Entertainment

  • Horror film emerges as surprise box-office draw
    Horror film emerges as surprise box-office draw SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) - Horror film "Salmokji: Whispering Water" held onto the top spot at the domestic box office for a second consecutive week, driven by strong word of mouth among younger moviegoers. According to the Korean Film Council on Monday, Lee Sang-min's directorial debut feature attracted 472,109 moviegoers over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to 1.46 million since its release earlier this month. It already surpassed its break-even point o April 20, 2026
  • Na Hong-jins Hope enters Cannes Competition after 4-year silence for Korea
    Na Hong-jin's 'Hope' enters Cannes Competition after 4-year silence for Korea SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Na Hong-jin breaks a four-year silence for South Korean titles at Cannes with Hope, a big-budget thriller that puts him back in the Palme d’Or race. The South Korean director’s fourth feature was named to the 21-film Competition lineup unveiled Thursday (local time), marking the first time since Decision to Leave in 2022 that a Korean film has entered the festival’s top-tier section. The return carries weight beyond selection. Hope is N April 10, 2026
  • Spy film Humint rebounds on Netflix after box-office flop
    Spy film 'Humint' rebounds on Netflix after box-office flop SEOUL, April 8 (AJP) - Director Ryoo Seung-wan's latest film "Humint" claimed the top spot on Netflix's chart for non-English movies, just a week after becoming available on the global platform, following its theatrical flop in February. According to Netflix's ranking site Tudum, the spy film garnered 11 million cumulative views in about a week after it began streaming last Wednesday, securing the top spot among non-English films. The 119-minute film als April 8, 2026
  • Two low-budget South Korean films invited to compete at Moscow Intl Film Festival
    Two low-budget South Korean films invited to compete at Moscow Int'l Film Festival SEOUL, April 6 (AJP) - Two low-budget South Korean films have been invited to compete at this year's Moscow International Film Festival, which opens in Russia next week. According to festival organizers at a press conference last week, "Journey There" and "Winter Light" will vie for the top prize in the main competition along with about a dozen other films at the 48th Moscow International Film Festival, which is scheduled to take place in the Russian capital fr April 6, 2026
  • The Kings Warden continues successful box-office run, drawing 16 million viewers
    'The King's Warden' continues successful box-office run, drawing 16 million viewers SEOUL, April 5 (AJP) - Director Jang Hang-jun's "The King's Warden" has attracted over 16 million viewers in about two months after its release in early February, the film's distributor said on Sunday. According to Showbox, the period drama drew about 153,000 moviegoers last Saturday alone to surpass 16 million in cumulative theater attendance since its release on Feb. 4, making it the third film to reach the milestone after the 2014 historical epic "The A April 5, 2026
  • KPop Demon Hunters went Up, Up, winning 2 Oscars for Best Animated and  Original Song
    KPop Demon Hunters went Up, Up, winning 2 Oscars for Best Animated and Original Song *Updated with additional information SEOUL, March 16 (AJP) -KPop Demon Hunters turned Hollywood’s biggest night on Sunday into a K-pop celebration, sweeping two trophies at the 98th Academy Awards — Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song — as the Netflix sensation outshone heavyweight Hollywood contenders including Zootopia 2. Nearly a year after its global premiere, the animated hit — blending K-pop spectacle with Korean folkl March 16, 2026
  • World AI Film Festival Seoul highlights how AI can expand filmmaking
    World AI Film Festival Seoul highlights how AI can expand filmmaking SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - From scripts written with algorithms to films rendered entirely with digital tools, the World AI Film Festival in Seoul offered a glimpse of cinema’s next frontier — one where artificial intelligence works alongside human storytellers rather than replacing them. The festival, founded in Nice, France last year, brought its third edition to Seoul, a city widely seen as a global hub of high technology and th March 7, 2026
  • The Kings Warden breaks Korean film drought with 10-mln crossing
    The King's Warden breaks Korean film drought with 10-mln crossing SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - In the arithmetic of the Korean film industry, there are hits — and then there are “ten-million films.” Crossing the 10-million-admissions threshold in a country of roughly 52 million people bears significance beyond a commercial milestone. It means a film has escaped the gravity of niche audiences and become something closer to a shared national experience. With more than 10 million moviegoers now through theater doors, The King’ March 7, 2026
  • WAIFF D-1: Live human-machine symphony to open Seoul artificial intelligence film festival
    WAIFF D-1: Live human-machine symphony to open Seoul artificial intelligence film festival SEOUL, March 05 (AJP) - The World AI Film Festival Seoul 2026 will open Friday with a live performance blending human artists and machine generation, signaling a shift in how the entertainment industry approaches artificial intelligence. Kicking off on March 6 at Lotte Concert Hall in southern Seoul, the two-day event begins with a special performance titled "The Symphony of AI & Human." Organizers programmed the opening ceremony to move away from traditional film fe March 5, 2026
  • WAIFF D-2: Seoul edition marks global expansion in 2026
    WAIFF D-2: Seoul edition marks global expansion in 2026 SEOUL, March 04 (AJP) - The World AI Film Festival (WAIFF), which debuted in Nice, France on April 11, 2025, will expand globally in 2026, with Seoul emerging as one of its key host cities. Putting emphasis on collaboration between artificial intelligence and human creativity, WAIFF aims to bridge technology, industry and artistic expression. The 2026 circuit will move through China, Korea, Japan and Brazil before culminating in April at the WAIFF Cannes Edition in France. Select March 4, 2026