This summer, Big 3 + Alpha will compete in the Korean box office. Because Hero and Space Sweepers, which initially planned on releasing in the summer, postponed their releases to the second half of the year, the list has been changed.
According to the movie industry on June 12, the investment distribution company Merry Christmas decided to postpone the release of director Cho Sung Hee’s Space Sweepers to the second half of this year. So far, they have been putting much effort into post-production to release the movie on August 12. Even when people were worried about the tight schedules for visual effects and post-production, they pushed through with a goal to release the film in summer and started promotional activities, including the release of a trailer video.
However, Merry Christmas decided to postpone the release of the movie to the second half of this year after many considerations, as it was predicted that the summer theater would not be as active as usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are considering delaying the release date to Chuseok season (Korean Thanksgiving Holiday), but this, too, has not been confirmed.
CJ ENM originally planned to release DELIVER US FROM EVIL in early July and Hero in mid-August. In particular, as Hero is about Ahn Jung Geun, they were preparing the movie intending to release ahead of August 15, the National Liberation Day. However, some insiders said that it was too much for the company to release two tentpole films back-to-back when the theaters are in a downtrend. Previously, CJ ENM also planned on releasing Tomb Robbery in early June, but canceled it due to the re-spread of COVID-19 from Itaewon clubs.
Eventually, CJ ENM changed the release date of DELIVER US FROM EVIL to August and postponed Hero to the second half of the year. In particular, given that Hero is a film for a family to watch together, it is rumored that there was a lot of internal opinions that the release of the movie when family audiences are missing in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic is a stretch.
Lotte Culture Works has been pushing for director Ryu Seung Wan’s new film Mogadishu, but put its release on hold for various technical issues. Instead, they chose director Yang Woo Suk’s new film Steel Rain2: Summit, which was supposed to be released in May, as the movie to be released this summer. Now, they are in the process of finalizing internal opinions, such as the release date. It is said that they are aiming to release the movie in August, but nothing is set in stone.
SHOWBOX, which had reviewed the release of The Golden Holiday this summer, will not join the box office competition. Megabox Plus M, on the other hand, confirmed the release of Okay! Madam, starring Uhm Jung Hwa and Park Sung Woong, this summer.
In conclusion, films to hit the theaters this summer are Peninsula, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, Steel Rain2: Summit, and Okay! Madam. However, depending on how the OCIVD-19 situation changes, the list can vary. This is why movies cannot easily announce their release dates for sure.
Source (1)
