《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Director Choi Dong-hoon of 'Ssangcheonman' suffers his first crushing defeat in the first part of 'Alien + Humans' in 2022
Lee Jeong-jae, Lee Sang-yong, Park Gyu-tae, Ahn Tae-jin, the success of new directors
Morning stars Lee Ji-eun (IU), Park Jin-young (GOT7), Cha Eun-woo, and Bae In-hyuk appear
This year's first entries announced, including directors Jung Woo-sung and Hyun Moon-seop.
Director Choi Dong-hoon of 'Ssangcheonman' suffers his first crushing defeat in the first part of 'Alien + Humans' in 2022
Lee Jeong-jae, Lee Sang-yong, Park Gyu-tae, Ahn Tae-jin, the success of new directors
Morning stars Lee Ji-eun (IU), Park Jin-young (GOT7), Cha Eun-woo, and Bae In-hyuk appear
This year's first entries announced, including directors Jung Woo-sung and Hyun Moon-seop.
《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Like an insert scene that magnifies important points in a movie, TenAsia reporter Kang Min-kyung focuses on issues in the film industry. Let’s take a closer look at the front and back of the hot topic from a three-dimensional perspective.
Last summer, director Choi Dong-hoon challenged the Korean film tentpole market with the first part of the film 'Alien + Humans'. But the result was a crushing defeat. Director Choi Dong-hoon felt bitterness for the first time in his life, and on the other hand, the performance of the ‘Morning Stars’ stood out.
'Alien + Human', director Choi Dong-hoon's first new film in 7 years, drew great anticipation even before its release with the combination of Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, and Kim Tae-ri. In a situation where word of mouth and reviews have become more important due to the increase in movie ticket prices, audiences have ignored the first part of 'Alien + Humans'.
The cumulative number of viewers for the first part of ‘Alien + Humans’ recorded 1.53 million. According to an official from distributor CJ ENM, the first part of 'Alien + Humans' is a masterpiece with a production cost of 33 billion won. The break-even point was 7.3 million, but it did not reach even half of the number.
It was the first failure of director Choi Dong-hoon, who had been successful at the box office in each of his works. While coach Choi Dong-hoon was sluggish, new stars emerged. Director Lee Sang-yong of 'Crime City 2', director Park Gyu-tae of 'Yuksao', director Lee Jeong-jae of 'Hunt', and director Ahn Tae-jin of 'The Owl' have exceeded the break-even point with commercial films and received favorable reviews.
Director Lee Sang-yong presented his first commercial film through 'Crime City 2', the first film to reach 10 million sales since the pandemic. He then took on the role of directing ‘Crime City 3’ and recently completed filming. Of course, the box office success of 'Crime City 2' was influenced by retaliatory consumption due to the aftermath of COVID-19, the removal of distance between seats, and the ability to eat and drink, but it ultimately proved that if the movie is interesting, audiences will go to the theater.
Director Lee Jung-jae of ‘The Hunt’ was invited to the non-competitive section of the 75th Cannes International Film Festival. The joy of entering the film festival was short-lived, and I re-wrote the screenplay on the plane back to Korea. Together with Jung Woo-sung and Heo Seong-tae, known as the 'Cheongdam couple', they got closer to the audience through unprecedented stage greetings.
Director Park Gyu-tae's first commercial film, 'Yuksao', was a small film, but it was a box office success through word of mouth. ‘The Owl’ is also the first work of director Ahn Tae-jin, who was an assistant director on ‘The King and the Clown’. 'Owl' earned the title of a well-made work and achieved both box office success and enjoyment.
Lee Ji-eun (IU), Park Jin-young (GOT7), Cha Eun-woo, and Bae In-hyuk also took on the challenge of making their screen debut. It would have been better if the grades had backed it up, but for now, I think I'll have to be satisfied with a passing grade for my screen debut. First, Lee Ji-eun attempted her first commercial film with director Hirokazu Koreeda's 'Broker'.
Lee Ji-eun plays So-young, who begins an unexpected relationship with brokers Sang-hyeon (played by Song Kang-ho) and Dong-su (played by Kang Dong-won), who promise to find the right person to raise the baby. Lee Ji-eun expressed So-young in detail, from her facial expressions to her hand gestures and every step she took, and showed off the character's multi-layered emotions through her unique calm acting.
Jinyoung Park embarked on a powerful transformation through ‘A Christmas Carol’. In the play, he played two roles as twin brothers Il-woo and Wol-woo, who are caught up in ruthless violence. In addition, he boasted a face that had never been seen before, with a half-shaved hairstyle, harsh swear words, and real action scenes.
Cha Eun-woo, known as a 'face genius', played the role of Jeon Tae-ryong, a naval submarine acoustic detection noncommissioned officer, in 'Decibel'. It was even more meaningful because it was his first movie after his debut. He showed off his fresh youthful face and deep emotions, and even sang the OST that plays during the ending credits.
Bae In-hyuk appeared as Yong (played by Yeo Jin-goo)'s friend Eun-seong in the remake of 'Dong-gam' for the first time in 22 years. Bae In-hyuk boasted a mature side by giving sincere consolation and advice to Tiki Taka's best friend Chemi, who counseled Yong's love life through Eun-seong.
The Morning Stars’ activity is expected to continue in 2023. Following Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung takes on his first directing challenge with the movie 'Guardian'. Following this, director Hyun Moon-seop, who directed 'Three Days' starring Park Shin-yang and Lee Min-ki, and director Park Young-joo, who directed 'Citizen Deok-hee', are casting their candidacy. Continuing from 2022, attention is being paid to how the Morning Stars will perform in 2023.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr