Kang Dong-Won 강동원 [Upcoming movies: “The Plot”, “Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman”, “ War and Revolt”]

[Helena]

 

 

http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?seq=5373&mode=VIEW
PENINSULA Set to Launch in 185 Countries

by Pierce Conran | Jul 13, 2020

TRAIN TO BUSAN Follow-Up Drums up Huge Overseas Interest

 

 

Peninsula, the highly anticipated sequel to YEON Sang-ho’s global phenomenon TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016), is poised to be another breakthrough success after foreign sale agent Contents Panda announced that the film has been presold to 185 countries across the globe.

The film will open in Korea, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, where TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) was a massive success, on July 15, with Malaysia following a day later. Peninsula has also been picked up by distributors in Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as outfits across North and South America, Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and Scandinavia. The 185 country tally marks an improvement over TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016), which was presold to 160 international markets.

Following a new group of characters, Peninsula is set four years after the events of TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016), after South Korea has fallen into a post-apocalyptic wasteland following a zombie pandemic. GANG Dong-won (Master, 2016), who plays Jung-suk, a character who returns to the Korean Peninsula after the outbreak, leads a cast that also includes LEE Jung-hyun (The Battleship Island, 2017), LEE Re(Hope, 2013), KWON Hae-hyo (The Day After, 2018) and KOO Kyo-hwan (Jane, 2016)

The film was announced as an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival this year, though no festival took place owing to the COVID-19 crisis. TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) originally debuted in the Midnight Screenings section at Cannes four years ago, where it scored rave reviews, before becoming a hit around the world and grossing well in excess of USD 100 million in the process.

[Helena]

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200710000618
‘Peninsula’ -- sequel to ‘Train to Busan’ -- premieres in Seoul

From car-chase to hide-and-seek scenes, zombie thriller goes to another level

 

By Choi Ji-won | Jul 10, 2020

 

From left: Actors Kim Min-jae, Kim Do-yun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Re, Lee Ye-won, director Yeon Sang-ho, actors Gang Dong-won and Kwon Hae-hyo of “Peninsula” pose for pictures during the press premiere event held Thursday in Seoul. (Yonhap)

"Peninsula,” a sequel to “Train to Busan,” touts itself as a zombie flick that everyone can watch.

 

“I tried my best to deliver a universal message through a film which people of all ages could watch. I’m hoping ‘Peninsula’ becomes something for everyone to enjoy at the theater during this COVID-19 situation,” director Yeon Sang-ho said during a press conference held Thursday in Seoul. 

 

Exactly four years after the release of “Train to Busan” in summer 2016, “Peninsula” was unveiled in Seoul during a press premiere held Thursday. The director, joined by actors Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun attended the event.

 

The same amount of time -- 4 years -- has passed in the film, and the whole Korean Peninsula has become a deserted land of zombies and survivors who have given up sanity in the hopeless land. The zombies are faster and even more sensitive to sound and light, and savage madness is taking place inside the mysterious Army Unit 631.

 

Spoiler

Scenes from “Peninsula” (New)

 

The film kicks off by putting “Peninsula” aside “Train to Busan.” When Gong Yoo was on the train to Busan four years ago, Gang Dong-won, playing Jung-seok, was heading towards Incheon to get on the rescue ship. Even without the zombies, survival for Koreans outside the country is not easy, and Jung-seok returns to Korea on a mission to find a truck full of money. A horde of zombies ambushes Jung-seok, and Min-jung -- played by Lee Jung-hyun -- and her family rescues him. Along with Min-jung’s family, Jung-seok sets off to retrieve the truck seized by the men from Unit 631.

 

“I wanted to take a different ending to the film from that of ‘Train to Busan.’ I intended to convey a more hopeful message. The characters want to escape Korea, but it’s not all pink in the world outside. I wanted to show that (survival is not about) where you are at but whom you are with,” the director said.

 

While it was not an easy choice to star in a sequel of a hit film, Gang said he feels confident that “Train to Busan” fans will also enjoy the upcoming film.

 

“I was intrigued by the visions and ideas of the director. When I read the script, I could see that it was telling a different story from ‘Train to Busan’,” Gang said. “Awaiting for a film’s release never feels easy. I feel a heavy weight on my shoulders, but watching the film today for the first time, I am actually feeling quite confident. We really tried our best to not let down those people who cherish ‘Train to Busan,’” the actor added.

 

Jung-seok is a former army captain who loses his family to zombies and escapes to Hong Kong with his brother-in-law. Although he leads the film, according to Gang, Jung-seok is no hero.
 

“Although Jung-seok is a well-trained soldier, he is not a hero. In fact, the real hero would be Min-jung and her family. He sees hope again with them,” Gang said. 
 

Min-jung lives with her daughter Yu-jin (played by Lee Ye-won) and step-daughter Joon (played by Lee Re) who she had rescued. An elderly former commander of Unit 631, who the girls refer to as “grandpa,” also lives with Min-jung’s family.

 

Once the protector of the survivors, Unit 631 has turned into a barbarous pit where humans prey upon their fellow humans, and Captain Seo (played by Koo Kyo-hwan) and Sergeant Hwang (played by Kim Min-jae) are portrayed as the worst of the villains. Jung-seok’s brother in law Cheol-min (Kim Do-yun), who accompanied Gang on the mission, is captured by the men of Unit 631 and becomes a victim of their foul play of hide-and-seek with zombies. 

 

“It was actually scary. There were people who I knew among the zombie actors, but it seemed ironically horrifying to see them throwing themselves at me,” Kim Do-yun said about the zombie scenes. 

 

According to the director, the space in which the film takes place is what mainly decides how his zombies are characterized. For this film showing the post-apocalyptic state of Seoul, a car chase topped by an endless flood of zombies rushing at the cars, pulls the suspense to its climax.

 

While Yeon’s zombie apocalypse universe expands over a huge series -- including “Train to Busan” prequel, the animated film “Seoul Station” -- the director noted his film is not about a massive universe or special people. 

“This goes same for both ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘Peninsula,’ my films are about the ‘trivial’ people. Jung-seok is a very average person with an average desire, and so are all other characters of this film. I made the film to show these people who are moved by their ordinary desires,” Yeon said.

 

“We have prepared for the film’s July release since last year, and although there have been unexpected situations, we decided it was right to go as the original plan. Being at a press conference, I am reminded of the good days when the cinemas were fully packed with audiences. I sincerely hope this film could help revive the film industry.”

 

The film hits the local theaters on Wednesday. 

 

 

By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

 

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https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2020/07/10/entertainment/movies/Peninsula-review-Kzombies/20200710165000536.html
[REVIEW] In 'Peninsula,' it's the end of the world, and I feel fine

 

July 10, 2020

 

Spoiler

Four years after a zombie outbreak took over Korea, the country exists no more. Instead, the zombie-riddled landfill is referred as the Peninsula. [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

 

From left, actors Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Re and Koo Kyo-hwan as Jung-suk, Min-jung, the old man known only by his surname "Kim," Jooni and Captain Seo. [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

“Turn on the lights.” 

In “Peninsula,” those four words strike terror as lights and sound are what entice zombies as does the trickling of honey for a swarm of hungry bees.

Ever since the global craze over “K-zombies” started with ”Train to Busan” four years ago, audiences around the world have been asking the same question: What happened to Korea after "Train"?

In response to that question, director Yeon Sang-ho has finally stretched the cinematic universe of “Train” for the eagerly awaited follow-up: “Peninsula" where he paints the Korea four years after the zombie outbreak has taken place.   

The film will premier in Korea on July 15.

In the opening scenes, we see Korea after the fall, in complete chaos following the zombie outbreak. Jung-suk and his family — his sister, brother-in-law and nephew — were able to escape the country by ship from Incheon port, but the sister and nephew are killed in a tragic incident, leaving only Jung-suk and his brother-in-law as the sole survivors.

  
The audience is quickly brought up to date with a barrage of news clips from the previous four years, and then the film reverts back to present day Jung-seok and his brother-in-law again.

The two drift around the streets of Hong Kong, unmoored and out of place. They end up accepting an enticing deal, and return to the peninsula again. (In the film, Korea is no longer known as Korea and is instead referred to as the Peninsula.)

I really got a kick out of the imagining of post-apocalyptic Korea — Yeon really let his imagination run wild.

In his director’s note, Yeon said that he really had fun building on the universe he began creating in "Train." With characters arriving at the port, the audience is invited into a desolate peninsula — a ruined Korea that's vicariously witnessed through the eyes of the returnees. Ships are overturned, abandoned cars are scattered on the streets and buildings are crumbling.

In the cataclysmal world, humans can only be active at nighttime since zombies are practically blind when there are no lights. Places that I recognized, such as Omokgyo bridge and popular shopping malls, are eerily familiar yet equally horrifying in the world of Peninsula.

The movie goes all "fast and furious", as was alluded to in a press event last month. Car chases are more intuitive that they might at first seem. As zombies swarm together, wicked driving skills become a survival tactic, making the difference between life and death. Teenage Jooni, played by actor Lee Re, knows how to get behind the wheel and shines in these scenes.

 

Yeon wasn't lying when he mentioned that her fighting skills trump those of actor Ma Dong-seok. Instead of punching her way out, Jooni effortlessly fishtails her way out and away from zombies.

The survivors in Peninsula certainly earned the title of survivors. The way they cleverly play with lights and sounds as distracting tools to entice zombies creates some entertaining moments in the film.

Although “Peninsula” is marketed as a zombie film, I saw it more as a dystopian drama, especially with the current context of Covid-19. It was frightening to see the characters as refugees, with no place, no country to call their own. For me, this sense of isolation was more frightening than the packs of bloodthirsty zombies.

As Jung-suk meets a slew of characters, the audience questions what really distinguishes humans from zombies. Arguably, there's a sliver of truth in the society that exists in Peninsula that shows us that in the midst of chaos, humans can become deprived of humanity.

Although the zombies have certainly evolved to become faster and even more gruesome in this sequel, what was more terrifying were the characters who clapped their hands in twisted delight upon seeing helpless civilians struggling to escape the zombies.

Two soldiers, played by actors Kim Min-jae and Koo Kyo-hwan, were the most terrifying of the living. (Personally, I felt these two somewhat upstaged the leads and became the focus of the film).

Koo, with his thin, narrow face, smallish figure and soothing voice, at first glance may not look particularly evil. But the depravity of his character is more subtle than that of Kim's character, who is nothing but savage. The insanity he delivered with his expressions gave me chills and were some of the most powerful moments in the film.

I wonder what's in store for this actor.

In the midst of the pandemonium, hope endures, the director seemed to be saying. In "Train," the ending leaves you grieving while hanging onto what the future holds for the characters, but there's a ringing message that love is an incomparable force.

  
Some might roll their eyes at the message, but I was reminded of what Yeon told me last year.

“When I was younger, I thought there existed horrifying sides in this world,” he said. “When I saw a touching story or something good on television, they felt strange and surreal to me. I believed that they were all lies. But as I got older, I think my perspective changed a bit… For the ending of ‘Train,’ some people might feel that it’s fake, like I did when I was young… [But] I think this generation is transitioning into one where we, to the best of our capabilities, try to make a better place for people to live in it rather than just complaining about it.”

Though it may sound cliché, I somehow felt relieved coming out the theater — a feeling I hadn't experienced in ages — for it may be exactly the kind of comfort that we need to get through this virus-ridden world.

 

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

——————

 

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200710007200315
(Movie Review) Zombies get stronger, humans crueler in 'Train to Busan' sequel

 

By Kim Boram

 

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- Four years after a massive zombie attack in "Train to Busan," the undead beings have gotten stronger and people are crueler as they desperately struggle to survive amid the ruin.

 

The upcoming zombie action blockbuster "Peninsula" is a sequel of the 2016 smash-hit thriller, with the two films taking place in the same universe.

 

Spoiler

A scene from "Peninsula" by NEW (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

The new film, also directed by Yeon Sang-ho, starts with Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a former soldier, losing his family while escaping the zombie-infested Korean Peninsula four years ago.

 

He settles in Hong Kong, but lives in misery as South Korean refugees are treated as pathogens all over the world. Over the four-year period, anarchic South Korea is called Peninsula.

 

After four years of despair, Jung-seok returns to the devastated land to retrieve a huge cash hoard that may change his life.

 

There, he faces swarms of starving zombies that sensitively respond to light and sound and scrappy soldiers of a military unit, which were first assigned to protect the lives of people from zombie attacks but become inhumane in a post-apocalyptic dystopia.

 

But he is not the only one who is still alive and maintains his humanity. Family survivors of Min-jeong (Lee Jung-hyun) and her two daughters save Jung-seok's life from the ferocious hunters by making the most of light- and sound-responsive features of the walking dead.

 

Zombies in "Peninsula" are physically stronger and react faster to light and sound, compared with those in "Train," and these characteristics play a role throughout the film.

 

The survivors, armed with rifles and other firearms, have to drive cars at full speed to shake off the upgraded, or evolved, zombie hordes, in the familiar downtown of Seoul, while humans in "Train" could confront them with baseball bats or even bare fists.

 

But the story is far simpler and drabber than its predecessor, which gave unprecedented tension and pressure through life-and-death struggle of varied selfish personalities in the confined setting of an express train.

 

Characters in "Peninsula" are clearly divided into two groups -- the good and the bad. And their individual stories and personalities are not important or palpable enough to create a conflict or carry the storyline to the end.

 

Instead, it has plenty of the eye-catching attractions and blood-splattered action scenes that a summer blockbuster ought to have.

 

Set out from the gloomy dystopia of Seoul, car chase scenes among Jung-seok and Min-jeong's truck, the military hunters' cars and zombies are the highlights of the two-hour movie.

 

Gun fights against dashing zombies and cage fights between zombies and humans look entertaining and intriguing enough to hold viewers' attention to the most anticipated flick for this summer.

 

Director Yeon said he wants to say there is a glimmer of hope even in the most extreme time.

 

"All people in the film desire to escape the Peninsula, as they think the outer world is like a paradise, which is not true," Yeon said in a press conference on Thursday. "I want to deliver a universal message that encompasses all ages through the film."

 

"Peninsula," an official selection to this year's Cannes Film Festival, will hit local screens on Wednesday.

 

brk@yna.co.kr
(END)

[Helena]

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2020/07/689_292645.html
Yeon Sang-ho's 'Peninsula' casts commentary over human desire to outlive

By Kwak Yeon-soo | 2020-07-10

 

Director Yeon Sang-ho, third from right, poses with the cast of "Peninsula" at the press conference held in Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times file

 

Following the success of "Train to Busan," "Peninsula" is another Korean zombie film that casts a commentary on people's desire to live and find hope in the worst situation.

 

Set four years after the hit "Train to Busan," the upcoming blockbuster tells the story of the survivors and a world taken over by zombies.

 

Gang Dong-won plays Jung-seok, a former soldier who goes back to the zombie-packed peninsula on a mission, while Lee Jung-hyun plays Min-jung, a mother of two daughters and an uninfected survivor of the zombie apocalypse. Lee saves the lives of Jung-seok and his mission crew from a massive zombie attack and they join forces to escape the devastated land.

 

Director Yeon Sang-ho said he wanted to go with a different ending compared with "Train to Busan," carrying a message of hope and positivity. 

 

"In the movie, all the characters have the desire to escape the peninsula, but the world is not greener outside," Yeon said during a press conference for the film, Thursday. "I wanted the audience to feel that who you are with is more important than where you are."

 

At the beginning of the film, Jung-seok is portrayed as a poorly-treated refugee in Hong Kong after fleeing South Korea.

 

Spoiler

Actor Gang Dong-won in a scene from the film "Peninsula" / Courtesy of NEW

 

Gang revealed that in his interpretation of the character, Jung-seok, is not a hero, but just a normal guy who loses hope after witnessing human wretchedness.

 

"Jung-seok is a trained soldier, but not a hero. I think Min-jung and her daughters are the real heroes," Gang said. 

 

Director Yeon echoed Gang's comments, saying that "Peninsula" is about ordinary people with the same desires. 

 

The 39-year-old actor also mentioned that it was a "difficult decision" to star in the second installment of a hit film, but felt much more reassured as he progressed through the filmmaking process.

 

"There's always pressure when choosing a film, making it and waiting for its release date. I did my best to not let Train to Busan fans down, hoping they will support Peninsula too," he said. 

 

"Peninsula" features fast-paced car chases and shooting scenes in the city of Seoul that lies in ruins.

 

"We used a lot of computer graphics and special visual effects to deliver unprecedented imagery of car chase scenes in the post-apocalyptic world. At that time, I felt like I was working on an animated film," director Yeon said.

 

Yeon also put in a lot of efforts into the zombie-fight scenes that are set in an abandoned shopping mall.  Zombie-fighting is a physical contest that involves survivors and zombies attempting to kill each other according to a set of rules.

 

"A shopping mall is a classic setting for zombie movies, and I wanted to show that capitalism is dead and humanity is lost on the peninsula," he said. 
 

"Peninsula" will hit local theaters, July 15. 

 

—————

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1412085wpp/kang-dong-won-talks-about-his-peninsula-character-wanting-to-act-for-the-rest-of-his-life-and-more

Kang Dong Won Talks About His “Peninsula” Character, Wanting To Act For The Rest Of His Life, And More

 

by S. Cho | Jul 10, 2020

 

Spoiler

 

Lifestyle YouTube channel Monotube has released their photo shoot with Kang Dong Won!

 

Without any retouching, the photos taken of Kang Dong Won were produced with natural lighting and released exactly as taken.

 

Ahead of the release of his film “Peninsula” on July 15, Kang Dong Won participated in a photo shoot, YouTube live broadcast, and interview with Monotube. Regarding his character in “Peninsula,” the actor shared, “Jung Suk is a pessimistic character who has a lot of disappointment in the human race. To match the tone and manner of the film, I spoke with the director a lot to control my emotions.”

 

Kang Dong Won shared that these days, he’s been preparing a lot for the future. He explained, “I’m at the stage of squatting down in order to jump out far. I’ve worked as an actor for 17 years, and I’m preparing for the remaining 30-40 years. When I won the rookie award for ‘Temptation of Wolves‘ in 2004, I said in my acceptance speech, ‘I will work hard until I die.’ I still feel the same. I just want to act until I die.”

 

When asked what words he wants to tell himself, Kang Dong Won answered, “Stay strong. You can do it! If you just work hard to endure it now, you will be able to do even better.”

 

Spoiler

The actor also shared something he really wants to do these days but can’t. He commented, “I want to go on vacation. I don’t want to go overseas, but it think it’d be nice to go to Jeju Island or Busan. But I have no time.”

 

Kang Dong Won’s upcoming film “Peninsula” hits theaters in Korea on July 15. Check out the trailer here!

 

Watch “Temptation of Wolves” below!

 

WATCH NOW

 

 

Source (1)

 

—————

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1412237wpp/kang-dong-won-shares-why-peninsula-made-him-like-zombie-movies-his-ultimate-goal-as-an-actor-and-more
Kang Dong Won Shares Why “Peninsula” Made Him Like Zombie Movies, His Ultimate Goal As An Actor, And More

 

by S. Cho | Jul 11, 2020

 

On July 10, Kang Dong Won sat down for an interview about his upcoming film “Peninsula,” the sequel to “Train to Busan.”

 

Despite having lots of experience with action movies under his belt, “Peninsula” is the first zombie film of Kang Dong Won’s career. He talked about the pressure of sequels, explaining, “I went [to meet the director] knowing that he was preparing to film the ‘Train to Busan’ sequel. At first, knowing it was the sequel, it wasn’t a project that I was particularly curious about as an actor. However, because ‘Train to Busan’ was so original, I was interested.”
 

He continued, “When making a sequel, we ultimately have to make a sequel that is better than the original. There was a lot of pressure to satisfy those who enjoyed ‘Train to Busan.’ That pressure was alleviated once I read the script. It got a lot better after discussing the visual aspects with the director.”

Kang Dong Won also spoke about preferring occult films to zombie ones, but revealed that he was now able to recognize the charm of the latter genre after working on “Peninsula.” He shared, “I didn’t typically seek out zombie films in the past. I like horror movies and the occult genre in particular. I feel like zombie films are less scary. However, as an actor, it’s not like I only do genres I like, so I wanted to try it out. Watching and creating are two different things.”

 

He added, “While making the film, I came to understand why people like [zombie movies]. They’re less psychologically pressuring than occult films, but they’re more intense in terms of action. It feels more commercial, and I came to like the genre while filming the movie.”

Amidst the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, “Peninsula” is the first blockbuster film in months to premiere worldwide. Kang Dong Won commented, “I’m also curious [how things will go], since it’s basically the first big film to premiere worldwide since COVID-19. I thought ‘Tenet’ would kick things off, but it turned out to be us, so I wonder how it will turn out. There are inevitably some regretful aspects, but given the circumstances, we have to do what needs to be done. There’s nothing else we can do.”

When asked what kind of actor he wants to become in the future, Kang Dong Won shared, “There’s something I’ve always thought about. It’s my desire to portray every character really well. As an actor, wouldn’t that be my ultimate goal? To show really diverse images through my acting. There’s a lot I need to refine [in terms of my skills]. That’s why I try to attempt this.”

 

Finally, Kang Dong Won shared a message to future viewers of “Peninsula.” He remarked, “It’s really just a lot of fun. It’s a movie we made for everyone to enjoy. I really hope you come to watch it at the theatres and enjoy it. It’s not a film we made to have an overarching societal or political message. It’s really just a film that tells the story of humans, so I hope you really have fun watching it. I hope everyone watches our movie safely.”

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

“Peninsula” premieres on July 15. Check out the trailer here!

 

Source (1)

[Helena]

https://zapzee.net/2020/07/12/peninsula-breaks-62-percent-booking-rate-receives-rave-reviews-from-foreign-media/
‘Peninsula’ Breaks 62 Percent Booking Rate + Receives Rave Reviews from Foreign Media

by krishkim

With the release of director Yeon Sang Ho’s action blockbuster Peninsula just three days away, the booking rate surpassed 62 percent, followed by a flurry of rave reviews from foreign media, giving the green light to the box office.
 

According to the Korean Film Council on July 12, the booking rate of Peninsula stood at 62.2 percent, and the number of people who reserved their seats exceeded 78,000.

 

As the movie industry hit the slump with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peninsula rose as the reliever.

 

Credit: NEW

Foreign media also gave favorable reviews. Screen Daily wrote, “Riveting from start to end, this is enthralling feature could be the one to reainmate markets in Asia.”

 

Jason Bechervaise continued, “Yeon’s plot is deliberately straightforward, allowing viewers to focus on the jaw-dropping set-pieces that propel it. These include an extraordinary car chase as Yeon goes full throttle on the Seoul roads in a way that’s reminiscent of sequences from ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’”

 

He added, “Also worthy of mention is Mowg’s (Burning) expansive score, Lee Mok-won’s alluring production design and the expert editing by Oscar-nominated Yang Jin-mo (Parasite).”

 

Peninsula is an action blockbuster film that takes place about four years after Train to Busan and depicts the last struggle of those left in the ruined land.

 

Kang Dong Won’s stylish action scenes will be jaw-dropping, and Lee Jung Hyun and Lee Re’s car-chasing action is also said to intensify the thrilling and tense atmosphere.

 

In particular, unline the tragic ending of Train to Busan, Peninsula’s end that melted the message of hope is also expected to be well received by the audience.

 

Source (1, 2)

 

——————————————————————————————————

 

https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/peninsula-review/5151387.article
‘Peninsula’: Review

 

BY JASON BECHERVAISE | 11 JULY 2020

 

Zombies have destroyed the entire Korean peninsula in Yeong Sang-ho’s follow-up to ’Train To Busan’

 

SOURCE: NEW
‘PENINSULA’

Dir/scr: Yeon Sang-ho. South Korea. 2020. 115mins

 

Yeon Sang-ho ups the ante and moves the action forward from 2016’s Train to Busan to a post-apocalyptic and quarantined Korean peninsula which has been ravaged by the zombie outbreak. Riveting from start to end, this is enthralling feature could be the one to reainmate markets in Asia. 

 

An immensely thrilling feature

 

Selected for Cannes 2020 and opening on July 15 in South Korea, Peninsula is well-positioned to attract strong numbers despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, though reaching Train to Busan’s tally of 11.5m admissions ($77.4m) might be a stretch in the current climate. Cinemas say they’re ready with the infrastructure to keep cinemagoers safe and the case numbers are low right now, meaning the Korean film industry seems better placed to mount a recovery over the summer than many other countries (something that was llustrated by the successful release of zombie thriller #Alive at the end of June.) While Western markets seem to be relying on Christopher Nolan’s Tenet to re-start business, in parts of Asia Peninsula is better positioned to exploit markets. Also released in Hong Kong (where it part-filmed), Singapore, Taiwan on July 15, and in Malaysia on July 16, it will be looking to build on the success of Train to Busan in those territories. Its North America release is still scheduled for August 7 through Well Go USA. 
 

Now well established in Yeon’s Train to Busan and his prior animation Seoul Station, the zombie outbreak has now engulfed the nation in Peninsula. Jung-seok (Kang Dong-won), a soldier, flees the country with his family on a ship. He and his brother-in-law Cheol-min (Kim Do-yoon) make it to Hong Kong, but his sister and nephew succumb to the virus on the vessel. 

 

After four years in Hong Kong, he returns to the peninsula - that is now essentially under quarantine -  with Cheol-min and a small crew to locate an abandoned truck with bags full of cash and bring it back to Hong Kong. Travelling by boat, they land in Incheon and then head to Seoul to complete their mission. They are ambushed in the capital by a group of militia known as Unit 631 headed by Sergeant Hwang (Kim Min-jae) and Captain Seo (Koo Kyo-hwan) who take Cheol-min, but Jung-seok is able to escape with the help of two girls in a car. He then meets their mother Min-jung (Lee Jung-hyun) and they work together to try and retrieve the money, find Cheol-min, and get off the peninsula.  

 

Ultimately, much like Train to Busan, Yeon’s plot is deliberately straightforward, allowing viewers to focus on the jaw-dropping set-pieces that propel it. These include an extraordinary car chase as Yeon goes full throttle on the Seoul roads in a way that’s reminiscent of sequences from Mad Max: Fury Road. What works particularly well in some of the film’s more ambitious visuals is not just the cinematography but the work done in post-production, which reflect Yeon’s skills not just as a filmmaker but also an animator. Instead of striving for realism, Peninsula’s night-time aesthetic is grittier than Train to Busan and more like his acclaimed animations The King of Pigs, The Fake and Seoul Station.  Also worthy of mention is Mowg’s (Burning) expansive score, Lee Mok-won’s alluring production design and the expert editing by Oscar-nominated Yang Jin-mo (Parasite). 

 

Gang Dong-won (1987: When the Day Comes) brings his understated persona to the central lead character, but this is essentially an ensemble cast. All players are excellent and smartly chosen. Lee Jung-hyun (The Battleship Island) continues to impress as the mother of the two young girls (Lee Re, Lee Ye-won) who give the narrative much-needed lighter and humorous moments in the ways they invent to distract the zombies. Kim Min-jae (Veteran) is brutally authentic as one of the film’s central antagonists, and Koo Kyo-hwan (Jane) gives a layered and mesmerising performance as Captain Seo. If there is one complaint here, the always reliable Kwon Hae-hyo (The Day After) is left to the fringes somewhat, but that doesn’t take away from what is an immensely thrilling feature.  

 

 

Production Company: REDPETER FILMS 
International Sales: Contents Panda, sales@its-new.co.kr
Producers: Kim Woo-taek, Lee Dong-ha, Kim Yeon-ho
Screenplay: Yeon Sang-ho, Ryu Yong-jae
Cinematography: Lee Hyung-deok 
Production Design: Lee Mok-won
Music: Mowg
Editing: Yang Jin-mo 
Main Cast: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Kwon Hae-hyo, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Do-yoon, Lee Re, Lee Ye-won

[Helena]

OSEN | 2020. 07. 12 | EXCLUSIVE
Five Korean heartthrobs still dashing and elegant in 40s

 

The artists born in 1981 have all turned 40 this year. This means that they are in the age when nothing can delude them; they don't bother too much about the affairs of this world, and thus nothing can impair their judgment or puzzle them.

However, there are still actors who are in their 40s but still look dashing like young men in their 20s. These main characters are no other than Kang Dong Won, Kim Rae Won, Lee Dong Wook, Lee Jin Wook, and Jo In Sung (in Hangeul alphabet order).

Below are the heartthrobs that have been conquering the hearts of female audiences with timeless handsomeness defying the passage of time.

◼︎ Kang Dong Won

Kang Dong Won owns both visual and intellectual beauty. Born on January 18, 1981 in Busan, the actor majored in mechanical engineering at Hanyang University. Kang Dong Won debuted in 2003 through the drama "Country Princess" and captured women's hearts right from his rookie days.

With a flawlessly sculptural face, Kang Dong Won took so many different roles that it's hard for any actor to pull off. However, most of his productions were successful, thereby creating the remark, "Kang Dong Won is a genre."
 

Spoiler

◼︎ Kim Rae Won

Kim Rae Won - the actor that has gone through many kinds of roles in his acting career - was born on March 19, 1981. His home town is in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province. After majoring in Theater and Cinema at Chung Ang University, Kim Rae Won debuted through the TV series "Me" (rough translation) in 1997.

Kim Rae Won is an actor capable of pulling off all kinds of genres from action to romantic. With a gentle look, he is considered to express well the image of a somewhat playful Adonis image. Above all, the actor's warm deep voice also has a considerable contribution to help him expand his acting scope. Besides, the top-notch ability to convey scripts is also his strength.

 

◼︎ Lee Dong Wook

What does this man eat to make him ageless like this after all? Born on November 6, 1981, Lee Dong Wook has debuted since 1999, but he still boasts the nice-looking appearance of a 20-year-old man.

Commented to be "boy over flowers", Lee Dong Wook wins females' hearts with his innate fair complexion. Thanks to his tactful eloquence and talented acting, Lee Dong Wook - the guy with a radiant visual and flawless skin - is also working enthusiastically as an MC on various variety shows.

 

◼︎ Lee Jin Wook

Lee Jin Wook is voted as the actor that actresses want to co-star the most. He was born in September 1981 in Cheongju City, Chungcheongbuk Province. In addition to his outstanding visual and physique, he also steals females' hearts with his signature gentle yet sexy aura. He can be said to have a visual that can make the audience gaze with awe when he appears on the small screen.

Thanks to his exotic look, Lee Jin Wook often plays roles with a wide spectrum. He is viewed as an actor that owns both masculine and sweet, tender features.

 

◼︎ Jo In Sung

How can you not love this man? Born in July 1981, Jo In Sung has been enthusiastically working as a top actor and always receiving passionate love since his debut. As a representative visual god of Korea, Jo In Sung proudly possesses a sculptural visual and model-standard body proportions with a height of 187 cm. Anyone regardless of gender who has actually seen him in person can't help admiring him.

In daily life, he is a kind and sincere man just like his name, In Sung. Unlike an open-minded and straightforward Jo In Sung in real life, he often plays the characters with distorted personalities. Nevertheless, the actor showcases his prominent acting knacks through a tough appearance and enables the audience to feel complicated, fragile inner feelings at the same time.

OSEN = Reporter Kim Bo Ra / purplish@osen.co.kr
Photo = OSEN DB
Everything Idol, Everyday Exclusive
https://vtoday.vlive.tv/home

[Helena]

https://www.soompi.com/article/1412575wpp/peninsula-director-explains-what-sets-the-film-apart-from-train-to-busan-praises-cast-and-more
“Peninsula” Director Explains What Sets The Film Apart From “Train To Busan,” Praises Cast, And More
 

by S. P | Jul 13, 2020

 

 

The director of “Peninsula,” the sequel to “Train to Busan,” recently sat down for an interview with the press to discuss details of the film ahead of its release.

 

“Peninsula” takes place four years after the events of “Train to Busan” and centers around a group of people who were left behind to fight for their lives in a ruinous land. Directed by Yeon Sang Ho, it stars Kang Dong Won, Lee Jung Hyun, Kwon Hae Hyo, Kim Min Jae, Goo Kyo Hwan, Kim Do Yoon, Lee Re, and Lee Ye Won. Kang Dong Won plays a former marine named Jung Suk, who returns to Korea on a mission and discovers survivors including Lee Jung Hyun’s character. They end up teaming up in a battle for survival against rabid zombies and sinister humans.

 

The film is expected to awaken the box office, which fell into a slump after the rapid spread of COVID-19. Yeon Sang Ho revealed that he never pushed back the release date of the film, explaining that it was always slated to be released in July. He remarked, “I think this film will mark the beginning of the revival of the film industry.”

As the sequel to “Train to Busan,” it is expected that the film will use zombies to enthrall its viewers. Yeon Sang Ho described the role of zombies in the film, saying, “The zombies in ‘Peninsula’ aren’t quite as threatening. If I think about Jung Suk and the audience as having the same point of view, then they will feel a kind of ghostly tension when he returns to South Korea, since the zombies in ‘Train to Busan’ have their own story.”

 

The director then explained more about the perspective of the characters in the film. “The tension in the air evaporates after the first action scenes,” he revealed. “This is because the perspective has to move from Jung Suk to the children who have lived there for four years. This is their daily life. In the case of [Lee Ye Won’s character] Yoo Jin, she has lived in this world since she grew up. So rather than seeing the zombies as threatening, she feels more threatened by the people living there.”

When asked how the film’s title was decided, Yeon Sang Ho said that it came about naturally since South Korea is situated on a peninsula. “The concept of a peninsula is also ambiguous,” he added. “It’s not completely locked in, and there’s hope of an escape, so I think those ideas rubbed off on the main characters in the film.” He said that “Train to Busan 2” was also considered, but it felt awkward to use as a title since the film doesn’t take place in Busan.

 

Yeon Sang Ho then shared more about the differences in the characters between “Train to Busan” and its sequel, emphasizing the strength of the children in the film. He talked about raising a child of his own and realizing how strong and adaptable they are. “When I look at my child, I worry about them, but I don’t think they worry as much about being in danger,” he reflected. “I think they adapt much more quickly than adults.”

One point of interest in the film is the car chase scene. Since “Train to Busan” was based largely around trains, Yeon Sang Ho said he put a great deal of thought into what would give him a sense of satisfaction in the sequel. “My first idea was to have a young girl driving a dump truck,” he commented. He said that the planning for the car chase was a drawn-out process that took over three months.

 

Yeon Sang Ho also had nothing but praise for the cast of the film, saying that all of the actors immersed themselves fully in their roles. He praised Kang Dong Won specifically, commenting, “He’s an actor who knows how to get the image he envisions. He expressed the emotions of his role very well and also knew exactly what to do while filming his action scenes. He was very easy to work with.”

 

The director also complimented Lee Jung Hyun as he said, “She’s similar to Kang Dong Won in that she also knows exactly what to do. She knows where the camera will go when filming, and when it’s time to film an action scene she flips a switch and changes modes instantly. I was really surprised by that.”

Yeon Sang Ho also showed his affection for Kang Dong Won, revealing that he had liked him since his previous movie. “As South Korea’s representative handsome actor, he’s done a lot of traditional roles, but he doesn’t stay trapped in that. He has many faces,” he explained. “He’s an actor who has taken on antagonistic roles as well as comedic ones. In the scene where he meets [Lee Re’s character] Joon for the first time, I told him, ‘You have to flop around in the backseat,’ and he really enjoyed that. He immerses himself in his role to the point of overdoing it. He’s really open.”

 

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Yeon Sang Ho shared his hope that “Peninsula” would become a good memory for moviegoers. “If you’re going to the movie theater for the first time in a while, ‘Peninsula’ will be a fun movie to enjoy with your close friends, children, or parents,” he said. “I hope this film will be a good event for the box office, like the beginning of a great celebration.”

 

“Peninsula” premieres in South Korea on July 15.

Source (1)

 

——————

 

[PICK] From Zombies That Can Run to Zombies That Can Jump — Everything You Wanted to Know About K-Zombies

https://zapzee.net/2020/07/12/pick-from-zombies-that-can-run-to-zombies-that-can-jump-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-k-zombies/

 

Hong Kong Cinemas to Close After Third Wave of Coronavirus [By Patrick Frater]

https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/hong-kong-cinemas-close-coronavirus-return-1234704741/
Cinemas in Hong Kong were previously closed for a period of six weeks between the end of March and early May. The Hong Kong premiere of Korean zombie action film “Peninsula,” expected to have been one of the biggest films of the summer, was due to have been held on Wednesday, but is now canceled.

[Helena]

https://channels.vlive.tv/BF37FF/vtoday/0.15639261
mydaily | 2020. 07. 13. 7:49 PM
"Peninsula" drops funny trailer and poster asking the audience not to spoil the film

 

Spoiler

 

As the only blockbuster action movie in the summer of 2020, "Peninsula" is expected to cross the boundaries of Korea and spread the heat to overseas theaters. "Peninsula" has released the poster and "NO spoiler" video preview to prevent the spoiling of the movie's content.

The movie "Peninsula" revolves around the story taking place 4 years after "Train to Busan" - the hit that made a big splash - will finally premiere tomorrow (July 15). While everyone is waiting to see how Korea will turn out after the unprecedented havoc, the production team of "Peninsula" released the film's trailer and poster calling moviegoers not to "spoil" the movie. The "NO spoiler" trailer and poster of "Peninsula" parody its previous announced trailer and poster.

 

 

At content-leaking information appearing everywhere, the film side used such lines in the film as "If you want to live, do not spoil it", "Shut your mouth up!", etc. to request people to refrain from spoiling the film so as to ensure the fun for the viewers watching it later. The NO spoiler poster attached along also humorously expressed the wish that everyone can happily enjoy the blockbuster action movie only at the cinema this summer with the message "Live again after a series of spoilers."

Notably, with the record of having sold copyrights in 185 countries, "Peninsula" is slated to premiere first in Korea, then Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia in July and North American countries in August. Thus, through the poster and "NO spoiler" trailer, "Peninsula" wants to make sure that audiences around the world won't lose the feeling of eagerly waiting to see the movie.

"Peninsula" is an action blockbuster depicting the final battle of those who are left on the devastated land 4 years after the pandemic of "Train to Busan".

With an open world view, following "Seoul Station" and "Train to Busan", expectedly, "Peninsula" will draw the attention of Korean and international audiences to the car chase scenes never seen before in Korean movies and a strange image of Korea as a devastated land, besides the cinematic interesting features.

As summer 2020's most anticipated movie which will promisingly go beyond the Korean border and become popular in other countries' theaters, "Peninsula" will premiere in Korea on July 15.

My Daily = Reporter Kwak Myung Dong
Photo = New
Everything Idol, Everyday Exclusive
https://vtoday.vlive.tv/home

 

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http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200715000640
‘Peninsula’ invited to Spain’s Sitges film fest

 

By Choi Ji-won | Jul 15, 2020

 

“Peninsula” poster (NEW)

Director Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie thriller “Peninsula” has been invited to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in Spain.

 

According to the 2020 lineup announcement released by the festival organizers Tuesday, the film will compete at the 53rd edition of the festival slated to take place Oct. 8-18.

 

Sitges is considered one of the top three fantasy genre film festival in the world, along with Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival of Belgium and Oporto International Film Festival of Portugal.

 

In 2016, Yeon won the awards for best director and best special effects at Sitges with “Train to Busan,” the prequel to the recently released “Peninsula.” Also an active animation director, Yeon’s 2013 animation “The Fake” received the best animation award at the Spanish festival, and in 2016, “Seoul Station” -- a prequel to “Train to Busan” -- was nominated for the official fantastic competition.

 

While the film festival usually takes place annually in October at the coastal town of Sitges, Spain, it remains unclear whether the event will proceed as scheduled as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to force film festivals to cancel or change plans. The 73rd Cannes Film Festival for which “Peninsula” made the official selection list scrapped its mid-May event due to the virus situation.

 

Meanwhile, the film hit theaters in Korea on Wednesday and anticipates releases in over 180 countries.

 

By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

 

-----------

[Review] ‘Peninsula,’ Movie that Shares the Same Worldview with ‘Train to Busan’ But Tells a Completely Different Story
https://zapzee.net/2020/07/15/review-peninsula-movie-that-shares-the-same-worldview-with-train-to-busan-but-tells-a-completely-different-story/

[Helena]

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200713000600320
(News Focus) Pandemic-hit movie industry banks on summer rebound

By Chung Joo-won

 

SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- The new coronavirus pandemic has crippled every aspect of daily life as people increasingly opt to reduce contact, stay at home and shun visits to closed environments out of fear of contracting the virus.

 

But the movie industry, one of the sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak, is pinning hopes on a rebound during the summer, albeit far slower and weaker than expected, as the economy and people begin to limp back to normality.

 

"July will be our most important pacemaker for a rebound in the second half," said Hwang Jae-hyun, spokesperson of South Korea's leading cinema chain CJ CGV.

 

"Since the last week of June, 1.6 million people watched the film #Alive safely, without being infected (with the virus). It sent our customers a message that theaters are a safe place, as long as they wear masks," he added.

 

Brokerage houses also chimed in by saying that the cinema industry bottomed out in the second quarter, and the July-August season is likely to be a crucial juncture for the cinema multiplexes' rebound, they said.

 

"The postponed large-scale South Korean films will be rolled out in the third quarter, further fueling a gradual recovery," said Shinyoung Securities analyst Shin Soo-yeon.

 

The still photo provided by NEW on July 11, 2020, shows a scene from the South Korean zombie movie "Peninsula," starring actors Kang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

The still photo provided by Lotte Entertainment on July 2, 2020, shows a scene from the inter-Korean action flick "Steel Rain 2: Summit," starring actors Jung Woo-sung and Yoo Yeon-seok. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the movie industry since the first local case in late January.

 

In the January-June period of the year, the box-office admissions tumbled 70.3 percent on-year to 32.4 million viewers, according to data from the state-run Korea Film Council (KOFIC). Sales revenue plummeted 70.6 percent to 273.8 billion won (US$228 million).

 

By month, admissions plunged 67 percent on-year in February and 87.5 percent in March. The figure further worsened in April, falling by a record 92.7 percent, and was followed by another 91.6 percent dip in May.

 

But the sector witnessed some budding signs of a rebound.

 

The June tally slightly improved, tumbling 83.1 percent on-year.

 

More young viewers also came to theaters, according to Gook Seong-ho, a spokesperson of the country's second-largest cinema multiplex chain Lotte Cinema.

 

The portion of teenage customers jumped from 1.4 percent in January to 5 percent in March-June, with those in their 20s surging 21.2 percent to 32.3 percent, Lotte Cinema data showed.

 

The June recovery was smaller than what the industry had hoped, but blockbusters set to be released during the summer season may provide a respite to the movie industry.

 

Homegrown blockbusters will lead local theaters in July, with Hollywood mega-scale projects also set to take the baton in August.

 

The film "Peninsula," a sequel to the South Korean zombie blockbuster "Train to Busan," is set to hit local theaters Wednesday. The 16 billion-won project originally required about 5.24 million views to break even, but brisk overseas presales reduced the burden to 2.5 million views.

 

"Steel Rain 2: Summit," a sequel to the inter-Korean action flick "Steel Rain," will launch on July 29. The 12.1 billion-won project breaks even at 4 million viewers.

 

The release date of the hard-boiled crime action "Deliver Us from Evil" was pushed back to Aug. 5 from the originally set mid-July. The 13.8 billion-won project breaks even at 3.5 million viewers. The film was originally rated R but later cut some brutal scenes to obtain a PG-15 rating to boost ticket sales

 

Most anticipated Hollywood mega-projects have postponed their July releases.

 

Warner Bros. Pictures' blockbuster "Tenet" moved its local release to Aug. 12. The US$200–225 million project pushed back the release from the originally set end-July due to coronavirus fears.

 

Walt Disney's live action adaptation film "Mulan" also delayed its release to Aug. 21. The previous local release for the US$200 million project was July 24.

 

"We are waiting with our fingers crossed for the U.S. virus toll to go down," a CGV official said.

 

"A fast recovery in the second half requires higher ticket sales in both local and foreign films," he added.

 

In 2019, foreign films attracted 111 million viewers, or about 49 percent of the local box-office admissions.

 

Sales from foreign films set a new record at 943.2 billion won, with nine of the top 20 annual box-office hits being Hollywood blockbusters.

 

At present, local multiplexes can only seat up to 70 percent of their capacities, as part of an eased social distancing scheme.

 

The brokerage house Daeshin Securities Co. estimated the annual box-office admissions to reach 110 million in 2020 and 190 million in 2021, down from a record high 226.7 million in 2019.

 

jwc@yna.co.kr
(END)

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http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/07/15/2020071502002.html
High Box-Office Hopes for 'Train to Busan' Sequel

 

July 15, 2020

Yeon Sang-ho's "Peninsula," a sequel to his 2016 zombie flick "Train to Busan," hits theaters on Wednesday.

 

"Peninsula" is set four years after the first film and tells the story of people struggling to survive in the ruin after the zombies have destroyed the entire country.

 

With its eerie echoes of the coronavirus epidemic, the film swept the box office in advance ticket sales. Already over 135,000 tickets have been sold, accounting for 80.9 percent of all advance sales as of Tuesday morning, according to the Korean Film Council.

 

That breaks the record for advance sales this year set by another zombie flick, "#Alive," which accounted for 57.5 percent a day ahead of its release last month.

 

Starring Kang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, "Peninsula" has been invited to the Official Selection at this year's Cannes Film Festival, which was scheduled to take place in May but postponed indefinitely due to the epidemic.

 

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

 

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200715000765
[Herald Interview] Gang Dong-won falls for zombie genre while filming ‘Peninsula’

 

Zombie thrillers are action movies disguised as horror movies, Gang says

 

By Park Yuna | Jul 15, 2020

 

Actor Gang Dong-won (NEW)

 

Actor Gang Dong-won was not a big fan of zombie flicks until he starred in “Peninsula,” a zombie thriller that hit the theaters Wednesday. While filming the movie, he found himself physically challenged and his thoughts on zombie flicks have changed -- they are actually action movies disguised as horror movies, he said.

 

“Before I filmed ‘Peninsula,’ I was not really interested in zombie movies because I always thought that Asian ghosts that hold grudges were much scarier,” Gang said during a media interview conducted Tuesday in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. “Then, while shooting the film, I became physically exhausted because it was really hard to fight against zombies. And I realized the zombie thriller is more like an action movie.”

 

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the movie is the sequel to zombie thriller “Train to Busan,” which scored a major global success in the summer of 2016. “Peninsula” depicts how Korea has changed in the four years since “Train to Busan.”

 

The peninsula has become a land of zombies and survivors who have given up on sanity in a hopeless situation with savage madness. The zombies are faster and even more sensitive to sound and light.

 

Gang expressed his excitement about “Peninsula” being the first film to get a worldwide release since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

 

In June, the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World signed distribution deals in 185 countries. While the movie will be released simultaneously in Korea and Southeast Asian countries, it will hit theaters in the US in August and Japan in the fall, Gang said.

 

“In terms of opening scale, ‘Peninsula’s is much bigger than ‘Train to Busan,’” Gang added. “I hope the movie could vitalize movie theaters that have waned since the pandemic. If theaters collapse, the film industry ultimately will not be able to operate properly, I hope ‘Peninsula’ can become a breakthrough at this time.”

 

“Peninsula” is already the center of global attention. The movie made the list of the 2020 Official Selection of 56 films at the 73rd Cannes Film Festival, which was slated for May but canceled due to the pandemic. The movie was also invited to the 2020 Sitges Film Festival, a Spanish film festival scheduled for October.

 

“I was confident about ‘Peninsula’ itself but did not expect it would be invited to the Cannes because ‘Train to Busan’ was already screened at the film festival, and I thought that the sequel might not be considered fresh,” Gang said. “But I heard the reaction was quite good there and I was really very happy about it.”

 

While the film “Parasite” fascinated the international film market earlier this year, Korean films have been recognized in the international scene for their quality, including “Train to Busan” and director Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning” (2018).

 

“I have received a lot of contacts from friends in other countries who were impressed after watching Korean films. So I know there is a possibility of Korean films attracting international audiences,” Gang said. “I was also surprised that most people in the film industry knew of ‘Train to Busan. Korean film market is quite big, and there is a potential, absolutely.”

 

When Gang debuted as an actor in 2003, the public regarded him simply as a “young and handsome” actor rather than focusing on his talent. Gang, however, has constantly challenged himself in a variety of roles and is now one of the most renowned Korean actors.

 

Turning 40 this year, Gang said he is now encountering a new phase in life.  “I feel like I have become wiser and more composed compared to my younger self,” Gang said.  “But there is one thing I do not want to give up throughout my life – I don’t want to compromise with the world just to chase my own interests. That is my belief.

 

“I want to remain as an actor who also does his best with sincerity. That will never change,” he said.

 

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)
 

[Helena]

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2020/07/689_292868.html

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200715004800315
(Yonhap Interview) S. Korea's heartthrob actor Gang Dong-won plays not-so-prominent role in 'Peninsula'

 

Interviews 14:34 July 15, 2020

By Kim Boram

 

Gang Dong-won / Courtesy of NEW

 

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- Since the 2004 teen drama, "Romance of Their Own," Gang Dong-won has carved out a presence as a much adored actor of graceful posture and elegant actions with a long reach.

 

From his role in the martial arts film "Duelist" (2005) and the action comedy "Woochi" (2009) to the period action film "Kundo: Age of the Rampant" (2014) and the mystery thriller "The Priests" (2015), the model-turned-actor has easily wowed the audience from his first appearance on the screen.

 

Gang was still handsome as expected as a soldier who tries to help his family escape from South Korea overrun by the zombies of "Train to Busan," in the film's sequel directed by Yeon Sang-ho.

 

But Jung-seok, Gang's character in "Peninsula," is slightly different from his previous roles that always lead the whole story from the beginning to the end and whose charm and heroic actions were well highlighted in the films.

 

Spoiler

A scene from "Peninsula" provided by NEW (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Actor Gang Dong-won in this photo provided by NEW (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

A scene from "Peninsula" provided by NEW (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

"This movie tells the story from Jung-seok's point of view. He leads the audience to the Peninsula in the beginning," the actor said in an interview Tuesday. "But later, his role is to help other characters stand out, not himself."

 

Four years after his escape, Jung-seok returns to the devastated land to retrieve a huge hoard of cash that may change his life. On the verge of death, two teenage survivors in the anarchic land of Peninsula save his life and evade zombies hordes and scrappy human hunters in hot pursuit.

 

During a spectacular car chase, the heartthrob bounces up and down in the rear seat of the speeding car, bumps his head on the ceiling and faints.

 

"Director Yeon liked my acting in that scene. He said he didn't expect that I would act in such a lowly manner," he said, laughing. "But I thought I had to do more in order to help the young driver, Lee Re, look better."

 

But it was not easy for the seasoned actor with more than 15 years on the silver screen to be a humble protagonist and refrain from standing out.

 

"It's very tricky to portray such characters. Sometimes it's constrictive," he said. "I want to do something more. But when I cross the line, the character collapses. Nevertheless, I always feel there's more things that I should do."

 

Every time he faces such urge, the prolific actor tries to figure out the whole flow of the story and remind himself of his role, he said.

 

In "Peninsula," Jung-seok is a taciturn man who was hurt by the loss of his family during the escape four years ago. He was depressed and had no hope for living but feels stunned after meeting Lee Re's surviving family members in the hopeless land.

 

"For an actor, I think Jung-seok is not an attractive character. He is a strong fighter but inflexible," he said. "But his role is to support other lesser characters like the teenage driver and human hunters. It was interesting."

 

Consequently, "Peninsula" might be the first page of the second chapter of Gang's entertainment career that he is now preparing for.

 

Gang, who was once called a cultural icon in his 20s, said something might change in his life path as he will soon turn 40. The 39-year-old actor who began his modeling career in 2000 was one of the most sought-after models on the catwalk before moving to the big screen in 2004.

 

"One day, I realized that I've been working for about 20 years. My career in showbiz has lasted longer than my previous normal life," he said. "Now I can say I am becoming an adult."

 

"Peninsula" hits South Korean screens Wednesday.

 

brk@yna.co.kr
(END)

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http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200715000297
[Herald Interview] ‘Peninsula’ director says another sequel might follow

 

By Choi Ji-won | Jul 15, 2020

 

Director Yeon Sang-ho (NEW)

While director Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie universe expands over two films and one animation flick, the director says he never imagined he would do a series about zombies.

 

“When we were location hunting for ‘Train to Busan,’ we saw really shabby spots and jokingly talked about what a sequel might look like if we shot it there. I thought then that it would be fun if a little girl drove a huge dump truck and swept a zombie horde -- and that actually became the start to ‘Peninsula,’” Yeon said during a media interview conducted in Seoul on Monday.

 

He never knew that “Train to Busan” would be a hit in South Korea, let alone abroad, as there had never been a successful Korean zombie flick.

 

“We were even banned from using the word ‘zombie’ during our promotional events for ‘Train to Busan’ because the zombie flick was such a minor genre back then and the word might discourage audiences even before the film’s release. We would refer to them as ‘infected beings’ instead. I’m not sure what the exact characteristics of a ‘K-zombie’ are, but I think I took a gamble. Luckily, it worked out well.”

 

Thanks to the unexpected success of his first zombie film, Yeon got a chance to do a sequel, and another one might be on the horizon if “Peninsula” is received well globally.

 

“There could be another piece taking place in the same universe or not. We dropped a lot of ideas as we made ‘Peninsula,’ and we could develop the next story from those ideas. But this depends on whether the audience anticipates another one. If the viewers want more, of course we could make it. For example, I’m already hearing people are curious about what happened in the four years between (the two films), like a spinoff. We have all the possibilities open until the result comes out,” Yeon said.
 

Spoiler

"Peninsula" (NEW)

 

"Peninsula" (NEW)

 

While his smash-hit debut flick was a high-concept movie, Yeon said, with “Peninsula” he wanted to try something more experimental and interactive.

 

“I thought about what it would mean for people to come to the theater to watch a movie. It’s an experience,” Yeon said. “At the same time, postapocalyptic film was a trend in the international film scene and I wondered whether it would work in Korea. But I didn’t want to just pile up trash and call that postapocalyptic. I wanted to do it properly.”

 

The fictitious universe in which the zombie apocalypse takes place is the main character of “Peninsula,” according to Yeon. That’s why the cast of characters from “Train to Busan” did not reappear in the sequel.

 

Instead of making the story complex, he pushed through with a simple narrative, changing the setting several times early on to heighten the tension. The film starts four years back when Gong Yoo is headed to Busan on a train as the zombie disease breaks out. Gang Dong-won, as Jung-seok, is on his way to Incheon to board a ship out of the country. The first change of setting comes with Jung-seok’s arrival in Hong Kong.

 

“Hong Kong noir films were a huge hit back in my childhood, and I wanted to take that unique ambiance portrayed in Hong Kong films. The Hong Kong scenes in the start of the film depict that feeling,” Yeon said.

 

Spoiler

"Peninsula" (NEW)

 

The second change of setting, from Hong Kong back to Korea, accompanies a break from traditional gender stereotypes. The female hero, a teenage girl named Joon, drives a sport utility vehicle in the dark of the night, chasing a horde of zombies and racing against the villains of the mysterious Army Unit 631. She saves the male lead, Jung-seok -- a realistic, ordinary person who sees hope in Joon’s courageous acts.

 

“Joon and (her sister) Yu-jin represent the good in the film, and I wanted to illustrate them three-dimensionally. For example, back in the 1900s, we heard of 3- or 4-year-olds driving herds of cattle, but we can’t expect kids these days to do that. Although Joon’s driving might seem unrealistic to us, she has grown up in a postapocalyptic world, and to her zombies may not be something scary but ordinary. This fact enables Min-jung (played by Lee Jung-hyun) to endure what seems like a hopeless situation and why the film ironically sends a hopeful message,” Yeon said.

 

Yeon is famous as a workaholic who continually takes on new job titles -- not just director, but producer, screenwriter and webtoon author as well. Yeon wrote the script for the tvN fantasy-thriller “The Cursed” earlier this year and has another series, “Hellbound” (working title), coming to Netflix next year.

 

Prior to his debut in 2016, Yeon made dark, satirical animated films, including “Train to Busan” prequel “Seoul Station” and hits “The King of Pigs” (2011) and “The Fake” (2013).

 

About making supernatural films across the thriller, horror and occult genres, Yeon said: “I think fear of the unknown is innate in human beings. There are unexpected fortunes and misfortunes, and the anxiety we feel is also along the same lines. I believe all these fears about things we do not understand have turned into such genres, and I wanted to depict those universal fears that everyone experiences.”

 

“Peninsula” opened in theaters Wednesday.

By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

 

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https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2020/07/689_292847.html
[INTERVIEW] Yeon Sang-ho has no fear of trying new genres, crossover films

 

By Kwak Yeon-soo | 2020-07-15

 

Director Yeon Sang-ho poses before an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of NEW

 

Director Yeon Sang-ho says he has never been afraid of tackling new genres. In recent years, the animator and live-action filmmaker has gravitated toward the scope of blockbuster action films, opening the gateway for K-zombie flicks.

 

Well-known for his creative approach and smart storytelling skills, the filmmaker is back with "Peninsula," the sequel to 2016 mega-hit "Train to Busan."

 

Yeon confessed that he had initially been reluctant to direct a "Train to Busan" sequel because his 2016 film received such a strong reaction that he wondered if he could actually make another film to tell a new story.

 

"I honestly felt two ways about directing the sequel to Train to Busan. Many encouraged me to produce the second installment, but I wasn't sure if there's more story left to tell. It was when I started planning Peninsula that I found the joy of imagining the world in ruin," he said during an interview with The Korea Times.

 

Set four years after "Train to Busan," the upcoming blockbuster tells the story of survivors and a world overrun by zombies. Rather than picking up the story from where "Train to Busan" left off, the second installment involves a new story, characters and setting.

 

Gang Dong-won plays Jung-seok, a former soldier who returns to the zombie-packed peninsula on a mission, while Lee Jung-hyun plays Min-jung, a mother of two daughters and an uninfected survivor of the zombie apocalypse. She saves Jung-seok and his crew from a massive zombie attack and they join forces to escape the devastated land.

 

The director explained that audiences would be able to connect with the characters because they feel more real, as opposed to untouchable heroes. "I think Peninsula will be more readily relatable to Asian audiences," he said.

 

"Peninsula" is expected to be among the first films to greet moviegoers in the Asian film market in a while, as it is scheduled to be released in Singapore and Taiwan on July 15. Its North America release is scheduled for Aug. 7 through Well Go USA.

 

Regarding the Hong Kong street scenes that appear at the beginning of the film, Yeon revealed that they were actually shot at set locations in Korea.

 

"We scouted four filming locations in Korea that carry Hong Kong's distinctive architecture style," Yeon said.

 

"I selected Hong Kong as a place of refuge because I wanted to capture Hong Kong's vibe and its neo-noir traits. The Port of Hong Kong also enables Jung-seok and his crew to sail to the Port of Incheon," he said.

 

The 42-year-old filmmaker cited films such as "Land of the Dead," "The Road," "Mad Max" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" as inspirations for "Peninsula," stating that the inspiration for the dynamic car chase scenes were from George Miller's "Mad Max" franchise.

 

"I think it's okay to rely on something that's already well-established instead of trying something new as far as one reinterprets it in their own way," he said. "Compared with Mad Max, which presents long and straight roads, Peninsula features three-dimensional scenes that involve high-level roads, underground roadways and narrow alleys."

 

Yeon shared that he has been contemplating what the movie-going experience means today.
 

"Long before COVID-19 hit the world, I began to think about the advantages of watching films at cinemas. Cable dramas and over-the-top platforms have already surpassed film in artistic quality," he said. "I believe that theaters should center on the action genre and shift toward experience-oriented films."

 

The 16 billion won project originally required about 5.24 million audiences to break even, but overseas presales reduced the burden to 2.5 million views.

 

"Peninsula" is currently playing in cinemas nationwide.

[Helena]

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2020/07/15/entertainment/movies/Gang-Dongwon-Jungsuk-Peninsula/20200715170100454.html
Gang Dong-won returns to a post-apocalyptic big screen

 

July 15, 2020

 

Gang Dong-won [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

 

 

After his last box office flop “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” (2018), actor Gang Dong-won is back with the Cannes-approved “Peninsula,” in which he takes on the lead role of ex-soldier and survivor Jung-suk who returns to the no man’s land.

However, his fans might be disappointed with his latest character, who portrays none of Gang’s timeless charisma —rather, his character takes a back seat by serving as a guide who shows the audience how barren the city of Seoul has become after the zombie takeover. He's more of a passive protector who helps Min-jung, another survivor, and his family escape.

During an online press event held last month Gang had made it clear that it was the post-apocalyptic setting that drew him to the film, not the character of Jung-suk, and that he was very well aware of Jung-suk’s submissiveness from the beginning.

 

Spoiler

Actor Gang Dong-won as ex-soldier Jung-suk who returns to the peninsula. [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

 

“Whenever I portray that kind of [passive] character, it’s always stifling and complicated,” Gang said in a press interview on Tuesday at a café in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. “Even though I want to do more, the moment I try to, the character comes toppling down. From the start of filming, I had to tone down from the character I had initially designed even though the whole narrative of the film is mainly seen from Jung-suk’s point of view. The premise was that I had to assist other characters in order for the film to come alive. [Still], during every take, I felt like I needed to do more. Whenever I feel that, I try to remember the bigger picture and suppress my urges to add more to the character.”

Gang says he does see some similarities between himself and his character.

 

Spoiler

After losing his sister and nephew, Jung-suk loses all hope until he meets Min-jung's family in the peninsula. [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

 

“We both try to be reasonable,” Gang said. “But [at the start of the film] I would have let Min-jung and the child get in the car after seeing that they look unharmed [by the zombies], I’m not sure about the guy though. He had blood all down his front, so maybe he could get in the trunk of the car. If he’s infected, then I could shoot him right [when I opened the trunk]. But I guess Jung-suk was more worried for his family, which is why he turned away [from their cries of help].”

Jung-suk loses all hope and remains somewhat skeptical of Min-jung and his family’s chances of escaping. After he decides to stick around and help them, he fluctuates between being hopeful and pessimistic. When asked what he thinks caused the changes in his character's emotions, Gang said the fact that there were people who were still living humanely on the peninsula was what triggered the hopefulness.

“That would have prompted him to reflect on himself, because he’s lived a much more comfortable life than did [Min-jung’s family], but even he lost all hope,” Gang said. “I think during [the four years] that Jung-suk spent living a rough life as a refugee in Hong Kong that he hadn’t met even one warm-hearted being.

“However, after seeing people in a worse position than he was in — but still living with hope — he would have felt that this was what hope was,” Gang said. “The nature of hope, I think, lies in one’s attitude. No matter what kind of difficult phase you’re going through, if you live with the mindset that a good day will come eventually, then that’s what becomes hope.”

Gang also takes pride in participating in the first post-apocalypse film set in Korea.

 

Spoiler

Gang Dong-won [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

 

“That was what drew me to the film in the first place,” Gang said. “To have the reality we live in destroyed and show various sides of humanity in very extreme conditions [of a post-apocalypse]. The scene I found most refreshing was when Troop 631 lived like beasts. Also the fact that kids took control of the circumstances through their driving skills felt original too. The overall narrative was a perfect blend of originality, familiarity and the post-apocalyptic universe which translated to a high quality script.”

Gang says the biggest change he noticed in himself was his newfound understanding of what attracts audiences to zombie movies, which he hadn't been a fan of before.

“I came to realize that zombie films are essentially action films in the disguise of horror,” Gang said. “I see zombies as the Western version of ghosts. While we are more afraid of spiritual ghosts, it’s the opposite for the West. The charisma of zombies lies in their physical horror— fighting zombies is close to dealing with dangerous beasts. So for those who might be stressed out from the psychological pressure of horror, [zombies] can be a seller [globally].”

 

Gang Dong-won [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

 

Gang is an actor who stays out of the limelight.

His first reality show appearance was last year, 16 years since his debut in 2003 on YouTube channel Monotube which shares the ordinary lives of celebrities.

Through the clips, fans were able to peek into Gang’s life in Los Angles, where he stayed for a year to film his Hollywood debut “Tsunami LA.” (The release schedule for the film has yet to be finalized.)

The actor says he prefers living life that way.

 

Gang Dong-won [NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD]

 

“Social media is not an important aspect of my life,” he explained. “I would rather meet my friends, and I don’t really like taking pictures anyway. There isn’t much in my life that I would especially like to share with others. It’s not my taste.

“But I really do respect other stars who voice their opinions,” he added. “But I would rather tell mine through films. As much as it takes courage to speak up, I think it takes just as much courage to stay silent. It can be frustrating sometimes. (laughs). But that’s just how I am.”

The actor vows to continue acting for as long as he can.

“When I received the Rookie Award for ‘Romance of My Own ‘(2004), I said in my acceptance speech that ‘I would act passionately until I die,’” Gang said. “It’s one of the merits of being an actor— there’s no retirement. But of course, there needs to be demand in order to provide supply.

“I once thought, if I became terminally ill, or was dying due to old age, I would like to portray a role like that,” he said. “I think I saw a film like that once, where the actor was dying from cancer and took on a role where he was dying. To be able to die while in the midst of shooting, I think that’s a good way to go, as an actor.”

 

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

 

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https://zapzee.net/2020/07/15/kang-don-won-shows-his-pride-in-movie-peninsula/
Kang Dong Won Shows His Pride in Movie ‘Peninsula’

 

by krishkim
 

Two years after Illang: The Wolf Brigade, Kang Dong Won has returned to the big screen. He finally met the audience with Peninsula, his first zombie movie.

 

In a round interview held on July 14, Kang Dong Won showed his confidence, saying, “I was actually worried that the theaters might be empty. But I’m glad that it got released. I think it’s a really great movie. The audience who visited the theaters after a long time will not be disappointed.”

 

What was the motivation for him to star in Peninsula, the sequel of Train to Busan?

 

“The sequel should be better than the prequel, but it’s not easy. The director’s vision impressed me, and it was different from Train to Busan. Just in time, I wanted to work on a post-apocalypse movie. I read the script as I imagined the details, and it was a lot of fun.”

 

Kang Dong Won said that he usually enjoys scary movies, especially the occult genre. And he laughed as he said that he finally got to try a zombie movie, but it turned out to be more of an action film than a horror film.

 

“I usually watch the occult films, so I never really watched the zombie movies. They feel less scary for me. But when I filmed Peninsula, it felt more like an action movie than a horror movie. Working on The Priests, psychology took a big part, but this time, it was more about the physical actions. I kind of understood why Train to Busan attracted 10 million viewers, and why people loved the movie so much.”

 

The speedy car-chasing scenes stand out in Peninsula. Kang Dong Won mentioned that it was hard to imagine car-chasing scenes while reading the script and that he was most curious about whether it would be possible technically.

 

“I thought for sure that the live-action would be impossible and wondered if the visual effects would even be possible. But it was possible. After seeing it in person, I felt sorry for the visual effects teams. Technology has advanced a lot. The visual effects team was always present at the scene.”

 

Jung Seok, played by Kang Dong Won, is not a character that stands out clearly in the play.

 

“The character is important, but this time, I really wanted to participate in the movie itself. I talked a lot with the director to make the movie more fun. Especially, we discussed a lot about Jung Seok’s emotions. Rather than making myself stand out, I thought there should be a device that makes the audiences feel more, and I came up with lots of ideas.”

 

Peninsula has been named in “Cannes Official Selection 2020.” However, no offline events will be held in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“It’s a bit disappointing, but I received a lot of congratulations. Of course, it would be more amazing if we got to walk on the red carpet, but it’s an honor in itself to be selected.”

 

Kang Dong Won picked SF and the horror genre as the projects he wants to challenge in the future.

 

“To be honest, I chose the films if they are interesting, regardless of the genre. The technology has developed tremendously, and I want to challenge my first SF film. Personally, I want to make a horror film that would leave a footmark in history for shocking the entire world with its one of a kind terror.”

 

Source (1)

 

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

 

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200715009400315
(Yonhap Interview) Yeon Sang-ho shows off his versatility in 'Peninsula'

 

By Kim Boram

 

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- This summer, versatile director Yeon Sang-ho has returned to the big screen with "Peninsula," a sequel to the smash-hit zombie thriller "Train to Busan" (2016).

 

"There have been requests for a follow-up to 'Train to Busan,' and I liked the idea but didn't expect to direct it at first," Yeon said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday. "After rounds of brainstorming, I decided to make it a post-apocalyptic action film like 'Mad Max 2' (1981) and 'Waterworld' (1995)."

 

Taking place in the same universe as its predecessor, "Peninsula," starring Gang Dong-won, features the abandoned land of South Korea, where the government collapsed after a zombie outbreak four years before.

 

Jung-seok (played by Gang), a former soldier who escaped the country four years before, returns to the peninsula and fights against the walking dead, which get stronger and faster, and a group of human hunters in the zombie-hit land.

 

The director said his latest movie portrays people who struggle to survive in the hopeless country where humans lose their humanity and hope.

 

Soldiers of a military unit, who were first assigned to protect the lives of people from zombie attacks but become human hunters, represent the reality of the post-apocalyptic dystopia, he added.

 

"In a zombie movie, the first outbreak causes great tension and it's interesting," he said. "But after that, survivors or zombies are under the spotlight."

 

To materialize the post-apocalyptic world in "Peninsula," he displayed his ability as a jack-of-all-trades who has had many titles other than film director -- producer, animation director, web cartoon writer and TV series screenwriter.

 

As a surefire animation director whose first feature-length animation, "The King of Pigs" (2011), was picked up by Cannes, Yeon created the eye-catching car chase scenes of "Peninsula" in 3D animation first as a playbook before going into filming.

 

He just filmed some scenes of actors and actresses driving or shooting in the car and wove the cuts with the computer-based version later.

 

"It must be very expensive to build all the settings of my movie in the real world to present the imaginary post-apocalypse," he said. "Nearly all settings and backgrounds are computer graphic works."

 

Even though his third full-length film project, which was invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival, has been completed, the multifaceted director is still busy with his crossover works on other platforms.

 

He is now working on dramatizing his webtoon "Hell" as a Netflix original series. Earlier this year, he also wrote the 12-episode mystery horror "The Cursed" (2020) on tvN.

 

"I've been thinking of the characteristics of each platform as a commercial content creator," the all-around director said. "Some TV dramas have cinematic styles, and streaming services make their own movies as well."

 

Thanks to those off-screen projects, however, Yeon knew what he needed when creating a film to attract more people to theaters.

 

"When I was a child, I was so excited to go to theaters to see American sci-fi series like 'RoboCop,' 'Terminator' or 'Jurassic Park,'" the 41-year-old director said.  "I made the film while constantly trying to recall those memories. I hope people feel excited and entertained after watching 'Peninsula.'"

 

"Peninsula" is showing in theaters from Wednesday.

 

brk@yna.co.kr
(END)

[Helena]

 [Reposting from Kim Hye-soo thread since the male lead is Kang Dong-won (according to DC)]

 

Note: I summarized Weibo recaps of dc postings. details are not confirmed (for discussion here only)

 

1. Kim Hye-soo’s big TV drama (period drama) next year, male lead is a 'film superstar'.
This top actor (not in TV dramas) starred in many movies.
Names in comments: Ryu Jun-yeol, Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun (Response: NO)
Names in comments: Kang Dong-won, Ha Jung-woo (no response)
Asked whether he’s Ha Jung-woo (no response)
Asked whether he’s old (Response: Younger than Kim Hye-soo)

 

EDIT: Seems like the 'movie superstar' co-star is Kang Dong-won and filming will start at the end of the year.

 

[Throwback] This picture's from party celebrating the 50th anniversary of actress Yoon Yeo-jung's debut in December 2016 (source)

Left to Right: Lee Seo-jin, Jung Yu-mi, Jeon Do-yeon, Yoon Yeo-jung, Kim Go-eun, singer Kim Soo-cheol, Kim Hye-soo, Kang Dong-won, Choi Hwa-jung, Park Hae-il

 

-----

 

In one of the 'Peninsula' interviews, he was asked about TV Dramas (he's often asked if he's willing to accept a TV drama.  He mentioned director Yoon Jong-bin (who worked with him in 2014 movie 'Kundo')....

<let me go look for this interview, will re-read and update this part>

[Helena]

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200716003851315

(LEAD) 'Peninsula' sets opening-day box office record for 2020

 

(ATTN: UPDATES with overseas box office scores from 4th para)

 

SEOUL, July 16 (Yonhap) -- The zombie thriller "Peninsula" attracted more than 350,000 moviegoers on the first day of its release, marking this year's highest opening-day attendance in South Korean cinema slumped by the coronavirus, its distributor said Thursday.

 

The sequel to the 2016 mega-hit zombie blockbuster "Train to Busan" drew 352,926 viewers on Wednesday, according to the Next Entertainment World Co. It beat this year's highest first-day score of about 252,000 set by "The Man Standing Next" in January.

 

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, "Peninsula" tells a tale of survivors on the zombie-infested Korean Peninsula four years after the events in "Train to Busan."

 

The flick made a strong overseas debut on the same day.

 

In Singapore, "Peninsula" racked up 147,000 Singapore Dollars (US$106,000) on Wednesday to record a record-high first day showing by a South Korean film in the country. The fantasy "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" (2018) had the highest grossing first day in Singapore for a Korean film with 119,000 Singapore Dollars, followed by "Train to Busan" (2016) and "Parasite" (2019).

 

At the Taiwanese box office, the "Peninsula" earned $800,000 on Wednesday, ahead of $770,000 tallied by "Train to Busan" four years ago.

 

The new movie was officially invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival and pre-sold to over 180 nations and territories, including Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Britain, and France.

 

It will hit North American screens on Aug. 8, after being released in Vietnam on July 24 and in New Zealand on Aug. 6.
 

A scene from "Peninsula" by NEW (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)

 

--

 

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200716000770
‘Peninsula’ scores biggest opening of the year, shakes up COVID-19-hit film scene

 

The film marks best opening day sales for a Korean movie in Singapore, Taiwan

 

By Choi Ji-won | Jul 16, 2020 

 

“Peninsula” poster for Taiwan (NEW)

 

 

“Peninsula” on Wednesday opened the doors of the summer movie season with record-high ticket sales for this year’s box office.

 

The sequel of to smash-hit zombie thriller “Train to Busan” attracted over 350,000 moviegoers to theaters on its release day, the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World said through a statement on Thursday. The Korean Film Council’s tally stood at 277,964 due to a computational error, the state-run agency explained.

 

The figure is the highest opening-day ticket sales in almost 176 days, since the release of “The Man Standing Next,” which opened in January before the virus pandemic started to chase away theatergoers from indoor cinemas. The drama flick starring actors Lee Byung-hun and Kwak Do-won attracted around 252,000 viewers on Jan. 22, its first day in theaters. “#Alive,” which topped the box office chart for three weeks straight starting on June 24 garnered 204,071 moviegoers on its first day.

 

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, KOFIC data showed “Peninsula” made up 85.8 percent of all movie tickets reserved that day.

 

Coming from director Yeon Sang-ho, “Peninsula” is one of the most-anticipated Korean films this year. The film features headlining actors Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun in the lead roles, telling the story of survivors four years after the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse in Korea.

 

The overall number of theatergoers hit 296,781 on Wednesday, according to KOFIC, which is the highest daily figure so far this month.

 

The successful debut of “Peninsula” casts hope for the movie industry as local cinemas continue to struggle for normalization. Although the numbers have been inching up since early June, concerns of infection inside of closed spaces and a lack of new titles seem to be holding back a full recovery.

 

Meanwhile, the film -- which has been pre-sold to over 190 countries -- is enjoying huge success outside of Korea as well. The film opened in Singapore and Taiwan on the same day as it did in South Korea, and set a record for best opening day ticket sales for a Korean movie in both countries.

 

By Choi Ji-won(jwc@heraldcorp.com)
 

-

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1413224wpp/lee-jung-hyun-talks-about-her-first-impression-of-kang-dong-won-excitement-for-ssak3s-debut-and-more
Lee Jung Hyun Talks About Her First Impression Of Kang Dong Won, Excitement For SSAK3’s Debut, And More

by C. Hong | Jul 16, 2020

 

On July 16, Lee Jung Hyun sat down for an interview to promote her new film “Peninsula.”

 

“Peninsula” is the sequel to “Train to Busan” and takes place four years later, starring Kang Dong Won, Lee Jung Hyun, Lee Re, Kwon Hae Hyo, Kim Min Jae, and more. “Peninsula” recently achieved the highest number of first-day moviegoers recorded by any film since South Korea raised its COVID-19 threat alert level in February.

 

In the interview, Lee Jung Hyun thanked viewers for going to see the film. She said, “I was so happy. So many people came despite the current state of affairs. The movie theaters are having a hard time right now, so I was happy to think that our film could be of some help. We always worried about whether people would come see the film during COVID-19. We even asked the director if it was okay to release the movie. We didn’t know that so many people would come when it was released, so thank you very much.”

 

About her character, Min Jung, she said, “She’s a tough mom with a strong maternal love. Her fighting power comes from her maternal love, so I was attracted to the character. I also really enjoyed reading the script.”

 

Of her first impressions of her co-star, Kang Dong Won, she said, “He’s so cool. His proportions are so good that I thought, ‘Can he really be human?’ No wonder everyone says, ‘Kang Dong Won.’ After we started talking together, I found that he is so kind and respectful. He’s so kind and he thinks only about the movie.” She added with a laugh, “I don’t even think he dates.”

 

She continued, “I realized why his female fans like him so much. I don’t think I’ve ever see a bad side of him. He’s very shy, but at other times he seems like a prankster. He’s just so, so kind. He doesn’t seem aware of his stardom at all.”

 

About Lee Re and Lee Ye Won, who played her daughters, she said, “I think that child actors now are different from child actors of the past. They were so mature and good at adapting. At our first rehearsal together, they followed me around and said, ‘Mom, Mom.’ I was so impressed by their emotional acting that I thought it would be nice if I could have daughters like them.”

 

She continued, “It turns out that Ye Won’s mother is two years younger than me. She’s a fan, so I think she showed Ye Won clips of me when I was a singer. I feel like I know Ye Won really well. She’s so cute. I think Lee Re’s mom also told her about me.”

 

Lee Jung Hyun was famous for being a techno singer in the early 2000s. During the interview, she talked about SSAK3, which is a “How Do You Play?” project in which Yoo Jae Suk, Lee Hyori, and Rain prepare for their debut as a 90s-style co-ed group.

 

“I’ve been watching ‘How Do You Play?’ recently,” she said. “I promoted around the same time as Lee Hyori and Rain, so I was happy to see them again on TV. When Jung Ji Hoon [Rain]’s ‘Gang’ became a belated hit, I was more excited. It was a welcome sight to see Lee Hyori again. It made me think of my days as a singer again.”

 

She added, “I don’t have plans right now to promote as a singer. Before the coronavirus, I did a concert for 5000 people in China. I’d like to stand on stage if I have the chance. I’ll be recreating some of my performances on ‘Master in the House‘ this week.”

 

Check out Lee Jung Hyun in the latest episode of “Master in the House” below!

WATCH NOW

 

Source (1) (2)

[Helena]

https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?seq=393&mode=VIEW

Peninsula

 

by Pierce Conran | Jul 14, 2020

2020 | 116 MIN | Drama
DIRECTOR YEON Sang-ho
CAST GANG Dong-won, LEE Jung-hyun, LEE Re, KWON Hae-hyo, KIM Min-jae, KOO Kyo-hwan
RELEASE DATE July 15, 2020
CONTACT Contents Panda
Tel +82 2 3490 9300 
Fax +82 2 6902 0286 
Email webmaster@its-new.co.kr

Just three weeks after #ALIVE, zombies are once again coming to the rescue of the local box office, as Peninsula, the hotly anticipated sequel to TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) is poised for a massive debut on July 15. The film was warmly received at its press screening last week and was invited as part of the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival this year, which announced a lineup this year without staging any screenings.

Peninsula takes place four years after the events of TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) and starts in Hong Kong with Jung-seok (GANG Dong-won), who escaped Korea when it fell to a zombie pandemic. He is given an opportunity to return to Korea and retrieve a large amount of unclaimed cash but during his mission his team is ambushed by a militia group, as well as hordes of zombies. He is saved by Min-jung (LEE Jung-hyun) and her family and together they try to escape the peninsula for good.

With a much larger budget and an all-new cast, Peninsula once again reinvents what is now a zombie trilogy, which began with the animated Seoul Station (2016), produced before but released just after TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016). The action-packed summer blockbuster features thrilling car chases and zombie death matches with nods to beloved action classics such as Mad Max and Escape from New York.

The film opens day and date in several other Asian markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore, and has already secured sales to 185 countries. It’s scheduled to hit theaters in North America on August 7.

 

——————————————————————-

 

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200718002400315

Zombie film 'Peninsula' tops 1 mln admissions on 4th day

 

SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- The zombie action film "Peninsula" topped 1 million admissions in South Korea on Saturday, the fourth day of its run, the film's distributor said.

Released Wednesday, the sequel to the 2016 megahit zombie blockbuster "Train to Busan" attracted 1.01 million viewers as of 8:10 a.m., according to Next Entertainment World Co., or NEW.

Its pace matched that of the 2014 drama "Ode to My Father," the fourth-most watched film at the South Korean box office with a total of 14.3 million moviegoers.

On the opening day, it drew 350,000 viewers to set the highest first-day score in 2020.

 

Director Yeon Sang-ho (L) and cast members of the zombie action film "Peninsula" celebrate the film's surpassing of 1 million in total admissions on July 18, 2020, in this photo provided by NEW. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

[picture]
A scene from "Peninsula" by NEW (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

Meanwhile, it is also on a roll outside Korea, topping box offices in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia where "Peninsula" hit local screens this week.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, "Peninsula" tells a tale of survivors on the zombie-infested Korean Peninsula four years after the events in "Train to Busan."

The new movie was officially invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival and pre-sold to over 180 nations and territories, including Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Britain, and France.

brk@yna.co.kr
(END)

—————

 

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/07/20/2020072001642.html
Zombie Flick 'Peninsula' Draws More Than 1 Million Viewers in 4 Days

By Lee Tae-hoon | July 20, 2020

Yeon Sang-ho's "Peninsula," a sequel to his 2016 zombie flick "Train to Busan," attracted over 1.3 million moviegoers in four days following its release on July 15.

The film drew over 350,000 viewers on its release date and passed the 1 million mark on Saturday morning, the Korean Film Council said on Sunday.

Its pace matches "Ode to My Father," the fourth most-viewed film in Korean box office history.

A woman gets a ticket from a self-service kiosk at a theater in Seoul on Sunday. /Newsis

The film was much anticipated ahead of its release, as it stars heartthrob Kang Dong-won and was invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival, while word of mouth started to spread about its special effects including a spectacular car chase scene after the release.

Industry insiders expect the film to serve as a big draw that will bring people back to theaters amid the coronavirus epidemic, which hit the film industry hard.

[Sabrina Borges]

hello, i was wondering if anyone can translate what dong won said in this interview, i would be very happy, thank you.

 

 

[Penn Sylvan]

He is basically saying that he is happy the movie features and female adult and female child leads instead of all male lead like a lot of korean movies have. He thinks this is a good direction for korean movies to continue in.

[Helena]

He said in a recent interview that his English had gotten better (lived in LA for a year for movie ‘Tsunami LA’), he could understand news reports on CNN now (he couldn’t catch on before). 

 

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2020/07/689_293046.html
Zombie blockbuster shows the way

 

2020-07-19

Posters for "Peninsula" are on display at a theater in Seoul, Sunday. The zombie blockbuster surpassed 1 million admissions in Korea on Saturday, the fourth day of its run, according to its distributor Next Entertainment World. / Yonhap

 

[Helena]

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200720000407
‘Peninsula’ leads Asian box office upon release

 

By Choi Ji-won | Jul 20, 2020

“Peninsula” English poster (NEW)

“Peninsula” -- a loose sequel to smash-hit zombie flick “Train to Busan” -- topped box office charts in all four countries where it opened over the last five days. 

The film swept through box offices in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, according to the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday, bringing moviegoers back into local cinemas and reviving the COVID19-hit film scene.

“Peninsula” has sold more than 1.8 million tickets in Korea since opening on Wednesday, including 960,000 over the weekend, box office data from the state-run Korean Film Council showed. The film is soon to outperform another recent hit “#Alive,” starring Yoo Ah-in, which opened on June 24 and had attracted 1.85 million moviegoers as of Sunday, KOFIC data showed.

In Taiwan and Singapore -- where the film was opened Wednesday -- “Peninsula” raised $800,000 and $147,000, respectively, at the box offices on the opening day, exceeding figures marked by the previous film in both countries. 

The distributor added that the post-apocalyptic movie is currently ranking first for film reservation rate in Vietnam -- where the film is slated to hit local theaters on July 24 -- outperforming the prebooking record set by auteur Bong Joon-ho’s award-sweeping “Parasite” in June 2019. 

“Peninsula” is helmed by Yeon Sang-ho, who also directed “Train to Busan” and “Seoul Station” in the same cinematic timeline. It features top actors Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun. The new film takes place on the Korean Peninsula four years after the outbreak of an unexplained disease, showing survivors’ struggles for hope inside the globally abandoned land.

“Peninsula” is expected to open in more than 180 countries, including New Zealand on Aug. 6, Finland, Sweden, Norway and North America on Aug. 7 and Australia, Russia, India and the Philippines later in August. 
 

 

By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

 

—————

 

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200720003900315
S. Korean box office roused with 'Peninsula' boon over weekend

SEOUL, July 20 (Yonhap) -- "Peninsula," director Yeon Sang-ho's new zombie apocalypse blockbuster, provided a much-needed boost to the South Korean box office over the weekend, attracting nearly 1 million viewers to cinemas hampered by the new coronavirus during the first half of 2020.

According to data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), "Peninsula" drew 959,723 moviegoers over the Saturday-Sunday period, steamrolling "#Alive," another South Korean zombie film starring Yoo Ah-in, while Hollywood film "Bombshell" came second and third, drawing 18,049 and 16,009 attendees, respectively.

The combined attendees of "Peninsula" reached 1,804,053 as of Sunday and is soon expected to break the 2-million mark. The film opened at the local box office last Wednesday.

The industry is pinning its hopes on "Peninsula" to break the awful dry spell of the local film industry decimated by COVID-19.

In the January-June period of the year, box-office admissions tumbled 70.3 percent on-year to 32.4 million viewers, according to KOFIC. Sales revenue plummeted 70.6 percent to 273.8 billion won (US$228 million).

By month, admissions plunged 67 percent on-year in February and 87.5 percent in March. The figure worsened in April, falling by a record 92.7 percent, and was followed by another 91.6 percent dip in May.

Starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, "Peninsula" is the long-awaited sequel to "Train to Busan," the top-grossing film in South Korea in 2016. "Peninsula" was selected for the official lineup of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

"Peninsula" has also been sold to 185 nations and territories, including Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Britain, France and Italy, according to the film's distributor NEW.

The film tells a tale of survivors on the zombie-infested Korean peninsula four years after the events in "Train to Busan." It follows protagonist Jung-suk, who escaped the Korean Peninsula after the events from four years before, returning for a mission.

odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)

 

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http://en.tenasia.com/archives/106724
‘Peninsula’ Draws in 1.8 Million Moviegoers Within 5 Days of Its Release

 

Posted on July 19, 2020 by You Jung

 

[picture]
Movie poster for ‘Peninsula’ / Photo: NEW

All signs are pointing to Peninsula becoming a box-office smash.

According to the Korea Box-Office Information System (KOBIS), Peninsula attracted 959,727 moviegoers on the 18th and 19th, which was the first weekend of its release. To date, the film has drawn 1,804,117 moviegoers.

Peninsula is an action blockbuster that takes place four years after the end of its prequel, Train to Busan, and it shows the final battle engaged in by those left behind in the wastelands of the Korean peninsula. Following the massive success of Train to Busan, Peninsula is off to a promising start by drawing in 1.8 million audience members within a mere five days of its release. At the current rate, the film should be able to hit the 2 million mark within a few days.

Peninsula is also getting rave reviews in other countries across Asia, where the film was released simultaneously. The film has stayed at the top of box offices in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia from its opening day to the weekend, and in Vietnam where it has yet to be released, Peninsula has surpassed the pre-sales record of Parasite and is currently No. 1 in pre-sales in the country.

The early box-office success of Peninsula is garnering attention as it shows that the film has been able to overcome the unfavorable conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Peninsula, films such as Steel Rain 2: Summit and Deliver Us From Evil are set to be released in theaters. The industry will no doubt be paying close attention to see whether the surge in ticket sales due to the release of Peninsula will be able to invigorate the movie industry in the long term.

[Helena]

https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/peninsula-korea-box-office-1234710751/
Korea’s ‘Peninsula’ Blasts to $20.8 Million Opening Weekend Across Asia

By Patrick Frater | July 20, 2020

The much-awaited release of “Peninsula” in South Korea lived up to the hype, despite capacity limitations and other social distancing measures imposed across the nation’s cinemas.

With number one openings in four other Asian territories, it finished the weekend with a $20.8 million cumulative score.

In Korea, the “Train to Busan” sequel earned a thumping $9.20 million over the weekend from 2,575 screens, giving it an unapproachable 93% market share. Including revenues earned in the first days after its Wednesday release, “Peninsula” completed its first five days in Korean theaters with a cumulative of $13.2 million for distributor Next Entertainment World. It sold 1.23 million tickets over the weekend and 1.80 million over five days.

“Peninsula” easily pushed aside older titles that had been playing in Korea since cinemas reopened. “Bombshell,” which opened on July 8, added $158,000 for a cumulative of $984,000 after three weekends. Korean hit, “#Alive” earned $150,000 in its fifth weekend on release, for a cumulative score of $13.0 million.

In overseas territories, “Peninsula” also did strong business. In Taiwan, where it is handled by MovieCloud, it earned $4.7 million over five days. With some 2,300 screenings per day, it enjoyed a market share of 76%. In Malaysia, it topped the box office for four days. Those four days and midnight screenings on Wednesday combined for a $955,000 (RM4.07 million) total. In Singapore, “Peninsula” had five days of release and became the top opening Korean film of all time, besting the “Train To Busan” opening weekend by Saturday – despite 50 seats per hall restrictions. In Vietnam, it played for three days from Friday and topped the chart each day. Including sneak previews from July 17, it earned $1.17 million.

“Peninsula” will next open in Thailand, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Cambodia.

The film’s opening performance also handed the Imax theater circuit its first $1 million weekend in several weeks. Within the Korean total, “Peninsula” earned $365,000 from 18 Imax screens. That was the fourth highest-scoring weekend for a Korean-language film in Imax, despite the capacity limitations.

The arrival of “Peninsula” in Korean theaters did not come a moment too soon. Data released recently by the Korean Film Councils showed box office tumbling by 70%, to just $228 million, in the first six months of the year, compared with the first half of 2019.

Admissions were down 67% in February, 88% in March, 93% in April and 92% in May, before beginning to turn the corner. In June, admissions were down 83% year-on-year.

In the absence of confirmed dates for major Hollywood movies, major Korean titles are now lining up their releases. “Steel Rain 2: Summit” will release on July 29, and crime-actioner “Deliver Us From Evil” is targeting Aug. 5.

 

—————

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/train-to-busan-peninsulas-singapore-weekend-box-office-cheers-cinema
Train To Busan: Peninsula's Singapore weekend box office cheers cinema operators

 

Spoiler

By John Lui (Film Correspondent)

[picture]
Train To Busan: Peninsula steamrolled its way to a weekend box-office record for a South Korean movie in Singapore. PHOTO: CLOVER FILMS

SINGAPORE - The first weekend of box-office take after the reopening of cinemas on July 13 appears to show that audiences are coming back to cinemas.

The zombie movie Train To Busan: Peninsula steamrolled its way to a weekend box-office record for a South Korean movie in Singapore by taking $962,000 from Thursday to Sunday.

The movie, about a team of survivors fighting their way out of the zombie-overrun Korean peninsula, pushes the first movie in the franchise, Train To Busan (2016) with its first weekend earnings of $611,000, to second place. Period action film The Battleship Island (2017) is now third at $460,000.

The stellar performance of Peninsula, which opened on 97 screens, comes despite new hygiene measures such as the limit of 50 persons per screening and a 1m social distance between groups.

Such measures have limited seating capacity to about 25 per cent of normal.

Cinema operators The Straits Times spoke to were also carrying out more intensive disinfecting routines between screenings, leading to fewer screenings.

The resurgence in traffic bodes well for Hollywood blockbusters, which have been held back from release until August and beyond.

Cinemas were closed from March 27 in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but there were signs before then that film-goers were staying away for fear of infection.

A spokesman for Shaw Theatres, which has seven outlets currently in operation, says they "did better than anticipated" over the opening weekend.

Peninsula performed well for them, as did the biographical film Escape From Pretoria.

‘’"We believe patrons will come back to the cinema when there is a popular title and knowing that the cinema has all the necessary safe management measures in place," the spokesman said.

A spokesman for Cathay Cineplexes, which operates in eight locations, said that "it is still early days but we are encouraged by the response of our guests".

The strong performance of Peninsula shows that "people are still very much looking forward to the movie experience in the cinemas, that they feel safe and are willing to go through the safety measures for that".

 

——————

 

https://www.screendaily.com/news/peninsula-grosses-20m-from-first-five-asian-territories/5151708.article
‘Peninsula’ grosses $20m from first five Asian territories

BY JEREMY KAY | 20 JULY 2020

Zombie horror Peninsula has grossed approximately $20m in less than a week in its first five territories led by South Korea, ranking number one everywhere.

Yeon Sang-ho’s follow-up to Train To Busan and Cannes 2020 Official Selection has amassed $13.2m through NEW in its native South Korea and ranked top at the box office since it opened on July 15.

The film has held on to number one in Singapore in its first five days, earning $795,000 (1.1m SGD) through Clover Films. It scored the highest opening weekend ever for a South Korean film and by Saturday had exceeded the opening weekend record set by Train To Busan.

Peninsula has claimed 76% market share in Taiwan, where it stands at $4.7m via Movie Cloud since the July 15 debut.

In Malaysia the film has delivered $955,000 (RM 4.07m) via Clover Films since the July 16 debut including July 15 previews.

In Vietnam, where the film is also released through Clover Films, Peninsula scored the highest weekend by a South Korean release and has ruled box office over the past three days, earning $1.17m.

Peninsula centres on a soldier (Gang Dong-won) who flees South Korea with his family after the region is engulfed by the outbreak and takes a boat to Hong Kong. Four years later he returns to the peninsula with his brother-in-law (Kim Do-yoon) to find a truck loaded with cash.

Well Go USA holds US rights and has set an August release.

[Helena]

Peninsula surpassed 2 million (total admissions). Congratulations!

Credit: NEW

Spoiler

 

 

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/07/22/2020072201448.html
Zombie Flick 'Peninsula' Draws 2 Million Viewers in About a Week

July 22, 2020

Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho's latest film "Peninsula" attracted over 2 million viewers in about a week since its release on July 15.

According to the Korean Film Council, the sequel to Yeon's 2016 zombie flick "Train to Busan" passed the milestone on Tuesday.

It became the first film to draw more than 2 million moviegoers since February, when the coronavirus epidemic reached its peak here, causing the number of moviegoers to plunge as people increasingly shunned crowded places.

Moviegoers print out their pre-booked tickets at a theater in Seoul on Sunday. /Yonhap

The zombie flick, which was simultaneously released overseas, is sweeping box offices in some Asian countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

"Peninsula" is set four years after the first film and tells the story of people struggling to survive in the ruins after the destruction of the entire country by zombies.

 

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https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200722008200315
Zombie films could revive coronavirus-hit theaters

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- Could the living dead bring withering South Korean movie theaters back to life?

Two recently released zombie thrillers, "#Alive" and "Peninsula," are attracting South Korean film buffs to movie theaters, which have been empty for months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to box-office data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), "#Alive," which revolves around two young survivors in an apartment complex taken over by the walking dead, has attracted 1.86 million attendees since it hit local screens on June 24.

Starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, it was the first movie that topped 1 million admissions since the COVID-19 pandemic started in South Korea in January.

"Peninsula," director Yeon Sang-ho's new zombie apocalypse blockbuster, has been filling seats at an even faster pace.

 

Setting the opening-day box-office record for 2020 with more than 350,000 moviegoers last Wednesday, the sequel to the smash-hit "Train to Busan" (2016) has sold about 2.1 million tickets so far.

Taking place in the same universe as its predecessor, "Peninsula" features a former soldier (Gang Dong-won) who returns to the Korean Peninsula and fights against the walking dead, which are stronger and faster, and a group of human hunters in the zombie-infested land.

The two zombie films have put the local movie industry, which has been undergoing the worst time in decades, in high spirits to rebound to its heyday.

In the January-June period of the year, box-office admissions tumbled 70.3 percent on-year to a 15-year low of 32.4 million viewers, according to KOFIC. Sales revenue also plummeted 70.6 percent to 273.8 billion won (US$228 million), the lowest since 2005.

Experts said South Korean zombie films have built a strong fan base over the recent few years since "Train to Busan." It attracted more than 11 million viewers in South Korea and was the Korean film with the highest overseas earnings of $129 million worldwide before the Oscar-winning "Parasite" (2019).

Netflix's original series "Kingdom" has expanded the story of the undead to the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, where a mysterious plague breaks out and its king contracts the virus.

"Korean zombie series are different from those of Hollywood," culture critic Kim Heon-shik said. "They have stronger storytelling and touch emotions as our close family and neighbors change into zombies."

He also said the two films picturing people struggling to survive the unknown virus that infected their neighbors and even the entire nation coincide with the current coronavirus pandemic that lasts for about six months.

"People want to avoid getting bitten by zombies as protagonists do in the films," he said. "Everybody is afraid of being infected with the coronavirus from your neighbors and colleagues. The movies show the fear in a figurative way."

brk@yna.co.kr
(END)

 

[Helena]

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2020/07/689_293400.html
Zombie blockbuster 'Peninsula' breaks even

By Dong Sun-hwa |  2020-07-26

Gang Dong-won stars in the zombie blockbuster "Peninsula." Courtesy of New Entertainment World

Korean Zombie blockbuster "Peninsula" broke even on Saturday, the 11th day of its run. 

The film has had an accumulated 2.65 million audience nationwide as of Saturday, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Sunday. 

Given that the production cost for "Peninsula" was around 19 billion won ($15.8 million,) the movie initially needed an audience of about 5.3 million to break even. But this dropped to 2.5 million after the blockbuster was sold to 185 countries ― including Thailand, Japan, France and Russia ― ahead of its release. 

In Korea, the movie has been topping the box office for 11 days since its premiere. It also set the highest first-day number (350,000 viewers) this year and became the first movie to draw more than two million theatergoers since Feb. 23, when the Korean government raised its alert level against the COVID-19 to "highest." 

"Peninsula," starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, is the sequel to the 2016 smash-hit zombie flick "Train to Busan." 

The post-apocalyptic movie revolves around the survivors on the zombie-hit Korean peninsula. Gang plays Jung-suk, who returns to the peninsula for a mission. 

Yeon Sang-ho directed both films.

 

——————————

 

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2020/07/26/entertainment/movies/Korean-Film-Council-local-box-office/20200726163600433.html
Local films take record share of the domestic box office

July 26, 2020

 

Audience share for local films from July 1 to 23 hit 82.8 percent in part due to the release of the long-awaited zombie blockbuster "Peninsula." [YONHAP]
 

Spoiler

Korean films are capturing a record percentage of the domestic box office as Covid-19 weakens the foreign competition and as local blockbusters, such as "Peninsula," attract significant interest.   
  
In the first half, Korean films had a 61.7 percent share of the market, the most since the Korean Film Council started compiling the statistic in 2004.

American films did poorly, losing 13.7 percentage points to 31.2 percent. The council said that this was largely due to the outbreak in the United States.

European films picked up some of the slack, with 236 of its films screening in Korea in the first half — 99 of them new releases — up from 128 films in the same period last year.

The surge was in part due to local cinemas holding special screenings of European films from March to May.

In January, 14 new local films were released, equivalent to last year’s, but the number fell to 10 in February and seven in March. In February and March of 2019, a total of 11 films were premiered in each month. In April 2020, 12 new films premiered, compared to 18 in April 2019, and 14 new films were premiered May 2020, compared to 21 in May 2019.

As the number of local films began to surge from June, the audience share jumped to 72.1 percent. The number of new releases for June was 12, three more than in June 2019.

The organization forecasts the latter half of the year remaining much the same, as Hollywood blockbusters such as Disney live-action film “Mulan” and Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” are delayed to 2021.

For local films, the audience share increased to 82.8 percent in the July 1 to 23 period due to the release of long-awaited zombie blockbuster “Peninsula.”

 

 

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

 

——————————————————————————

 

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200727003100315
'Peninsula' extends local box office lead, reaches No. 1 in six Asian markets

 

SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- "Peninsula," director Yeon Sang-ho's zombie apocalypse blockbuster, extended its winning streak to a second weekend at South Korean cinemas while also leading the box office race in six other Asian markets, according to data and the film's distributor Monday.

According to data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), "Peninsula" drew 470,026 moviegoers over the Saturday-Sunday period, with the combined number of viewers reaching 2,862,894 since its July 15 opening.

The film's closest competitor was "Aladdin," the 2019 live-action adaptation of Walt Disney Picture's 1992 animated film, re-released at South Korean cinemas this summer, attracting 33,739 attendees over the weekend. 

Yeon Sang-ho (3rd from R), director of the new movie "Peninsula," and the film's stars -- Kim Min-jae, Kim Do-yoon, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Rae, Lee Ye-won, Gang Dong-won and Kwon Hae-hyo (L to R) -- pose for a photo during a publicity event in Seoul on July 9, 2020. (Yonhap)

 

According to distributor NEW, "Peninsula," has been on top of the box offices in six other Asian countries -- Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Mongolia. The film has been sold to 185 nations and territories in total.

Starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, "Peninsula" is the long-awaited sequel to "Train to Busan," the top-grossing film in South Korea in 2016. "Peninsula" was selected for the official lineup of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The film tells a tale of survivors on the zombie-infested Korean peninsula four years after the events in "Train to Busan." It follows protagonist Jung-suk, who escaped the Korean Peninsula after the events of four years before, returning for a mission.

 

Spoiler

Multiple posters of zombie apocalypse blockbuster "Peninsula" and other summer releases are displayed at a movie theater in Seoul on July 19, 2020. (Yonhap)

The industry is pinning its hopes on "Peninsula" and other upcoming big projects, such as "Steel Rain 2: Summit," to break the awful dry spell of the local film industry decimated by COVID-19.

"Steel Rain 2: Summit," a political-action film on geopolitics surrounding North Korea to hit theaters Wednesday, has accounted for 48 percent of upcoming ticket reservations as of 9 a.m., according to KOFIC.

In the January-June period of the year, box office admissions tumbled 70.3 percent on-year to 32.4 million viewers, according to KOFIC. Sales revenue plummeted 70.6 percent to 273.8 billion won (US$228.7 million).

By month, admissions plunged 67 percent on-year in February and 87.5 percent in March. The figure worsened in April, falling by a record 92.7 percent, and was followed by another 91.6 percent dip in May.

odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)

——————

 

Spoiler

https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/korea-box-office-peninsula-second-weekend-1234716884/
Korea Box Office: ‘Peninsula’ Reaches $21 Million Local Total in Second Weekend

By Patrick Frater | July 26, 2020

Zombie action thriller, “Peninsula” dominated the South Korean box office for the second weekend. I beat competition that comprised a mix of reruns and smaller local titles.

“Peninsula,” a sequel to the 2016 hit “Train to Busan,” earned $4.49 million between Friday and Sunday. Earned from 2,100 screens, that was a respectable drop of 52% compared with its opening weekend score of $9.92 million. It propels the film’s cumulative score in its home market to $21.0 million since its July 15 release through distributor Next Entertainment World.

“Peninsula” alone accounted for 81% of the nationwide box office in Korea, down from 93% the previous weekend. But with no other strong new release title in the market, the overall weekend total dropped.

Aggregate box office for the top 10 films was $5.32 million, compared with $9.77 million in the previous weekend. That down trend could be reversed next weekend with the release of political-military thriller “Steel Rain 2: Summit,” which arrives in Korean theaters on Wednesday.

In second place was newly re-released animation “Aladdin,” which earned $244,000, or 4.4% of the total market, earned from 549 screens. Third place belonged to “#Alive,” a Korean film released a month ago. It earned $110,000, a 27% week-on-week decline, for a five-weekend cumulative of $13.3 million.

“Bombshell,” which had placed second the previous weekend, slipped to fourth place. Its weekend score Of $90,000, lifted its three weekend cumulative to $1.17 million.

Other titles in the top 10 included “Une Sirene A Paris,” “Only,” and Japan’s “Blue Hour,” each with a fraction over 1% market share. Chinese youth drama “Better Days” increased its week-on-week take by a third to notch $62,000 over the weekend and a cumulative in Korea of $338,000. (Released last year in China, it earned RMB1.56 billion of $222 million).

“Peninsula” grossed $265,000 on 51 Imax screens in six territories over the weekend, to lift its Imax cumulative to $1.06 million. It is now the highest grossing local language title ever to play on Imax screens in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. The film’s Imax cumulative in Korea is $481,000.