[Movie 2020] The Man Standing Next 남산의 부장들

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 Six historical facts to know about THE MAN STANDING NEXT

 

Published on December 11, 2019 by GND건데 (disclaimer Google translate)

 

History review in the movie 'Chiefs Of Namsan (2020)'
by reporter Kim Chung-sik

 

Comparison of the original book of the same name and Korean modern history

1) Korea Gate (Park Dong Sun)
2) Kim Hyung Wook, Chief Information Officer
3) Kim Jae Kyu Chief Information Officer
4) President Park Chung Hee
5) Restoration regime
6) 10.26 Assassination
7) Namsan and Central Intelligence Agency (current NIS)
 

 

Source: Showbox

 

Celebrity Review EVENT
⠀
After watching the CHIEFS OF NAMSAN,
Leave a review as a comment!
Winners will receive the Limited edition of English International Posters!

CGV https://bit.ly/2T4Yz6y
Lotte Cinema  https://bit.ly/2N7qjUe
Megabox https://bit.ly/30De0Vv

Event participation period: up to 2/5
The winners will be announced within one week after the event ends.

 

Pen Drawing Artwork by hyunwoo.2

 

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Almost 4 million..

 

  Day 10:  2020.01.31 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 1 Korean Box Office with 3.8 Million Audience Admission 

Source: KoBiz 

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT Two Actors Chemistry!

ZOOM Lee Byung-hun x Lee Hee-jun W pictorial shooting 

 

Published on January 31, 2020 by BH Entertainment

 

 

Spoiler

February 1, 2020

 

January Male Advertisement Model Brand Reputation Rankings Revealed
 

Source: Soompi by E. Cha

The Korean Business Research Institute has announced this month’s brand reputation rankings for male advertisement models!

 

The rankings were determined through an analysis of consumer behavior, using big data collected from December 25 to January 26. The Korean Business Research Institute evaluated the participation, communication, media, and social values of 50 male advertisement models in order to calculate each star’s total brand reputation index for January.

 

Gong Yoo topped this month’s list with a brand reputation index of 1,575,676. The actor’s highest-ranking related terms included “release,” “envy,” and “talk,” while his positivity-negativity analysis revealed a score of 74.03 percent positive reactions.

 

Celebrity chef Baek Jong Won took second place in the rankings with a brand reputation index of 1,316,871, while singer Yang Joon Il came in third with a total index of 1,227,975 for January.

 

Check out this month’s top 30 below!

 

1. Gong Yoo
2. Baek Jong Won
3. Yang Joon Il
4.Yoo Jae Suk 
5. Son Heung Min
6. Hyun Bin
7. Lee Byung Hun
8. Jo Jung Suk
9. Kang Daniel
10. Kwon Sang Woo
11. BIGBANG’s G-Dragon
12. Namgoong Min
13. Seo Jang Hoon
14. Park Bo Gum
15. Ha Jung Woo
16. Jung Woo Sung
17. Jang Sung Kyu
18. Jung Joon Ho
19. SF9’s Rowoon
20. Ma Dong Seok
21. Lee Sang Min
22. Jun Hyun Moo
23. Kang Ha Neul
24. Shin Dong Yup
25. ASTRO’s Cha Eun Woo
26. Park Seo Joon
27. Song Joong Ki
28. Lee Si Eon
29. Yang Se Hyung
30. Lee Min Ho

Source (1)

Top Right Photo Credit: Xportsnews

 

Source: KBS Korea 24

 

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January 31, 2020

 

Reasons for success of "The Man Standing Next"

 

Source: OSEN via ChannelsVlive

 

After premiering right on the Lunar New Year, the movie "The Man Standing Next" (directed by Woo Min Ho) is earning good reviews of moviegoers from all walks of life. Recently, BTS members also contributed to marking the success of the movie when going to the theater to enjoy it.

 

The film is showing a formidable momentum when it holds the throne at the box office for nine consecutive days, from the first day of its premiere (December 22, 2019) to yesterday (January 30, 2020). With the rate of 29.5% recorded by 11:24 am (KST) January 31, "The Man Standing Next" has never lost the top of the reservation rate chart since its premiere until now, which is expected to continue to attract moviegoers for a long time.

 

Currently, the cumulative moviegoers of "The Man Standing Next" reached 3,743,586 (provided by Korean Film Council) and it is expected to hit 4 million this weekend.

 

Adapted into a movie from a non-fiction work of the same name, "The Man Standing Next" (distribution: Showbox, production: Hive Media Corp.) is set in the Blue House of Korea in October 1979. The film revolves around the story taking place 40 days before the National Intelligence Service director (played by Lee Byung Hun) - who is viewed as the country's second most powerful person - carries out the assassination of President Park (played by Lee Sung Min).

 

Based on a true story, but this format is not like a political drama. It's because the drama contains the psychological flow and conflict in the human relationship that can draw sympathy from office workers, government officials to the students who live in present.

 

The film was successful thanks to not only the main cast including Lee Byung Hun, Lee Sung Min, Kwak Do Won, Lee Hee Joon but also the excellent support from the supporting cast. Along with the assessment that the cast has created their own life-time roles, the film was also commented as helping director Woo Min Ho to have one more classic work after ''Inside Men'' (2015).

 

Rather than categorizing it into the political genre, "The Man Standing Next" can be put into the psychology genre or a noir film. Although it is based on a real-life event - the assassination of President Park Chung Hee, the movie's director doesn't give any political conclusions of who was right and who was wrong. From the beginning to the end, the movie maintains the plot that focuses on the struggle for power, as well as the prejudices, conflicts, indignation, and betrayal of those who rank below the most powerful man in the country to ingratiate him.

 

After the premiere of "The Man Standing Next" in the United States on January 26, the movie has begun to receive attention from global fans as soon as it was reported that BTS went to see it at a cinema in LA.

 

On the other hand, "The Man Standing Next" will be premiered in countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan.

 

OSEN = Reporter Kim Bo Ra / purplish@osen.co.kr

Photo = Movie's poster

Everything Idol, Everyday Exclusive 

 

Source: Showbox

 

The Craze over CHIEFS OF NAMSAN

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT watched by BTS in LA

 

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February 1, 2020

 

Lee Byung-hun sticks to the script: The veteran actor plays a former Korean CIA head who murders the president

 

BY LEE JAE-LIM INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

 

As a veteran actor with a wealth of experience, actor Lee Byung-hun has portrayed many famous historical figures. But he’s never before played a character based on a real person that has had such an impact on contemporary history, until his most recent role that is. Lee takes on the lead role of Kim Gyu-pyung in the noir “The Man Standing Next.”

 

Lee’s character Kim is modelled after the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) Kim Jae-gyu who worked during the Park Chung Hee regime and assassinated the president on Oct. 26, 1979.

 

Speculation and rumors about what drove Kim, known to be the second most powerful person in the country back then, to make such a radical choice remain hot topics to this day.

 

“That was what I had to do, convince people why Kim had to make the decision that he did through my character,” Lee said in an interview at a cafe located in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. “[I did not] understand Kim’s actions and words 100 percent the first time I traced his history. But I think it’s the actor’s role to build up their characters to persuade the audiences, to make them understand the character.”

 

While Kim’s motive behind the assassination is still subject to debate, Lee and director Woo Min-ho unanimously agreed from the beginning of the film’s production that the plot should be told through a third person perspective, sticking to the facts instead of trying to pinpoint a specific reason why Kim did what he did.

 

“What remains a mystery to this day should still remain a mystery at the end of this film,” Lee said. “I hope that the audience leave their seats still curious about Kim’s motive - why did he do it? Was it planned or a spur-of-the-moment decision? Was it truly done for the greater good or was it personal?”

 

Spoiler

A scene from “The Man Standing Next” shows a meeting in Washington D.C. between Kim Gyu-pyung (played by Lee Byung-hun) and ex-director of the KCIA, Park Yong-gak (played by Kwak Do-won). [SHOWBOX]

Kim’s position as the head of the KCIA during the time not only signified his utmost devotion to President Park, but also symbolized that the president had placed his highest trust in Kim.

 

But Kim’s decades-long loyalty begins to waver as his beloved leader seems to neglect his advice, instead favoring the company of the president’s chief bodyguard, Kwak Sang-chun (played by Lee Hee-jun).

 

In the movie, Kim attempts to hide his anxiety, and his uneasiness is only shown through minute changes in his facial expressions or subtle movements.

 

“My character wasn’t one to express how he felt,” Lee said. “And considering the film’s personality, and especially its genre being a noir, it sets the movie in a dark mood, without that much dialogue. Such films like ‘A Bittersweet Life’ (2005) [that I featured in] tend to zoom tightly into my face [so that the audience is able to decipher my emotions easily].

 

“In extreme instances of close-ups, my face completely fills up the big screen and if I act the way I used to, people might be overwhelmed. So in such cases, I believe that if the actor just feels what they need to feel inside [instead of showing it], then that is enough to convey their emotions to the audience.”

 

Despite the fact that the story is centered upon a specific political event, Lee thought that the film could earn empathy from the public, especially those facing the monotony of having to get up from bed every day to go to work.

 

“I think all workers can sympathize with the film,” Lee explained. “Even though the movie covers a dramatic and specific event, at the end of the day, it’s very private, as if the characters are playing mind games against one another. It’s about their delicate feelings and conflicts - loyalty, jealousy, betrayal and envy - things that any worker would be able to comprehend. I think that’s the real takeaway of this film that the audience would find entertaining.”

 

As much as the film was careful not to deviate from the actual history, Lee was extra careful to stick to his scripts as well.

 

“For instance, in ‘The Fortress’ (2017) and ‘Masquerade’ (2017), the characters [I played] were from a long time ago, and thus the data on them was lacking. So actors and directors had some room left [to add their own thoughts and creativity],” Lee said. “But contemporary figures leave very little room for that. So I tried to bar any personal thoughts and feelings [when I acted] and worked within the script as much as possible.”

 

But Lee did add a noticeable detail to the character - whenever Kim is feeling nervous or agitated, he irritably smooths out his hair to maintain its perfect shape.

 

The actor was inspired to add the detail when he saw an actual video clip of the trial of Kim Jae-gyu.

 

“Maybe it might not have been his usual habit, but [at the trial] he had already spent some time in prison and his hair was growing out. Since there wasn’t any product, his hair naturally fell on his forehead and I saw him flipping his hair over in a very skittish and edgy way. After watching that clip, I thought I could apply this to my role.”

 

At the end of the interview, Lee also expressed his excitement for the approaching Oscars.

 

“The amount of spotlight ‘Parasite’ is receiving and its achievements will be very critical to the future of Korean cinema,” Lee said.

 

“This is the 101st year of the birth of local film, and if [‘Parasite’] can be the first to shine through at this important event, I believe that things may be very different for Korean cinema from that moment on. [Receiving an Oscar] might give the local film industry the boost it needs.”

 

Throwback: TMSN filming pics posted by Lee Byung Hun

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

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   C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! 

 Day 11:  2020.02.01 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 1 Korean Box Office with 4.08 Million Audience Admission

Source: KoBiz 

 

 

Source: Showbox 

 

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February 1, 2020

 

Hancinema Film's Review: THE MAN STANDING NEXT

 

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis on HanCinema.net
 

 

The days of the Third Republic and particularly Park Chung-hee's reign in the 70s, including the implementation of the Yushin Constitution and his assassination by his close friend and director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-gyoo, is among the darkest in modern Korean history. Based on the homonymous novel by Kim Choong-sik that narrates the final days of both Park and Kim, Woo Min-ho directs a spy film that has already topped the box office since its release on January 22.

 

The story deals with the events that led to the assassination of President Park and Cha Ji-chul (Kwak Sang-cheon in the film), chief of the Presidential Security Services, 40 days before the actual deed, focusing on Kim Jae-gyoo (Kim Kyoo-pyeong in the film). Being a friend of President Park and one of the key members of the coup that brought him into power, Kim is loyal and always willing to do his President's bid, even if his orders border on the illogical. However, after meeting the previous head of the KCIA, Park Yong-gak, in the US, where he has defected, Kim learns of the existence of another secret service, whose men report directly to President Park, even unbeknownst to him, and his mentality starts changing. At the same time, the constant antagonism between him and Kwak Sang-cheon, a war-thirsty simpleton with too much power on his hands, is putting even more strain on Kim, particularly because President Park seems to encourage this "competition" between the two men. As Kwak's's cries to declare martial law are getting louder and more appealing to Park as the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests were in full bloom, Kim finds himself alienated and in a very difficult position of choosing between the wellbeing of his country or his close friend and comrade.

 

As mentioned in the intro text of the film, Woo Min-ho took a number of creative liberties, which are justified, to a point at least, since Kim Jae-gyoo's reasons for the assassination were never fully revealed. Apart from the depiction of the real events, which seems to suffer a bit from the Hollywood, impression-focused tactics, the film as a cinematic work is exceptional. Woo creates a web of treacheries, lies, paranoia, and stupidity that seems to capture the general circumstances of the era quite intriguingly, and placing Kim in the middle, thus explaining his growing discomfort that eventually led to despair and the aforementioned deeds.

 

This aspect owes much to Lee Byung-hun's exceptional acting, whose struggle to retain both a composure of and his actual logic and dignity, and failing, are a treat to watch. Although in laconic fashion, this struggle is palpable, while the few scenes where he cannot keep his calm are excellently portrayed and well placed.

 

At the same time, and through the constant changes on the upper hand regarding the favor of President Park between Kim and Kwak, Woo Min-ho retains a psychological agony that matches the ones deriving from the actual events, thus overcoming the reef of the lack of mystery regarding who the traitor is. The fact that everyone's phones seem to be bugged, a tactic that allows the script to move on in a number of situations that would be difficult to portray otherwise, may seems excessive at times, but since the story takes place during the Cold War Period, could be the truth as well.

 

This constant and permeating atmosphere of agony benefits the most from the events that unfold in torrenting fashion, with the rather fast pace implemented by frequent cuts working quite well for the narrative. The cinematography again follows Hollywood "rules", being quite polished and stylistic, but once more, I felt that it suits the general "spy  game" aesthetics quite nicely.

 

Lee Sung-min as President Park is quite good in presenting his growing paranoia, while Lee Hee-joon highlights all the characteristics of Kwak Sang-cheon with gusto. Kwak Do-won is also good as Park Yong-gak, although his character suffers a bit from the lack of screen time.

 

"The Man Standing Next" is an exceptional mainstream film that uses the true-story setting to present a captivating spy thriller whose atmosphere, acting and direction will satisfy all viewers looking for entertainment along with elements of historical context.

 

Panos Kotzathanasis is a film critic and reviewer specialising in East Asian Cinema. He is the founder of Asian Film Vault, administrator of Asian Movie Pulse and also writes for Taste of Cinema, Eastern Kicks, China Policy Institute and Filmboy.

 

Source: SEOULHYPE @seoulhypenet

 

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 Day 12:  2020.02.02 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 1 Korean Box Office with 4.25 Million Audience Admission 

 

Source: KoBiz 

 

February 2, 2020

 

“The Man Standing Next” Cast Shares Handwritten Messages Of Gratitude For Surpassing 4 Million Moviegoers

 

Source: Soompi by J. Lim

 

Lee Byung Hun’s new movie “The Man Standing Next” continues to excel as it surpassed four million moviegoers.

 

On February 1, the film reached the four million moviegoers milestone on the 11th day since its release. This record is one day faster than other films that deal with modern historical events such as “1987,” which ended up recording 7.23 million moviegoers during its run, as well as “The Spy Gone North,” which brought in 4.97 million moviegoers.

 

 

Along with the news, the main cast of “The Man Standing Next” shared handwritten messages expressing their gratitude. Director Woo Min Ho said, “Thank you for the nationwide support,” while Lee Byung Hun said, “Thank you for four million.” Lee Sung Min used a line from the film and wrote, “‘The Man Standing Next,’ four million, thank you, friends.” Kwak Do Won wrote, “Four million! I hope everyone stays healthy this year,” and Lee Hee Joon said, “Four million. Thank you. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

“The Man Standing Next” tells the story of Kim Kyu Pyeong (Lee Byung Hun), the Director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) in the 40-day period leading up to President Park Chung Hee’s assassination in 1979.

 

Congratulations to “The Man Standing Next”!

 

Source (1)

 

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February 2, 2020

Korean Box Office for the Weekend 2020.01.31 ~ 2020.02.02

 

Source: HanCinema.net

 

 

Art by kimhanseongim

 

Source: MaxMovie

 

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February 3, 2020

 

Graphics ONE SHOT

January Box Office Winner: The Power of True Background Film 'Chiefs of Namsan'

 

Source: JoongAng Ilbo (Google translate)

 

Korean Release Movie Box Office January

 

What is the biggest hit movie in Korea in January 2020? Through the 'Integrated Computing Network' of the Korea Film Council (as of Jan. 30), we checked the top 10 movies released in January.
 
In the first place is 'Chiefs of Namsan (The Man Standing Next)'. The film produced by Director Woo Min-ho of 'Inside Men' (2015) is based on a nonfiction bestseller of the same name, depicted the 40 days before the president's assassination. Acting heavyweights such as Lee Byung-hun, Lee Sung-min, Kwak Do-won and Lee Hee-jun were already worth seeing. In January, it attracted 3.62 million viewers and is expected to surpass 4 million. It is the best box office record of the New Year holidays. 
 
The second place is 'Ashfall (Baekdusan)', which was released in December last year and has continued to record a record of surpassing 8 million cumulative audiences. Third place is the comic action movie 'Hitman' starring Kwon Sang-woo. while the foreign adventure feature 'Dr. Dolittle', starring Robert Downey Jr., ranked fourth.

 

Source: yu.jin.h (disclaimer: Google-translate)

 

CHIEFS OF NAMSAN
2020.01.29 CGV Hongdae
3.5 points / 5 points

I can only remember that Lee's acting was so intense.
Presidential assassination in 1979

I think this is not a political film, but a story of people in 1979
I couldn't let go of tension all the time
I have to applaud the actors for their acting skills, and the music also contributed to the real tension.

 

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It looks like things are really slowing down due to concerns on the ongoing health situation, affecting TMSN and especially the upcoming new movies to be released this month.  While everything is uncertain for now, hopefully THE MAN STANDING NEXT will be able to reach its break-even point of 5 million sooner or later.

 

The current admission have clearly fallen down more than twice the numbers last week, less than 100K overall for the top two spots and even less than 10K for each of the rest in the top ten. TMSN, keep standing, ok!

 

 Day 13:  2020.02.03 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 1 Korean Box Office with 4.30 Million Audience Admission 

 

Source: KoBiz 

 

February 4, 2020

 

Coronavirus outbreak hits entertainment industry: K-pop events and musicals are canceled, while movie theaters shut their doors

 

BY LEE JAE-LIM INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

CGV’s Sungshin Women’s University branch temporarily closed down from Thursday to Sunday after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Patient No. 5 had been to the cinema on Jan. 25. After disinfecting the area and receiving approval from the health agency, the branch reopened on Monday. [YONHAP]

Concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak are taking over local cultural events as cinemas, K-pop groups and concert organizers are announcing cancellations of showings or events as they take extra precautions against the ongoing health emergency.

 

Two branches of Korea’s largest cinema chain, CGV, temporarily halted operations for disinfection when news broke that Patients No. 5 and 12 had been to the Sungshin Women’s University branch in central Seoul and Bucheon branch in Gyeonggi, respectively on Jan. 25 and Jan. 20.

 

The Sungshin Women’s University branch halted operations beginning late Thursday evening and reopened on Monday after taking preventive measures against the disease and getting official approval from the Korea Centers Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The Bucheon branch received confirmation that Patient No. 12 had visited its theaters on Saturday and immediately evacuated the entire complex.

 

“We will make a decision of whether or not the branch will reopen after we follow all the necessary precautions from the KCDC,” a CGV spokesman said.
 

Spoiler

 

In the K-pop industry, local idol groups’ agencies announced cancellations of fan meet events and showcases that were scheduled to be hosted in the upcoming weeks.

 

Boy band Pentagon’s special fan showcase for its first full-length album “Universe: The Black Hall” on Feb. 12 has been canceled, its agency Cube Entertainment announced on Friday.

 

“We had an emergency meeting in the morning and decided to cancel the event,” said the agency. “We’ll livestream the showcase through Naver’s V Live.”

 

Sibling duo AKMU’s upcoming concert in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, this weekend was canceled on Monday by their agency YG Entertainment.

 

Major broadcasting stations have taken precautions for their music shows. All three major music programs, “Music Bank” on KBS2, “Show! Music Core” on MBC and “Inkigayo” on SBS decided to record this week’s shows without having fans in the auditorium.

 

Big Hit Entertainment has also canceled their “Big Hit Corporate Briefing with the Community” event, which was originally scheduled to be held today. The briefing was for press, fans and partner companies to share their achievements and updates about the company. Instead, it has been changed to a private event, and the company said it will upload a recording of the event on its official YouTube channel on Wednesday.

 

The musical “We Will Rock You” announced that it will go on a hiatus until Feb. 20. The musical is being staged at the Royal Theater in southern Seoul.

 

Another military musical, “Return: The Promise of the Day,” which features Onew from boy band SHINee, Xiumin from Exo and N from Vixx canceled performances in Goyang and Ansan, Gyeonggi, that were scheduled to be held from Feb. 7 to 9 and 21 to 23, respectively.

 

K-pop groups are also taking a rain check on scheduled fan meets that were set to be held overseas. Girl group Momoland postponed its upcoming fan meet in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, on March 19 and 21, according to its agency MLD Entertainment.

 

Boy band Winner also decided to cancel their Singapore concert scheduled for this Saturday.

 

K-pop artists with plans to visit China have postponed their events indefinitely.

Sechskies, which made a big return last week with its latest EP “All For You,” was planning to meet with its Chinese fans in the latter half of this month, but the event has since been called off.

 

Lisa, a member of the popular girl group Blackpink, was set to appear on a recorded episode of the Chinese audition program “Idol Producer“ as a dance mentor on Saturday, but her participation was put on indefinite hold by the show’s producers, her agency YG Entertainment said.

 

Performers from overseas that were planning to visit Korea for concerts have also put a hold on their plans. The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced that it is cancelling its Asia tour due to the virus. Its Asia tour was set to kick off in Seoul on Thursday, moving on to Taipei in Taiwan, then to Shanghai and Hong Kong throughout the month of February.

 

Although doors are still open at many public museums and galleries around Seoul, they are also taking cautious measures.

 

The Nam Seoul Annex Building of Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) has temporarily halted all of its events this month, and all of the SeMA locations have stopped its docent programs.

 

Hello Museum in eastern Seoul will only be open three days a week - Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday - this month. The children-centered museum is a popular spot for families that has more than 200 visitors a day.

 

On the days that the museum is open, it will receive visitors based only on reservations. Museum officials said that the museum will disinfect the facility two times a week for the safety of the children who visit.

 

 

Daejong Awards postponed due to coronavirus

SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- This year's Daejong Film Awards, one of the prominent film events in South Korea, has been postponed amid fears of the spread of the new coronavirus, organizers said Tuesday.

 

"We've decided to tentatively put off the awards ceremony as there are growing concerns over the safety of audiences and artists due to the widely spreading coronavirus," said the organizing committee of the 56th Daejong Film Awards.

 

The annual event was to be held Feb. 25 at the Peace Hall of Kyunghee University in Seoul.

 

South Korea, which has 15 confirmed cases of the virus as of Tuesday morning, has been beefing up quarantine efforts to prevent the further spread of the contagious virus

 

A number of cultural events and performances have been postponed, while hundreds of kindergartens and schools have delayed reopening after winter vacation.

 

Spoiler

The poster of the 56th Daejong Film Awards provided by the event's organizing committee (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

brk@yna.co.kr

 

 

February 3, 2020

 

Virus Fears Dampen Korea Box Office, Halt Movie Promotions
 

By SONIA KIL Variety.com
 

CREDIT: COURTESY OF SHOWBOX

Fear of the spread of the coronavirus that is sweeping China has begun to contaminate the film industry in South Korea.

 

Box office between Friday and Sunday dropped by 70% compared to last week’s 4-day holiday weekend and by 30% compared with the weekend before that. Though the virus may only be partly responsible.

 

“We suppose that it is partly due to the coronavirus threat, while at this point it is more because few new films were released last week,” a Megabox spokesperson told Variety. South Korea has 15 recorded cases of coronavirus and no fatalities.

 

Leading exhibitor, CGV has temporarily closed a few complexes that were visited by two people known to have been infected by the virus. CineQ has also shut down a branch.

 

Several press and promotion events have been postponed or cancelled, as people increasingly fear going out in public places. A press gathering for Netflix’s Korean original series “My Holo Love” was cancelled and replaced by a live online conference. “Time to Hunt,” which will premiere at this month’s Berlin film festival, called off a showcase event. Lotte Cultureworks indefinitely postponed a Q&A event for “Spirit of Jeet Keun Do.” Animated children’s film “The Stolen Princess” has put back its release date.

At what was left of the box office, “The Man Standing Next” remained on top of the chart in its second weekend. The Showbox release earned $3.73 million from 508,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday for a total of $31 million from 4.25 million admissions. The political drama accounted for 47% of the total weekend box office.

Lotte’s “Hitman: Agent Jun” remained in its second place. The comedy action film earned $2.48 million for a total of $15.4 million after two weekends on release.

 

Disney’s “Spies in Disguise” earned $365,000, for a two-weekend total of $2.94 million. Megabox’s “Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP” earned $308,000 over the same period for a total of $4.14 million after two weekends. The only newcomer of the week, re-released American mystery drama “Inception” opened on Wednesday (Jan. 29) and landed in fifth place. It earned $337,000 over five days.

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February 4, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT feat. Blue House New Year Pictorial: Special Images Released

 

Source: Sports Donga ++

 

 

Source: Showbox

 

 

 Belated updates from KOFIC

 

January 29, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT Edges Out HITMAN in Busy Lunar New Year Weekend
MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP Trails in 3rd
 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

 

 

Business shot up 150% as the Lunar New Year celebrations got underway, with 3.72 million admissions counted over the three-day weekend, with business spilling over into Monday, which is also a holiday. With three major local releases launched for the festivities, the domestic industry accounted for a roaring 91% of all sales.

 

WOO Min-ho’s political drama The Man Standing Next gave LEE Byung-hun his second consecutive major hit, following ASHFALL (2019), as it opened to a stellar 2.01 million entries (USD 15.63 million), with 2.64 million seats (USD 19.77 million) filled over its first five days. With little immediate competition, it should have no trouble notching a few other milestones in the coming days and weeks.

 

Also impressing in its debut was the local action-comedy HITMAN: AGENT JUN, the third film headlined by KWON Sang-woo in as many months, following Love, Again (2019) and The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful (2019). Despite little built-up interest the film has turned into a crowd-pleaser and claimed second place with a robust 929,000 admissions (USD 7.17 million), with 1.15 million sales (USD 8.76 million) recorded since Wednesday. The film is well positioned to add significantly to that total going forward.

 

The only misfire among the new trio was the talking animal crime-comedy MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP with LEE Sung-min (who also stars in The Man Standing Next). The film had a lackluster debut with 289,000 viewers (USD 2.2 million) over the weekend and 394,000 spectators (USD 2.87 million) counted in its first five days.

 

Meanwhile Will SMITH was back in theaters in the animation Spies in Disguise, which opened with a middling 175,000 sales (USD 1.27 million), with 234,000 entries (USD 1.67 million) counted since its midweek debut.

 

Last year’s chart-topper SECRET ZOO, another Lunar New Year hopeful, was unable to build into the holidays as it crashed a hefty 77% in its sophomore frame, with 131,000 new admissions (USD 981,000) counted. The film has now amassed a soft 1.13 million sales (USD 8.09 million) and should be wrapping up its run very swiftly.

 

Meanwhile, the acclaimed French drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire claimed its second weekend win on the limited release chart, which translated into an eighth-place rank on the main chart after dipping just 28%. The film added 16,000 viewers (USD 127,000) to bring its total to an impressive 73,000 entries (USD 532,000) to date, making Korea the film’s third best market so far, behind France and the Netherlands.

 

The biggest release this week is actually a re-release of Christoper NOLAN’s beloved Inception but the top of the chart should once again be controlled by this year’s local Lunar New Year hits.

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Photos: SHOWBOX // @dlqudgjsvksek

 

CHIEFS OF NAMSAN: The Men Standing Next posture & facial expression 

 

 

February 3, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT Repeats During Slow Weekend
Coronavirus Fears Dampen Korean Box Office

 

by Pierce Conran KOFIC

The post-Lunar New Year weekend suffered a far steeper crash than usual this year due to fears over the spread of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus, which has so far infected 15 people in South Korea. Admission were down 70% to 1.11 million and local holdovers largely dominated the charts, accounting for 84% of all sales.

 

Claiming its second weekend win was WOO Min-ho’s Lunar New Year champ The Man Standing Next, even after crashing a hefty 75%. The political drama with LEE Byung-hun secured another 508,000 viewers (USD 3.72 million), bolstering its total to a significant 4.25 million admissions (USD 30.94 million).

 

Easing the least among wide releases was the local action-comedy HITMAN: AGENT JUN with KWON Sang-woo, which was down 64% with 338,000 entries (USD 2.47 million) recorded. The hit has now accrued 2.13 million sales. (USD 15.34 million)

 

Down 70% was the Hollywood animation Spies in Disguise which filled another 53,000 seats (USD 364,000) and has now reached 427,000 admissions (USD 2.93 million).

 

High concept comedy MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP with LEE Sung-min was down a sharp 85% in its second weekend. It added 44,000 sales (USD 307,000) and has to date reached a middling 588,000 spectators (USD 4.14 million).

 

In fifth place was a ten-year anniversary rerelease of Christopher NOLAN’s Inception (2010). The sci-fi action hit added 39,000 viewers (USD 300,000), bolstering its lifetime total to 5.9 million admissions.

 

The brightest spot on the charts was surely the French indie hit Portrait of a Lady on Fire in limited release, which eased just 9% in its third weekend, during which it sold another 16,000 tickets (USD 113,000) in seventh place, pushing its total to 111,000 viewers (USD 775,000).

 

This week will welcome the local horror The Closet with HA Jung-woo and KIM Nam-gil, as well as the DC Comics action title Birds of Prey, although both may be impacted by dwindling theatrical admissions during the global health scare.

 

 

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 Day 14:  2020.02.04 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 1 Korean Box Office with 4.35 Million Audience Admission 

 

Source: KoBiz 

 

February 5, 2020

 

Ticket sales drop due to outbreak

 

By Lee Jae-lim INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

The local box office is hurting thanks to the coronavirus outbreak as people are choosing to stay inside and watch content from over-the-top (OTT) platforms instead of going out to theaters.

 

According to Korean Film Council’s monthly report, only 16.8 million people visited movie theaters in January, the lowest January record since January 2012 when the number was 16.7 million.

 

Despite increased ticket sales due to the Lunar New Year holiday, after more patients were confirmed to have the virus in Korea, box office sales quickly dropped.

 

Last weekend, 824,000 movie tickets were sold, only one-third of the total sales the weekend prior, during the holiday period, when 2.7 million tickets were sold. The previous weekend, Jan. 18 to 19, there were about 1.2 million moviegoers.

 

Meanwhile, people are spending more time streaming from OTT platforms, and many of the most popular films are those about epidemic outbreaks.

 

According to local video streaming service Watcha, the 2011 film “Contagion” has seen a surge in views. The film is about an unknown and strongly contagious virus spreading around the world, eerily similar to the ongoing coronavirus situation.

 

The disaster film first appeared on the Watcha rankings on Jan. 22 in 58th place, but it shot to the fourth place by Jan. 25. It became the No. 1 film on Jan. 28 and had held on to the spot ever since.

 

The film also hit the top spot on local video streaming service Wavve last week, shooting past recent films such as “Start-Up” and “Forbidden Dream,” which currently take second and third place, respectively.

 

Review by myhugday (disclaimer: Google-translate)

 

Long review in Korean

I  felt that it was more like a psychological thriller film dealing with the psychological conflict and anxiety of a person than a movie for the purpose of political accusation faithful to reality.

So the interesting point of watching this movie is the delicate acting of actors who embody the psychology of the characters.

Kim Gyu-pyeong's inner side, which is always trying to sway his emotions by sweeping his head, is in fact very complicated, turbulent, whirlwinded with anger and anxiety.

I felt the excitement of seeing the acting of actor Lee Byung-hun, who conveys the subtle changes that such emotions went in and out to the audience with only expressions or gestures without a verbose dialogue.
It's exciting to watch the amazing smoke.

Lee Sung-min's acting, which perfectly expresses the old dictator who seems to lose his gun, is also creepy, and the acting that perfectly expresses the psychological changes and conflicts of the characters of Lee Hee-jun, Kwak Do-won and Kim So-jin is exciting. 

It is both the point of attraction and the limit of the film. Still, I want to say that it is an attractive point of view rather than a limit. And despite the heavy development, he does not lose his sense of humor in the middle.

 

Kim Kyu-pyeong's appearance was impressive.

Likewise, the last appearance of Park Yong-gak, who looked down on the bare foot of the shoe, came to admire the direction that depicted the situation of two people in parallel theory. Could it be your feet? "I'm near the owner. Do what you want to do."

 

History is fun. Momentary choices change history. Our current choices will also be important later in life.

Therefore, we have to make every choice carefully now, and in order to do so, we must learn and worry through the past history.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT to be shown in Indonesia, 2020.02.26

 

Source: Cenayang Film

 

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February 5, 2020

 

Lee Hee-jun makes his biggest transformation yet: For his role in ‘The Man Standing Next,’ the actor gained 25kg

 

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

At press conferences, actors often say that they “hope to show a new side” of themselves that the public hasn’t seen before. But for actor Lee Hee-jun, audiences will truly see him as they never have before in the film “The Man Standing Next.”

 

To portray his character Kwak Sang-chun, Lee went through radical transition both physically and mentally, including gaining 25 kilograms (55 pounds) in three months.

 

“There was absolutely no pressure from director Woo Min-ho asking me to gain weight,” said the actor at an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. “But when I read the script, I naturally felt that Kwak should have this weight. Later on, after I fattened up, Woo told me that he already knew that I would make this decision when he gave me the script. (laughs)”

 

“I felt like I was wearing a well-crafted body mask,” Lee added. “I began to enjoy the difference on the set, but still, I felt somewhat betrayed when I saw how Thor gained weight [in ‘Avengers: Endgame’]. The actor [Chris Hemsworth] will still have a good body because the fat of his character was made from silicon. I thought that Korean actors had to go through a lot more [to play their roles]. [We] don’t have silicon fat. We need to fatten up for real and even risk getting diabetes.”

 

After maintaining the weight for nine months during filming, Lee slimmed down again in three months after his doctor warned him that the extra weight would affect his health.

 

However, Lee said that physical transition was nothing compared to the process of understanding the character.

 

Kwak Sang-chun (played by Lee Hee-jun), left, and Korean Central Intelligence director Kim Gyu-pyung (played by Lee Byung-hun) argue over what is best for President Park in “The Man Standing Next.” [SHOWBOX]

“I was so excited [to have received this script], but after I calmed down, I felt a streak of fear,” the actor said. “He says such terrible things and does things that I did not understand at all. If I met a person like Kwak in real life, I wouldn’t be within a 10 meter (33-foot)-radius of him.”

 

If Lee Byung-hun and rest of the characters had to mask their emotions or conceal their real intentions, Kwak, on the other hand, is a very simple man. As the chief bodyguard of President Park, he steadfastly remains fiercely royal to his leader, ready to sacrifice everything, even his life, for the president. One of Kwak’s lines that shows the extent of his devotion, and also his indifference to cruelty, makes it more chilling when he eagerly suggests to the president to “massacre a million people” to detain democratic uprising against the military government in Busan and Masan in 1979.

 

“It was so horrifying,” Lee said, referring to Kwak’s nonchalant suggestion for a massacre. “Which made it more than difficult to understand Kwak […] What I focused on most [to understand him] was to look beyond the final 40 days. I formulated the character based on research and meticulous reasoning - how he had grown up, met Park during the May 16 military coup, and how Park trusted and took care of Kwak. After going through all of that together, from Kwak’s perspective, Park may not be his biological father, but nevertheless his real father, the only person that trusts and dotes on him like no one else had.”

 

According to the actor, all of Kwak’s lines were straightforward - there would be no hidden intentions, no double contexts to mull over.

 

“But that was also a change for me too, because all the other characters that I played before were so complicated,” Lee said. “I usually played roles that would say one thing, but secretly had another subtext, layer or intention and that’s the kind of charisma that [everyone] found attractive.

 

“Kwak is different. When he tells Kim Gyu-pyung to ‘do well,’ he is simply telling him to improve for the sake of the president’s well-being. At first, it was very strange [to play a simple character], like I was missing something. I wondered if I, like the others, should bring a complex set of emotions to the character. But in the end, leaving that out made the character more real, someone who truly existed in the era [of the Park Chung Hee regime].”

 

In the end, the actor learned to sympathize with his character.

 

“Personally I found Kwak repulsive, but as I continuously tried to feel for him, I thought that maybe he did the best he could from his position and situation,” the actor said. “I tried to lower my barrier and my stereotypes not only about Kwak, but my acting as well. After all, each of the characters we act believes that what they do is the right thing to do.”

 

As Lee tackles one role after another, he says that what attracts him most about being an actor is his growing capacity to understand diverse sides of humanity. In “Haemoo” (2014) Lee is a sailor loyal to his desires, in “1987: When the Day Comes” (2017) a righteous reporter seeking justice at the risk of his life and loved ones, while in “Miss Baek” (2018) he is a responsible police detective.

 

“If I hadn’t done ‘Haemoo,’ I would have never had an opportunity to meet and talk to fishermen and to ask them about their hardships. In ‘1987: When the Day Comes,’ I wondered if I could have written that article if I was a journalist. In ‘Miss Baek,’ I came to understand the detective’s motive to protect this woman.

 

“As I grow older and luckily ended up playing characters with diverse personalities, I feel that little by little, the range of my ability to sympathize is growing wider,” the actor said. “[As I continue to act] I have this anticipation for how far and wide my tenacles can spread to feel empathy [for new characters].”

 

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]

 

ENGSUB: Lee Hee-jun "Aside From Sleeping, I Have Been Eating"

 

Published on December 12, 2019 by TongTongTV 통통컬처

 

 

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Photos: SHOWBOX via Newsen

 

 

 

 

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 Day 15:  2020.02.05 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 3 Korean Box Office with 4.39 Million Audience Admission 

 

Source: KoBiz 

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT is now down to number 3 with the release of new movies this week. Ha Jung Woo's The Closet opened at number 1 on February 5 followed by Birds of Prey. However, the audience admission for the number 1 movie is less than 100K. It can't be helped as the ticket sales are really going down as people are reluctant to be in public - either crowded or confined places, for the time being. We can only hope, things will get better soon.

 

Source: ji_irresistible_l (disclaimer: Google-translate)

 

Review: Irony of space and choice

 

1. Space has great significance in this film both physically and psychologically. All important decisions are made by certain characters in confined spaces, and so is drinking. A man who wasn't next to him eventually eavesdropped out of space.

 

The division of space in the video and camera walking also express the psychological space of each character well, especially the most famous ambassador-"I'm next to the officer", "I'll keep you by your side"-It's also spatial.

 

2. Usually, a series of choices, rather than words from your mouth, reveal your own values. It's a company slogan for another employee to inspect employees. President Park repeatedly says, "Do what you want to do."

 

Just as entrepreneurs and con artists are called cars, revolutions and coups are cars. No matter how troublesome you say, the future will tell you everything. In that sense, the word revolution from the opportunist's mouth is ironic.

 

3. After all, the sovereignty of Korea in the 20th century who moved tanks, not people. Fortunately, the film shows that an insider's choice could stop the two million sacrifices that could have been our mother and father.

 

If he went to Namsan instead of a copy at the moment of choice, wouldn't he have conceived another coup d'état of history? Could our democracy be faster and healthier?

 

The CHIEFS OF NAMSAN: Facing their future?

 

Source: CINE21

 

FEATURE ㅣ CHIEFS OF NAMSAN
A film based on a true story inevitably suffers from controversy.

 

This is not an answer but another question. The two articles suggest the possibility of adventure, in which way it is better to explore the text, instead of giving a judgment on whether or not to see THE MAN STANDING NEXT.

 

You can find more information in #Cine 21_1241

 

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February 3, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT New Stills 

 

Source: HanCinema.net

 

 

 

 

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THE MAN STANDING NEXT Artwork by beautyyung83 // seoul__b // movie_share_

 

 

Review by movie_share_ (disclaimer: Google-translate)

 

"Even without expression, actor Lee Byung-hun showed a good acting enough to feel the emotion in it"
.
Director Woo Min-ho, who directed the Insiders, would never miss the most important event in the history of the Korean Peninsula.

"The Republic of Korea in October 1979”
.
The film focuses on the characters showing such emotional moments rather than stories.
In other words, instead of focusing on the story of the right and wrong valuations that are centered on the story, or the historical facts we didn't know, we are focusing on the emotion that Kim Kyu-pyeong killed the president. .
It would be nice to say that the film does not show the process of solving a problem, but rather the process of an event. .
Among the characters played by Lee Byung-hun, the story unfolds around the character Kim Gyu-pyeong, and the other characters appearing to play a role in changing the emotions of Kim Gyu-pyeong or giving new ideas.
Keeping his dignity in line with his position as the chief information officer, he conveys the anger and various emotions that simmer in him to his audience through subtle movements and facial expressions.
Rather than evaluating history, the film focuses on what the people thought at the time, so anyone might think so. .
And it will be up to each audience who sees the movie to evaluate the right and wrong about the person's actions.

 

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 Day 16:  2020.02.06 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 3 Korean Box Office with 4.4 Million Audience Admission Source: KoBiz 

 

According this article at Extreme Movie, the actual break-even point for THE MAN STANDING NEXT (CHIEFS OF NAMSAN) is 4.3 million and not 5 million as earlier stated. If this is indeed the case, Congratulations are in order for achieving the important mark. It's just too bad that the screening of movies have been directly affected due to the current situation. The audience admission have gone down tremendously, we can only wait and see what will happen next. Hopefully, TMSN will slowly gain 4.5 million admission this weekend which is usually the time cinemas will be packed with moviegoers. But apparently, it's even harder get a quarter full screening now. Some theaters are simply empty. 

 

Source: _bookcat (disclaimer: Google-translate)

 

The tension was immersed and the interest became more tight and I could feel every single character's acting lines.

 

If the CHIEFS OF NAMSAN exceeded 5 million admission, please keep their promise to reappear on Cultwo Radio Show

 

Art by hoonie0405

 

What do you want me to do..

 

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Source: KoBiz 

 

 Day 17:  2020.02.07 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 3 Korean Box Office with 4.45 Million Audience Admission 

 

Source: Showbox

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT
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