[Movie 2016] MA$TER 마스터

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December 26, 2016

‘Master’ surpasses 3 million moviegoers

(CJ Entertainment)

Korean action-thriller “Master” drew more than 3 million filmgoers, five days after its nationwide release, according to data from the Korean Film Council Monday. 

On Christmas, the star-studded movie topped the box office by attracting 902,757 viewers, followed by the American musical animation “Sing,” homegrown disaster flick “Pandora” and American drama-musical “La La Land.” “Master” has been viewed by 3,002,294 people in theaters since it premiered on Wednesday. 

“Master” stars Lee Byung-hun, Kim Woo-bin and Gang Dong-won. The movie revolves around a fraudulent financial organization that amasses s huge sum of money, run by a cunning Chairman Jin (Lee Byung-hun). A sleuth (Gang Dong-won) goes after him, while a genius hacker and Jin‘s close aide (Kim Woo-bin) stand in the way.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)

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December 27, 2016

Star-powered ‘Master’ soars, dominates box office

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

The star-studded “Master,” featuring actors Lee Byung-hun, Gang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin, dominated the local weekend box office by far. [CJ ENTERTAINMENT]

The star-studded crime action flick “Master” pushed aside the disaster movie “Pandora” to rule the local box office over the weekend, according to the Korean Film Council on Monday.

“Pandora” was forced to give away the first place spot, which it had been holding on to for two straight weekends, and dropped to third.

“Master,” starring actors Lee Byung-hun, Gang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin, raked in 19.05 billion won ($17.1 million) through 2.23 million tickets sold at 1,501 screens, accounting for 56.7 percent of the entire sales. In the five days since its opening on Wednesday, the film has reached three million mark in ticket sales, earning 24.8 billion won in total. 

The animated “Sing,” depicting cute animals working hard to achieve their dreams as singers, hit the second spot in its debut weekend by selling 297,500 tickets.

Although it debuted at fifth on its opening day on Wednesday, it gradually managed to climb up rankings.

The internationally-acclaimed “La La Land” was followed by “Pandora” to rank fourth in its third weekend. It remains to be seen how many more tickets the musical, which is set to dominate the 74th Golden Globe awards next month, will sell. 

The romance-fantasy “Will You Be There?,” adapted from the French novelist Guillaume Musso’s best-selling novel, hit fifth. Despite the buzz it created for adapting the popular book, the audiences’ response has been meager. It has sold 995,000 tickets since it dropped on Dec. 14.

“Pokemon the Movie XY&Z” from Japan debuted in sixth, which was directly followed by another Japanese animation “Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Birth of Japan.”

Warner Animation Group’s “Storks” dropped to eighth from last weekend’s fifth, and was closely followed by the “Harry Potter” spinoff “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

“Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden” rounded up the top ten in its first weekend. 

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]

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December 27, 2016

Crime Action Flick Draws Big Flocks of Moviegoers Over Christmas Weekend

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

The crime action flick "Master" attracted over 3 million viewers in just five days since its release last Wednesday.

On Christmas Eve alone, the film attracted 910,000 viewers, and on Christmas Day 900,000, breaking the previous Christmas Day record of 740,000 set by "The Himalayas" last year.

The accumulated number of viewers until Sunday exceeded 3 million.

The film evolves around an intellectual crime investigation team probing a massive fraud case and chasing a cunning fraudster. It also set a new record among films released in December for reaching the 3-million milestone in the shortest span of time.

"The Attorney," which was released in December 2013, took eight days to reach the 3-million mark and attracted some 11 million viewers in total. In December 2014, "Ode to My Father" reached the mark in 10 days and eventually garnered over 14 million viewers.

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December 25, 2016

Korean cinema of 2016: Women, politics, horror

Women, female relationships and political intrigue were the hallmarks of Korean cinema this year. A number of films that delved into the world of the occult, driven by unfathomable forces of evil, also stood out in a year that saw the return of some of Korea’s most renowned directors, including Park Chan-wook and Na Hong-jin, who each added significant pieces to their idiosyncratic oeuvre. 

Spotlight on women 

Arguably the most globally lauded Korean film of the year, Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden” took on the subject of a lesbian thriller romance, featuring two female lovers against a world of demented male figures. Provocative scenes were portrayed against a flat, fairy tale-like backdrop.

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Kim Tae-ri (left) and Kim Min-hee star in “The Handmaiden.” (CJ Entertainment)

“Handmaiden” has nabbed various international accolades since its screening at the Cannes International Film Festival in May. Vogue.com named it among the “10 Most Fashionable Movies of 2016” for its lavish mise-en-scene, while the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards gave it a best production design award. 

The New York Times listed Kim Tae-ri, who stars as Hideko’s earthy, unabashed handmaiden Sook-hee, in a September article titled “Four Actresses Everyone will be Talking About this Fall.” 

Female romance was also given a stage in Lee Hyun-ju’s indie film “Our Love Story,” a subtle, realistic tale of an encounter between an art student and a stranger. 

Antagonistic relationships between women were explored in films like Kim Tae-yong’s “Misbehavior,” which draws on the jealousy and pride between two female teachers fighting for the affections of a male student. Both Kim Ha-neul and Yoo In-young are excellently cast in their roles: One is reticent and downtrodden, while the other is vivacious, young and self-absorbed.

Director Lee Eon-hee’s “Missing,” meanwhile, saw the unlikely reconciliation between two women -- a mother and the nanny who kidnapped her daughter, played by Uhm Ji-won and Gong Hyo-jin. 

In a mature tale of womanhood, “Bacchus Lady” explored the world of Korea’s elderly prostitutes and the universal solitude of growing old. 

Veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung portrayed the feisty protagonist, who, at 65, turns tricks for a living. Directed by E J-yong, the film offers an emotional reflection on life and death as Korea advances into an aging society. It was screened at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. 

Scandalous politics

This year also saw a number of films portraying disasters and authorities’ damnable responses. 

Director Park Jung-woo’s “Pandora,” set to be streamed globally on Netflix, depicted a nuclear power plant meltdown and the lack of an emergency response system, resulting in the preventable deaths of nuclear power plant workers and residents of surrounding areas. 

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Hwang Jung-min (left) and Jung Woo-sung star in “Asura: City of Madness.” (CJ Entertainment) 

Kim Seong-hun’s “Tunnel” saw actor Ha Jung-woo trapped inside a collapsed tunnel for weeks on end, the rescue squad wringing their hands at the ineffectual orders from those higher up in the government. 

Kim Sung-su’s “Asura: The City of Madness” depicted a bloodstained web of criminals and politicians. 

The latest political thriller “Master,” helmed by Jo Eui-seok, stars actor Lee Byung-hun as a con artist who amasses astronomical wealth and bribes government officials to exert power in state affairs. The flick which opened last week, rang an eerily familiar bell in Korea, currently swept up by an influence-peddling political scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye. 

Ride into the occult

Two of this year’s most striking films were in the horror genre, ruminating on morality and human nature.

Yeon Sang-ho’s apocalyptic zombie thriller “Train to Busan” showed everyday characters -- from students to office workers -- fighting for their lives, trapped on a torpedoing train swarming with flesh-hungry zombies. It premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival’s Midnight Screenings section and has been picked up for a US remake by Gaumont, a French film studio. 

Spoiler

Hwang Jung-min stars in “The Wailing (Goksung).” (20th Century Fox Korea)

Na Hong-jin’s occult thriller “The Wailing (Goksung),” which also screened at Cannes’ Out of Competition section, took viewers on a terrifying journey toward unreasoning evil. Fourteen-year-old actress Kim Hwan-hee delivered a chilling performance as a possessed child. 

A period in time 

As usual, a number of period pieces also sought to reinterpret historical events from the Japanese occupation era. 

Kim Jee-woon’s “The Age of Shadows” transformed the story of Korean independence fighters smuggling in bombs from Shanghai to Korea into a stylish noir.

Spoiler

Gong Yoo stars in “The Age of Shadows.” (Warner Bros. Korea)

In “The Last Princess,” director Hur Jin-ho focused on the early stages of the Japanese occupation of Korea through the eyes of Joseon princess Deok-hye, weaving the historical into a personal tale. 

“The Portrait of a Poet” by Lee Joon-ik offered a moving portrait of poet Yun Dong-ju, in colonial Korea where the Korean language was banned. 

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com) 

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STAGE greetings:

1/12 Singapore 

1/14 Hong Kong 

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tomorrow interview with Master trio

credit: kobiz

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Photo: cjent_usa

Photo: leechoko

 

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Kang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin to go on "Master" tour

Kang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin are going on an Asia tour.

"Master" director Jo Eui-seok, Kang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin are going on an Asian promotion in Hong Kong and Singapore.

The movie "Master" proved to be a great success at the American Film Market held in Santa Monica held from November 2nd to the 9th and have shown high interest in Asian countries.

Kang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin will be visiting Hong Kong and Singapore soon.

A "Master" gala premiere will be held in Singapore on the 12th of January. Then various promotions will be held in Hong Kong on the 14th.

"Master" is an intelligence criminal investigations drama.

Source

 

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December 28, 2016

MASTER Dominates Over Xmas Weekend
LEE Byung-hun, GANG Dong-won Post 4th Best Start of 2016

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

Business boosted a hefty 75% over the Christmas weekend to bring admissions to the four million mark, which despite being 15% lower than last year’s comparable weekend was still one of the biggest of the year. A hot Korean local release drove up the local market share to 72%.

Sucking up 57% of the marketplace during its opening weekend was the star-driven action-thriller Master with LEE Byung-hun, GANG Dong-won and KIM Woo-bin from Cold Eyes (2013) director CHO Ui-seok. The film mustered a powerful 2.24 million admissions (USD 15.89 million) during the three-day period and has already banked three million entries (USD 20.7 million) since its Wednesday bow. That’s the fourth best opening of the year, behind TRAIN TO BUSAN, Captain America: Civil War and A Violent Prosecutor, which also featured GANG. 

Opening for the family crowds this weekend was Hollywood animation Sing, which welcomed 498,000 viewers (USD 3.37 million) over the three day and 567,000 spectators (USD 3.78 million) over five days.

Local disaster pic Pandora slowed 57% for another 429,000 new entries (USD 2.91 million). This brings its ticket haul to a sturdy if slightly disappointing 3.94 million admissions (USD 25.99 million), though its global rights pre-sale to Netflix places it comfortably in the black.

Resilient in its third weekend after dropping just 11% was Oscar frontrunner La La Land which charted with another 379,000 viewers (USD 2.79 million), giving it an impressive 1.94 million spectators (USD 13.79 million) to date. The film has now passed the total of director Damien Chazelle’s debut Whiplash, which was an unexpected sensation in Korea in 2015.

Quickly losing steam during its second weekend was local fantasy romance Will You Be There?, which was down 56% with 181,000 admissions (USD 1.32 million) in fifth place and 995,000 entries (USD 6.89 million) to date.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the major new release this week but unlike in other markets, it could face a challenge scaling to first place against the sophomore stint of Master.

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Photo: zipcinema

MA$TER Passes 4 Million Admission on 9th Day 

 

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December 30, 2016

Kim Woo-bin learns from the best : The humble movie star challenged himself with role in hit movie ‘Master’

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

Actor Kim Woo-bin has taken up the role of a genius hacker in his latest film “Master.” [STUDIO 706]

Actor Kim Woo-bin, 27, is known for being a tall and handsome movie star, but a lesser-known quality of the actor is his gentlemanly manners. During an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, the actor courteously answered the questions with a politeness uncharacteristic of a top film star. From his role as a mischievous and unemployed player in his 2015 film “Twenty” to a haggard celebrity in the 2016 KBS2 drama “Uncontrollably Fond,” the actor has been displaying his ability to act in a wide range of roles.

His latest film “Master,” directed by Cho Ui-seok, is no different. Opening on Dec. 20, the film managed to draw over 3 million moviegoers within five days of its premiere. The crime-action film is about an intellectual crime investigation team led by Kim Jae-myung (played by Gang Dong-won), and their pursuit of a massive fraud case by a company led by President Jin (played by Lee Byung-hun) and the brains behind the company, Park Jang-goon (played by Kim). 

“The character of Park Jang-goon was a role that I chose to take without hesitation,” said the actor. “This was because the character felt alive. He’s a very peculiar guy, being both simple and cute, since out of all the characters in the film, he makes his emotions the most transparent.”

The actor admitted that he felt burdened with taking up the role. He said, “I felt pressured working alongside these top actors, as well as having to appear in a majority of the scenes. I kept telling myself to stay out of trouble and remember to do well.”

Regarding his research into his role, the actor said he took inspiration from his peers, “recalling intelligent friends.”

“I noticed that when my friends weren’t focused on working, they were more like simpletons,” he said. “Although I did notice a spark in their eyes while working, it was important for them to be comfortable. This is why [my character] wears comfortable clothes.”

Kim’s character in the film commands so much more attention than the other members of the cast that viewers may mistake him for being the protagonist.

“I felt that if I tried to attract unnecessary attention to myself as an actor, it would be harmful to the film,” he said. “It was a matter of making the character appeal as best as possible. It really was a difficult thought process.”

Kim said that working alongside Lee Byung-hun, a much more seasoned actor, was an important learning experience. 

“He’s very careful and meticulous when it comes to acting,” Kim said. “After every cut, he runs behind the camera to monitor every detail of his acting. It was eye-opening to see someone such as Lee doing this, and I realized how he had risen to his status. He’s also quirky and filled with humorous energy. Although, as the youngest, it was supposed to have been my job to brighten up the crew (laughs).”

When feeling down, Kim said he likes to keep a “Diary of Thankfulness” to invigorate himself. He said that he values the time to think about what he was thankful for on each day. When asked about what he could possibly be so thankful for each and every day, the actor started listing a number of things.

“I’m thankful for being healthy,” he said. “There’s nothing to be more thankful for than that. While I was filming for ‘Uncontrollably,’ I was able to realize the emotional state of being near death. By losing health, I realized there was no more meaning to life.”

When asked about where he sees himself right now, the actor said he was an “average person in his twenties running through life by trial and error.” However, he added that he doesn’t see himself as the type to work well under stress. To relieve his stress, Kim said that he enjoys drawing as an activity to empty his mind.

“When I portray a character, I imagine the character’s thoughts on a canvas,” said the actor, who started painting with acrylics two years ago. “Although I wonder what it is I just drew, it’s great to pass the time, and I feel at peace.”

BY KIM NA-HYEON [chung.jinhong@joongang.co.kr]

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December 27, 2016

Spackman musters turnaround with Korean blockbuster Master

By Jude Chan / The Edge Markets

SINGAPORE (Dec 27): Korean cinema is making a big splash and rising in popularity around the world. But this holiday season, Spackman Entertainment Group’s Korean crime-action flick, Master, is lording over the competition.

The film has captured more than 55% of Korea’s total box office revenue since it opened on Dec 21. As at Dec 25, it has raked in more than US$20 million (S$29 million) with over three million tickets sold over just four days.

RHB says the film’s popularity has exceeded its expectations.

“As such, we raise our ticket sales estimates to 8.5 million (from 7.5 million), and raise FY16F NPAT by 300%,” says RHB analyst Jarick Seet in a Monday report. “Our channel checks locally have also shown that Master is a bit hit among the locals, having also generated positive media coverage.”

The research house is keeping its “buy” recommendation on Spackman and raising its target price to 32 Singapore cents, from 22 Singapore cents previously.

Spackman had resold the distribution rights for the film to 31 countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the US.

Seet says the strong performance of Master is expected to yield profit of US$7 million and “easily bring Spackman back into the black”.

In addition, Spackman has disposed of its loss-making unit Opus Pictures, cutting its Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (SG&A) costs by some 70%.

“Master’s performance would likely be an additional impetus to bounce it back into profitability, laying the foundation for returning to the black in FY17,” says Seet. “We also expect Spackman to continue to produce at least two to three movies for FY17F.”

As at 11.53am, shares of Spackman are trading 1.6% higher at 19.3 Singapore cents.

Source: Mark Russell‏@themarkrussell

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December 29, 2016

Spackman breaks even with movie Master

By PC Lee / The Edge Markets

SINGAPORE (Dec 29): Spackman Entertainment Group says its crime-action thriller Master produced by subsidiary Zip Cinema surpassed the film’s breakeven point within eight days of its official wide release on Dec 21.

As of Wednesday, Master has recorded total admissions of 3.8 million with gross box office revenue of US$25.3 million ($37 million), according to latest stats from the Korean Film Council.

“The film maintains its top position at the Korean box office and continues to be released on at least 1,263 screen daily, capturing at least 40.98% of the nation’s market share of box office revenue since its official release in Korea. Notably, Master was the highest grossing opening on the Christmas-weekend box office chart in Korea,” says Spackman in its filing.

Master is slated to be screened in Singapore theatres around Jan 12. The movie is directed by Cho Ui-seok and stars Korea’s three top actors, Lee Byung-hun, Gang dong-won and Kim Woo-bin.

Spackman shares closed at 19 cents.

Spackman Entertainment unit's Korean film Master breaks even in 8 days

by CHAI HUNG YIN The Business Times

CRIME-ACTION film MASTER, produced by Spackman Entertainment Group's indirect wholly owned subsidiary Zip Cinema Co Ltd, surpassed the film's breakeven point within eight days of its official release on Dec 21, the entertainment production company announced on Thursday.

Latest statistics from the Korean Film Council showed that Master recorded 3.8 million total ticket admissions with gross box office revenue of US$25.3 million as at Dec 28.

The film maintains its top position at the South Korean box office and continues to be released on at least 1,263 screens daily, capturing at least 40.98 per cent of the nation's market share of box office revenue since its official release in South Korea.

It also noted that Master was the highest grossing opening on the Christmas weekend box office chart in South Korea.

Master is slated to be screened in Singapore theatres around Jan 12 next year.

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December 29, 2016

'Master' Sets New Records

Source: BNTNews

[by Ent Team] Movie ‘Master’ just set a new record. 

Three days after theater release, ‘Master’ hit 1 million viewers, 2 million on the fourth day and 3 on the fifth, sketching a new box-office record for this winter. But the surprise happened on December 29, on its 9th day in theaters, when the movie hit 4 million viewers. 

Faster than ‘The Attorney’, which had gathered 4 million viewers on its 11th day, or than ‘Ode To My Father’, which had reached the 4th million on after 12th days, ‘Master’ is set to become a classic movie of Korean cinema at the same speed of action movie ‘Veteran’. 

The success isn’t stopping there. On December 28 only, 310,000 viewers ran to the closest theaters to see ‘Master’, helping it conserve its first rank for the second week on the Korean box-office before ‘Rogue One: Star Wars Story’. 

A sense of truth that resembles a fraud scandal that shook Korea, charismatic characters in an elaborate chase, are the ingredients for the successful recipe of ‘Master’. The synergy of the top actors of the country as well as to the excellence and subtle work of director Jo Wi Seok adds to the solidness and relevance of the movie.

The team of ‘Master’, including director Jo Wi Seok and his actors, will tour Busan and Daegu respectively on December 30 and 31 to meet the audience and discuss the movie. (photo by CJ Entertainment)

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December 30, 2016

South Korea film Master breaks even; maintains top position at box office

by CHAI HUNG YIN The Business Times Singapore

WITHIN eight days of its official release, South Korean film Master surpassed its break-even point, based on an announcement by Spackman Entertainment Group early Thursday.

The crime-action film is produced by the South Korean film producer's indirect wholly owned subsidiary Zip Cinema Co Ltd.

Latest statistics from the Korean Film Council showed that Master recorded 3.8 million total ticket admissions with gross box office revenue of US$25.3 million as at Dec 28.

The film maintains its top position at the South Korean box office and continues to be released on at least 1,263 screens daily, capturing at least 40.98 per cent of the nation's market share of box office revenue since its official release on Dec 21 in South Korea.

Singapore-listed Spackman Entertainment also noted that Master was the highest grossing opening on the Christmas weekend box office chart in South Korea.

Master, which features three top South Korean actors Lee Byung-hun, Gang Dong-won and Kim Woo-bin, is slated to be screened in Singapore theatres around Jan 12 next year.

Directed by Cho Ui-seok, the film depicts the takedown of a charismatic swindler who committed a massive multibillion-dollar fraud.

Other films directed by Cho include Cold Eyes (2013), one of the top 10 films at the Korean box office in 2013. The Zip Cinema production grossed a total of 5.5 million tickets.

In a Dec 27 report, RHB Research raised its ticket admissions estimate from 7.5 million to 8.5 million, based on the strong performance by Master.

Spackman shares closed S$0.001 or 0.52 per cent lower to end at S$0.191 on Thursday. It was the third most active stock with 43.25 million shares changing hands.

KOREA BOX OFFICE SCORE
As of 29 December 2016 

Gross Box Office Receipts: 
KRW 32.4 billion  

Ticket Admissions: 
4,068,353

Source: Spackman Entertainment Group