Hwang Jung-Min 황정민 [Upcoming Movies: “12.12: The Day”, “Mission Cross”, “Veteran 2”, “Hope”]

[shirley]

I just saw HJM sing on YDH's Loveletter this past week, I gotta say, his voice sounds good. He can not only act, but sing...

he used to do musical too i thought ^^hwang jung min is probably one of those very specially talented actor . he can be involved in so many movie projects in one year ... but yet deliver powerful and memorable performance in each and every one of them. i thought that is the amazingly part of him [lol sometimes i wonder if he has the magic hand to pick script ] .and his ability to choose his projects which showcase such versality of him as an actor ..

trailer for Black House [ the writer Yusuke Kishi has high praises for HWang Jung Min performance ]

mms://stream.cineseoul.com/hepk/hepk039074.wmv

---------------

His First Leading Role

JUNE 21, 2007 03:01

Hwang Jeong-min, famous movie star, said, “I look like a person from the countryside. I can’t change it because was born this way. I am the last person to be perfect. I am not good at doing household chores. I am not a good father. I feel uneasy when I go to a district office for documents. But I think it is better to live as an imperfect but approachable person than to live as a snobbish celebrity.”

What is it like to wait for the release of your movie after shooting it?

“I always want to think, ‘I did my best. I am not anxious,’ but I actually do the opposite. But I end up feeling edgy, worrying about the response of moviegoers. And since ‘psychopath’ is my first horror movie, I am even more anxious,” Hwang replied.

All of a sudden, I remember what you said when you received a movie award: “I feel like I am a freeloader.” Do you feel the same this time?

Yes, I feel the same as always. If any staff members do not pull their weight, a movie can’t be produced. I am very happy whenever I have a part in any given movie because I realize the reason for my existence. An actor is an actor only when he or she is on the stage or before the camera.”

A few years back, he happened to read “Kuroi Ie,” on which “Black House” is based, by Yusuke Kishi. Last year, he was offered to star in the movie as protagonist Jun Joon-oh, an employee working for an insurer. He said, “It was like destiny.”

Hwang said, “This is the first time that I am the only protagonist in the movie. If I had not liked being the only central character, I would have refused to do the movie. But I really want the audience to accept Jun Joon-oh as an ordinary person. While I was working on the movie, I met an insurance industry insider who said that there was a wife who received insurance money by putting toxic chemicals in her husband’s eyes. Isn’t it surprising that these kinds of things happen?”

Are you saying that the message of the movies is “Let’s understand psychopaths?”

“I was wondering why ‘Kuroi Ie’ was written and why ‘Black House’ was produced in 2007? Let’s take a look at Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-hee. He was a member of the community he lived in. Anyone can fall victim to shooters like him. So we should prevent people from becoming psychopaths like Cho.”

Do you have a cruel side?

“Of course, I do. I get angry when I am told to order the same kind of the food the rest of our group prefers. And if servers in restaurants are not kind and friendly, I can only calm myself down by expressing my anger to them. Some people I get angry with are bigger than me, but what can they do to me worse than killing?”

He has had a series of hits, such as "You`re My Sunshine’; ‘All for love’; and ‘Bloody Tie,’ but he is worried about the success of ‘Black House,’ given the fact that for seven weeks in a row, Hollywood movies, including ‘Spiderman 3,’ have been beating home-grown ones. He said, “Korean movies are on a losing streak not because they are domestic movies but because they are not fun. If we work hard, we can fight back.”

“I am turning 40 soon. When I was in high school I thought I can be one of the top performers. Now, I think I have to move it to 50. What I learned so far is that in acting there is no such thing as a shortcut. Only when I do my best and am honest do I can strike a chord with the audience.”

http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?...d=2007062121708

[rubie]

^ That's an indeed great read on actor Hwang Jung Min, this man is truly going places! Slow & steady, he builts up.. in special and unique acting presence.

[rubie]

황정민, "항상 '와이키키 브라더스'를 생각한다" [MD인터뷰]

2007-06-16 12:26:46

[마이데일리 = 강은진 기자]

최근 영화계에서 황정민만큼 신뢰받는 배우도 드물다. 2005년 순애보 사랑으로 관객의 눈시울을 적시며 관객의 눈길을 사로잡은 황정민은 이 후 '내 생애 가장 아름다운 일주일' '사생결단' 그리고 오는 21일 개봉을 앞둔 '검은집'에 이르기까지 다양한 장르와 캐릭터를 넘나들며 배우로의 전성기를 구가하고 있다.

황정민에 대한 신뢰감은 비단 연기력만이 아니다. 일명 '밥상소감'으로 유명한 황정민의 수상소감에서 드러난 겸손한 성품도 그가 관객에게 사랑받는 이유다.

네티즌의 악플이 한창 도마 위에 올려지기도 하지만 과한 칭찬 또한 독이 되기도 한다. '연기 잘 한다', '인간성 좋다'는 계속된 칭찬 속에 마음이 해이해지고 변하는 것 또한 어쩔 수 없는 일.

하지만 최근 서울 삼청동의 한 카페에서 만난 황정민은 이것이 기우라는 것을 알게해준다. 황정민은 "늘 스스로를 채찍질한다. '처음만 같아라. 내가 처음 영화 '와이키키 브라더스'를 찍을 때 어떤 마음으로, 어떤 생각으로 촬영했지'를 묻는다. 항상 기본을 생각하면서 한다"고 먼저 말을 꺼냈다.

극단생활을 거쳐 영화 '와이키키 브라더스' '로드무비' '바람난 가족' '여자, 정혜' '달콤한 인생' 등에 출연하며 연기력으로 인정받은 황정민. 영화 '너는 내 운명'의 히트로 혜성같이 사람들의 눈에 띄긴 했지만 준비된 사람에게 기회가 있다는 말처럼 '너는 내 운명'은 한결같이 연기인생을 걸어온 그에게 하나의 계기를 줬을 뿐이다.

배우 황정민을 표현할 수 있는 단어는 '뚝심'. 황정민은 "연극배우로 활동할 때, 관객이 한 명도 없어서 무대에 서지 못하기도 했고 관객이 너무 많아서 돌려보내기도 했다. 일희일비하지 않고, 묵묵히 내가 하고 싶어하는 연기를 할 뿐이다"고 담담히 말한다.

"오직 좋은 작품에만 출연한다"는 황정민의 철학 또한 그에 대한 신뢰감을 높인다. 황정민이 말하는 '좋은 작품'이란 작품성을 의미하는 것이 아닌 진심으로 연기를 할 수 있는 공간을 뜻한다. 황정민은 "시나리오를 많이 본다. 특별히 꼽는 것도 없고 가리지도 않는다. 또 캐릭터를 중시 여기지도 아니다. 이야기 안에 캐릭터가 있고, 캐릭터는 이야기의 흐름을 타야 살아있게 된다"고 말한다.

영화 '검은집'은 경찰이 자살로 확인하고 포기한 사망 사건을 조사하는 보험 사정인 황정민이 겪는 충격적 사건을 그린 영화다. 처음으로 스릴러에 도전한 황정민은 "영화의 처음과 끝에서, 달라진 내 모습을 관객이 눈치챘으면 좋겠다"고 바람을 밝혔다.

황정민은 '최근 가장 기쁜 일이 무엇이냐'는 질문에 영화 '너는 내 운명'에서 호흡을 맞춘 전도연이 칸영화제에서 여우주연상을 수상한 것을 꼽았다. 황정민은 "개인적으로 친한 배우인 전도연이 상을 받은 것도 기쁘지만, 한국영화로 세계에서 인정받은 사실이 기쁘다. 나도 한국영화로 세계에서 인정받을 기회가 있으면 좋겠다"고 욕심을 내비췄다.

또 황정민은 "배우는 연기를 할 때에만 배우다. 꾸준한 작품활동을 통해 계속해서 배우로 남고 싶다"고 덧붙였다.

[사진=유진형 기자 zolong@mydaily.co.kr]

강은진 기자 ing@mydaily.co.kr

기사 제보 및 보도자료 press@mydaily.co.kr

- NO1.뉴미디어 실시간 뉴스 마이데일리(www.mydaily.co.kr) 저작권자 ⓒ 마이데일리. 무단전재&재배포 금지 -

Source: http://www.mydaily.co.kr/news/read.html?ne...706151027121125

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June 21, 2007

'Black' Is Gore With Suspense

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

A scene from "The Black House"

Rusty, run down and remote except for the sporadic purr of a passing train, "The Black House" is no haunted mansion but a sinister place "where lies the darkest secret" of a psychopath __ a monster devoid of any human feeling or conscience.

Featuring a dungeon with nooses hanging from the ceiling and tainted tubs oozing with blood and dismantled limbs, and a psychopath nearing the next victim with a butcher's knife while humming an eerie song, "Black" offers chills and gore.

As the thriller fathoms the depths of man's "fascination for abomination," the bloodbath dilutes some of the suspense factor. But the film is deeply disturbing as it unravels from the eyes of an equally disquieting protagonist (Hwang Jung-min, "You Are My Sunshine," 2005).

On his first day of work at a life insurance company, consultant Jun-oh (Hwang) answers a phone call from a woman asking about compensation for suicide. Only after hanging up does he see the employee handbook warning against revealing personal information and expressing sympathy to such inquirers.

A few days later, Jun-oh is led to a decrepit house sitting on the outskirts of a sleepy neighborhood, where he finds a dead seven-year-old, hanging by the neck. But even more disconcerting is the darting glance of the boy's stepfather, Park (Kang Shin-il).

Though all evidence points to suicide, Jun-oh is convinced otherwise and postpones the insurance payment. Park stops at nothing to recover his money. Discovering that Park's wife, Shin (Yu Sun), is covered by a 300 million won plan, Jun-oh tries to warn her before another murder ensues.

As Jun-oh ventures on a harrowing journey to unlock the truth of "the black house," he must protect not only his life but that of his lover.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Yusuke Kishi, "Black" received much attention from international buyers at Cannes in May for its strong script and acting. A Japanese version of the film was made in 1999, and Dimension Films of the United States also plans to film the story.

Popular horror novelist Yusuke Kishi wrote the creepy tale based on his own experience at an insurance company. The writer is said to have expressed great surprise at Hwang's portrayal of Jun-oh, because the actor brought to life the precise image the author had in mind.

Hwang's role as the unlikely life insurance consultant is probably the most amiable one after Mr. Incredible from Walt Disney's "The Incredibles" (2004). But his abnormal degree of sympathy is troubling.

Haunted by the skeletons in his own closet, Jun-oh goes out of his way to help others, endangering not only himself but his loved ones. As he battles the stoic psychopath, he desperately tries to locate a trace of humanity in the monstrous being.

In portraying the truth about psychopaths, the film touches upon some childhood traumatic incidents but gives a one-dimensional generalization. While "Black" tries to strike your nerves by suggesting that there could be a psychopath living next door, it's not so arresting.

The film's suspense factor is slightly drained as it relies more on gore to keep viewers aghast. Like master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock famously said, "there is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it."

Yet, Hwang's impressive performance manages to shine through the heavy blood shower.

This is the third Korea-Japan joint venture following the Cannes award-winning "Old Boy" (2003) by Park Chan-wook and Asian box-office hit "200 Pounds Beauty" (2006) starring Kim A-jung, both inspired by Japanese comic books and brought to screen by Korean filmmakers and actors.

Source: hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2...6/141_5167.html

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Black House - press preview clips

http://vod.innolife.net/2007/06/070624.wmv

http://vod.innolife.net/2007/06/070612.wmv

Source: innolife.net

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Black House (Korea)

Released June 21

Thriller. Directed by Shin Tae-ra. Insurance company employee Jeon Joon-oh (Hwang Jeong-min) witnesses his customer's 7-year-old son dead hanging from the ceiling. Although the father strongly insists that his son actually hanged himself, Jeon, suspicious about the boy's death, refuses to give the boy's life insurance money to him. Park (Kang Shing-il) constantly insists that death benefits be paid, threatening and blackmailing Jeon and his insurance company. At the boy's funeral, Jeon sees the mother of the dead child Shin (Yoo Sun) with scars suggested an attempted suicide on her wrist. Jeon's suspicion about Park and his family keeps growing. (103 min.)

Source: The Korea Herald

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A movie thread for HJM's latest horror flick, come share your thoughts there or here :blush:

Black House 검은집 - Hwang Jung Min, Yu Sun, Kang Sin Il, Kim Seo Hyung

http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=143937

This will be the second translation into film for japanese novelist Yusuke Kishi's Kuroi Ie aka The Black House. The first was in 1999 directed by Yoshimitsu Morita, and stared Masaaki Uchino, Shinobu Ootake, and Masahiko Nishimura.

Now in 2007, Korean director Shin Tae-ra who brought us the low budget Brainwave last summer is bring his version to the big screen. Hwang Jung-min, Kang Sin-il, and Kim Seo-hyung make up the cast for this version of Yusuke Kishi's novel.

The Black House already has a few things going for it before its official release this June 21. During Cannes, it attracted a lot of attention from international buyers based on the plot and Hwang Jung-min's strong performance.

Kadokawa Pictures, who plan to release the film later this year in Japan, gave the film thumbs up during their preview of the film. It looks like The Black House could become a big hit for Shin Tae-ra in not only Korea, but also in Japan.

Gratitude & further info at KungFuCultCinema.com

http://www.kfccinema.com/index.php?subacti...48&archive=

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After nationwide release on June 21

Korea Weekend Box Office - June 22-24

Yet another week where the top film in Seoul and the top film in the rest of the country differed. BLACK HOUSE was the top film nationwide, according to the official KOBIS report.

And yet again, OCEAN'S 13 was the top film, even though there were four movies (BLACK HOUSE, SHREK 3, PIRATES 3 and HWANG JIN-YI) with more screens than the George Clooney casino movie. Amusingly, three of those films (all except PIRATES 3) were distributed by CJ Entertainment, a credit to the company's clout. HWANG JIN-YI, despite finishing in seventh this week, is still playing on 286 screens.

Sad to see HOT FUZZ open so poorly. But audiences here clearly missed out on most of the jokes in the first two-thirds of the movie -- especially the puns (which is to be expected, I guess) and the homoeroticism (no comment).

Title - Weekend Seoul Admissions - Total Nationwide Admissions

1. Ocean's 13 - 120,300 - 1,014,700

2. Black House - 119,000 - 494,000

3. Shrek 3 - 80,000 - 2,563,000

4. Captivity - 31,600 - 134,300

5. Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End - 27,500 - 4,867,000

6. Love & Other Disasters - 23,800 - 216,400

7. Hwang Jinyi - 18,700 - 1,196,500

8. Hot Fuzz - 16,000 - 60,000

9. Never Forever - 15,100 - 47,000

10. Secret Sunshine - 10,700 - 1,634,300

Thanks to Mark Russell at koreapopwars.blogspot.com

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YAY FOR BLACK HOUSE & HJM!

June 25, 2007

Korean horror takes top B.O. spot

'Black House' creeps past Hollywood hits

By DARCY PAQUET

SEOUL -- For the first time in eight weeks, South Korea cinema has turned out a local hit with horror title "Black House" taking $3.6 million from Thursday to Sunday on 353 screens for the No. 1 box office spot.

Pic is an adaptation of a novel by Japanese writer Yusuke Kishi about an insurance agent who suspects one of his clients of fraud and murder. Co-financed by Japanese studio Kadokawa, "Black House" marks a return to inhouse production for Korean major CJ Entertainment.

Meanwhile Hollywood pic "Ocean's Thirteen" passed the 1 million ticket mark in its second week for a $7 million cume, and "Shrek the Third" landed in third place with $17.6 million in three weeks.

Only other local debut was Gina Kim's Korean-U.S. co-production "Never Forever," which screened in competition at Sundance. It opened at No. 9 with $320,000.

Local pics will have a tough ride next weekend — Michael Bay's "Transformers" opens wide on Thursday.

Korean cinema still has a long way to go to turn around what many consider a highly disappointing year. According to the Korean Film Council's online box office information system, local films have a 47.7% market share for the year to date, compared to more than 60% for last year as a whole.

Highest grossing local film is CJ's "Voice of a Murderer" with $22 million, whereas last year saw hits on the scale of "The Host" ($90 million), "King and the Clown" ($84 million), "Tazza: The High Rollers" ($47 million) and "My Boss My Teacher" ($42 million).

Source: Variety.com

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111796760...yid=13&cs=1

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June 27, 2007

Actor can’t hide his truthful eyes

Actor Hwang Jung-min, known for his versatile images.

By Park Jong-geun

When Hwang Jung-min, 38, accepted the best actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Festival for his performance in “You’re My Sunshine” many were moved when he said: “All I did was add a spoon to a dinner table that had already been prepared by others.”

This summer Hwang is back with a different kind of film, designed to scare and horrify , as he stars in the thriller “Psychopath,” directed by Shin Tae-ra.

The film, which will be released tomorrow, is based on a novel by Japanese author Yusuke Kishi. Hwang plays Chun Jun-oh, who works for an insurance company and fights against a psychopath while investigating the mysterious suicide of a 7-year-old boy.

The JoongAng Ilbo met with Hwang to get an insider’s look at the film.

“I always wondered why Korea has no movies like ‘Dressed to Kill,’ ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’ or ‘Seven,’” said Hwang. “On a hot summer’s day, people want movies like these to give them a chill but, until now, Korean films weren’t able to do this.”

However, while making his first thriller, Hwang understood why there are few Korean films of this type. “This genre of film is one that needs to be accurate in depicting emotions.”

"Psycho Path," (aka Black House) Hwang Jung-min's

latest film on theaters.

Hwang said that it is difficult for viewers to absorb every aspect of the emotions that the film originally intended to deliver. “The goal is for my acting to make people shudder and feel a chill in the very marrow of their bones,” said Hwang.

Given the responsibility of chilling the viewers, filming was not easy. “Confronting the psychopath for the first time, I had to act as if my blood vessels were going to burst,” said Hwang.

When asked about the character Chun, Hwang says, “He is not very attractive; he doesn’t strike people at first. However, he has the power to make viewers react instantly to the horrific scenes.

“Besides, when I select scenarios, I look at the overall storyline rather than the character itself,” said Hwang. He said that he even imagined acting as a passerby in the movie “Billy Elliot.”

Hidden behind this character is Hwang’s effort to continuously bring out the character’s inner workings.

“When shooting a scene on a roller coaster ride, I imagined that the viewer was sitting right next to me,” said Hwang. “It would be wrong if only I, Chun, was terrified and the person next to me was not.”

Starring in various musicals and plays in Daehangno including “Subway Line No. 1” in 1994, Hwang’s debut film was “The Waikiki Brothers,” in 2001. Then he appeared in prominent films like “A Good Lawyer’s Wife,” “You’re My Sunshine,” and “Bloody Tie,” all of which required him to play diverse characters.

“It is very important that you don’t get too absorbed in yourself,” said Hwang. “You must always remember that there is another person watching the scene. Maintaining objectivity is important.”

Hwang emphasizes three elements: the audience, the scenario and the actor.

Of the scar on his nose, he mentioned that not many have noticed it, even though he doesn’t cover it with make up. “This proves that people look into an actors’ eyes; the eyes don’t lie and it shows whether an actor is sincere or not,” said Hwang.

Along with Hwang’s emphasis on sincerity, he also mentioned two tearful scenes. “Actors cry by positioning themselves in the character and, secondly, by thinking about their own sad experiences,” said Hwang.

He prefers the former to the latter, since empathy, to an actor, is important.

In fact, Hwang was involved in one episode where there were almost too many emotions: He was in real fix when shooting “You Are My Sunshine” because his heart felt like he was actually falling in love with actress Jeon Do-yeon, his lover in the story.

“In that movie, I had to be in a tense relationship with my co-actors so I stayed away from them because Kang Shin-il and Yu Seon are both my close friends.” However, Hwang said that the tense atmosphere was relieved once the shooting was over.

In the fall, Hwang stars in a romantic film “Happiness,” directed by Heo Jin-ho and will be shooting “A Man Once a Superman,” directed by Jeong Yoon-cheol. On average, Hwang stars in three to four films a year and some say that he does too many. In response, Hwang says, “I breathe only when I act.”

Source: estyle@joongang.co.kr

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2877282

[shirley]

Hwang Jung Min new movie " A Man Once a Superman ” is directed by Jeong Yoon-cheol [whose works include Marathon ] it will be a story about a wacky man who believed that he used to be superman , the movie is abt the conflicts he had with the people around him

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^ Wow... a totally different plot and genre altogether for HJM. He's really challenging himself with adverse roles and excels in them.

A Man Once a Superman, hahaaa... HJM is quite a 'superman' actor, too ... an average of 3-4 movies a year is no small feat but he loves his work, one that makes him breathe. And we can't be happier, too... with lots to look forward from this amazing actor.

HJM's certainly making his mark, slow and steady... deserving all the good words, high ratings & due recognition. Although I'm quite the scaredy cat... Black House looks so tempting... hope I didn't get too spooked watching it and upcoming Happiness with ISJ later in the year would be such a sweet treat!

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Now showing

The Black House

An insurance company employee gets in the middle of a family tragedy involving a boy's suicide, his grief-stricken mother, and his strangely greedy father, who is obsessed about getting his son's insurance money. 18 and over. 103 minutes.

CGV Apgujeong (1544-1122) near exit 3 of Apgujeong Station on subway line 3

Megabox COEX (1544-9250) inside COEX Mall near exits 5 and 6 of Samseong Station on subway line 2

Daehan Cinema (02-3393-3600) near exit 1 of Chungmuro Station on subway lines 3 and 4

Lotte World Cinema (02-411-0668) inside the Lotte World Shopping Mall of Jamsil Station on subway lines 2 and 8

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2...6/141_5560.html

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FILM2.0 Magazine

제 339 호 (2007.06.12 ~ 2007.06.19)

Source: www.film2.co.kr

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July 5, 2007

'Black House' to Open in Japan in October

The Korean thriller 'Black House,' starring veteran actor Hwang Jeong-min, will open in 250 theaters in Japan in October.

The hit film is based on a best-selling Japanese novel that has sold a million copies.

A film official says that Black House has received overwhelming praise by Japanese film people and that its release date in Japan has been set.

Its opening at some 250 cinemas is reminiscent of the opening of the Korean blockbuster 'The Host.' Such fanfare in what is considered the home country of horror films is especially meaningful.

In the movie, Hwang plays an insurance surveyor who looks into a murder case that the police have confirmed as a suicide. The story revolves around his struggle with a psychopath whom he encounters on the crime site.

In Korea, Black House led all horror movies in number of theater screenings and maintained the number one box office position for eight two weeks.

Source: KBS Global

http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/new...5014_11858.html

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Article at http://premiere.elle.co.kr/m1_star/content...mp;MenuCheck=PS

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July 2, 2007

Source: http://rd.empas.com/e.tsp?/%C8%B2%C1%A4%B9...20070701_99.htm

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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Korea Weekend Box Office - June 29-July 1

Pretty amazing -- TRANSFORMERS pulled in 75.5% of the box office last weekend. Three out of every hour tickets sold were to a Michael Bay movie! The mind reels.

Title - Weekend Seoul Admissions - Total Nationwide Admissions

1. Transformers - 337,209 - 1,313,278

2. Black House - 39,820 - 825,034

3. Ocean's 13 - 24,920 - 1,153,541

4. Shrek 3 - 16,295 - 2,677,564

5. Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End - 4,168 - 4,510,855

6. Captivity - 3,474 - 180,811

7. Secret Sunshine - 3,674 - 1,570,121

8. Hwang Jin-yi - 3,477 - 1,167,290

9. Never Forever - 3,348 - 76,751

10. Love & Other Disasters - 3,477 - 244,430

Monday, July 09, 2007

Korea Weekend Box Office - July 6-8

Title - Weekend Admissions - Total Nationwide Admissions

1. Transformers - 1,490,200 - 4,202,100

2. Black House - 139,400 - 1,169,300

3. The Descent - 102,600 - 123,100

4. Taxi 4 - 85,400 - 99,200

5. Ocean's 13 - 71,000 - 1,332,500

6. Shrek 3 - 58,000 - 2,792,700

7. Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End - 13,500 - 4,548,300

8. Secret Sunshine - 7,000 - 1,594,000

9. Love & Other Disasters - 5,300 - 262,000

10. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - 4,300 - 50,800

Data from Film 2.0, with much thanks to Mark Russell at koreapopwars.blogspot.com

[rubie]

July 9, 2007

Black House Will Screen In Japan

Black House (Geomeun Jib) is currently a hit in Korean cinemas and will next attempt to woe Japanese audiences. The horror film will open in October in 250 Japanese cinemas, a number equaling BONG Joon-ho’s The Host’ Japanese release.

Monster and horror films take an important place in the Japanese film culture and they are worldwide considered as masters of those genres. The wide-releases and the great anticipation of the horror film Black House and the monster film The Host in Japan is regarded as a significant feat.

Black House is directed by SHIN Terra (Brainwave) and profits from the structure of the original Japanese novel by Kishi Yusuke. The CJ Entertainment film was co-produced with the Japanese Kadokawa Pictures. HWANG Jung-min (You Are My Sunshine) has been praised for his performance in Black House.

Director SHIN Terra’s horror film Black House ended an eight week drought for Korean cinema by opening in the number one spot at the end of June. The last Korean film to top the box office was KIM Han-min’s thriller Paradise Murdered, back in April. Korean films have so far a disappointing 47.7% domestic market share in the first half of 2007.

The CJ Entertainment production’s revenue was US$ 3.6 million and was screened on 353 screens in its opening weekend. Korean cinema has been somewhat struggling after the booming last few years, culminating in a record-breaking 2006. The slump encompasses domestic box office performances and international sales.

However, when looking further than defining success in financial terms, Korean cinema gained further international acclaim and recognition, including a prestigious Best Actress Award for JEON Do-yeon at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in LEE Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine; and enjoys continuing international anticipation towards Korean films, exemplified in European record deals for KIM Jee-woon’s unfinished The Good, The Bad and the Weird and Black House’ upcoming wide-release in Japan.

Yi Ch’ang-ho (KOFIC)

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/KOFIC/Channel?...Gesimul_SNO=722

[Guest loving_D]

not only a respected actor but also a cutie! i wonder if he has any plans to hit the small screen soon for a change.