Paradise Lost leads Korean presales. US theaters get it November 6.
Yeon Sang-ho's Paradise Lost held 19.4% of Korean advance tickets on Saturday, first among Korean films. Well Go USA has a limited US date on November 6.
The Goldscene Desk
As of 4:05 p.m. Saturday in Seoul, Paradise Lost held 19.4% of advance tickets on the Korean Film Council's network, first among Korean films. It opens nationwide on Wednesday, October 21.
That share is tickets booked ahead, not a finished weekend. Four days out, it is the early read.
The movie
Yeon Sang-ho directs. Kim Hyun-joo plays Ryu So-young, a mother whose son disappeared with a camp-school bus nine years ago. Bae Hyun-sung plays Ryu Sun-woo, the son who comes back.
CJ ENM is releasing it in Korea. It runs 100 minutes. Wowpoint produced it.
Every screening sold out at Toronto and at Busan. The Q&A ahead of the Korean opening sold out too. The Who's Rising profile has the casting, and why Yeon wanted Bae's face to read innocent and cold in the same shot.
Yeon has described the premise as a mother caught between a son she rebuilt in a virtual world and the son who returns after being presumed dead. He has not said more than that in public.
November 6
Well Go USA bought the film before TIFF. Yeon said he was glad to have the same company that handled Train to Busan, The Ugly, and Colony. In August, the US plan was simply after the festival.
The limited US date is now Friday, November 6. Showtimes list it as Korean with English subtitles. It is a limited booking, so check a local theater before you treat that Friday as yours.
Our take: 19.4% on Saturday is a real start for a thriller opening Wednesday. In the US, the date is November 6, limited, through Well Go. The Bae profile is where to read about the performance.
