action drama “R2B: Return to Base.”

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“Neighbors ” (Lotte Entertainment)

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“The Thieves”(1st Look)

Korean films’ sweeping performance started off with “The Thieves,” which became the third best-selling Korean film of all time, beating 2002 drama “Taegukgi” as of Aug. 15. It drew more than 12,095,094 viewers as of Saturday, according the Korean Film Council data. It ranked third at the box office in the past weekend.

Kim Joo-ho’s period drama “The Grand Heist,” on the other hand, drew 4 million viewers in just 19 days after its release, becoming the seventh homegrown movie to achieve the feat so far this year. 

Kim Hwi’s thriller “Neighbors,” which opened last week, drew 1 million viewers in the first five days after the release, topping the box office chart during the weekend.

The homegrown films’ market share rose to 77.2 percent during the past weekend, from 57.7 percent recorded last month. 

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“The Grand Heist” (1st Look)

The market share of the local films hit 60.4 percent in 2006, with the box-office triumph of Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host.” The film, which drew 13,020,000 viewers, remains the bestselling locally made film of all time in Korea’s film history. 

Local movies’ market share dropped to 42.1 percent in 2008, rose to 48.8 percent in 2009, and but dropped to 46.5 percent again in 2010.

Many small- to mid-scale local films drew a significant number of viewers ― each about 4 million ― in the first half of this year, including “Architecture 101,” “Dancing Queen,” “All About My Wife,” “Unbowed” and “Deranged.” 

These movies, diverse in genre and style, contributed to the increase in the market share of the homegrown movies in the first half of the year, according to the Korean Film Council.

More highly anticipated Korean films are to be released soon. CJ Entertainment, one of the biggest film producers in Korea, is scheduled to release its highly anticipated period drama “Masquerade,” which stars mega hallyu star Lee Byung-hun, next month. Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta,” competing at the Venice Film Festival, as well as Sin Jeong-won’s drama “Ghost Sweepers” starring Kim Su-ro and Lee Je-hoon, are also to be released next month.

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August 31, 2012

'The Thieves' now 2nd top-selling Korean film
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- "The Thieves" has outperformed "The King and the Clown" to become the second most popular Korean film ever shown at home, according to an industry tally.

   "The Thieves" has attracted 12.31 million viewers as of 5 p.m. Thursday, breaking a record set by the all-time No. 2 Korean film "The King and the Clown" (12 million) in 2005, Mediaplex Co., the distributor of the latest film said on Friday.

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Directed by Choe Dong-hoon, who is known for "Tazza: the High Rollers" and "The Big Swindle," the new heist film features 10 Korean and Chinese thieves teaming up to steal a valuable diamond necklace at a Macau casino.

   "The Thieves" broke the 10 million mark in audience numbers on its 22nd day since opening on July 25. It also broke audience records of box-office hits "Silmido," (11.08 million) "Haeundae" (11.45 million) and "Taegukgi" (11.74 million) this month.

   The popularity of "The Thieves" has continued in the film's sixth week since opening, drawing more than 50,000 moviegoers a day, Mediaplex said.

   The company expects, if this popularity continues, the new movie may beat the No. 1 Korean film "The Host" (13.01 million) and Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar," which sits on top of local box-office sales with 13.35 million viewers.

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