Choi Dong: Last News

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefStill only 50, Choi Dong-hoon has been a front-runner among Korean directors for at least the past 15 years, with hits under his belt including “The Thieves,” “Assassination” and “Tazza: The High Rollers.” Now he is driving the Korean industry’s exploration of sci-fi.Choi’s “Alienoid” recently played to U.S. audiences at the New York Asian Film Festival and will open in North American theaters from Aug. 26.The film is a genre-bending caper in which two gurus from the Koryo Dynasty search for a time-bending blade and unexpectedly cross paths with modern-day folk hunting down a dangerous alien hidden inside a human body.The result has plenty in common with “Jeon Woochi,” a period actioner that is another of Choi’s hits, but amped with richer visuals and cleverer VFX.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sci-fi fantasy comedy “Alienoid 2” opened on top of the South Korean box office with $3.57 million on a weekend that otherwise saw five animation titles and a political documentary in the top ten. The big-budget, time-traveling “Alienoid 2” earned $3.57 million between Friday and Sunday with a market share of 39% and $4.77 million over its opening five days, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Imax reports that some $370,000 of the film’s total was earned from 24 Imax screens. The film was made as a two-parter.

EXCLUSIVE: Well Go USA Entertainment has expanded its slate of Korean films, acquiring North American rights to titles including Alienoid, Hansan: Rising Dragon, Gangnam Zombie, The Ghost Station and The Assassin. While the international and indie distributor has set theatrical releases in place for Alienoid and Hansan, plans for the other three films have not yet been finalized.