As Warner Bros. decided to pull out of the Korea film industry, including investment, production, and distribution business, director Park Hoon Jung’s The Witch 2 will be drifting.
According to the film industry, Warner Bros. Korea is taking steps to withdraw from related businesses such as investment, production, and distribution of Korean films. It plans to clean up related businesses by the end of this year. The already produced films will be released within this year.
Josee (director Kim Jong Kwan), a remake of the popular 2004 Japanese film Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, starring Han Ji Min and Nam Joo Hyuk, and The Day I Died (director Park Ji Wan), starring Kim Hye Soo, and Good Neighbor (director Lee Hwan Kyung), starring Jong Woo and Oh Dal Soo, which has been postponed indefinitely due to controversy over Oh Dal Soo’s “Me Too,” will be all released in the second half of this year.
As a result, Killing Romance (director Lee Won Suk), starring Lee Sun Kyun, Lee Ha Nui, and Gong Myung, became the last investment distribution film of Warner Bros. Korea. It is scheduled to be released next year.
Warner Bros. Korea jumped into the Korean film business in 2016 when it showcased director Kim Ji Woon’s The Age of Shadows. Although The Age of Shadows cruised 7.5 million moviegoers and The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion drew 3.18 million viewers, the company faced a critical condition as Illang: The Wolf Brigade, V.I.P., Jo Pil-ho: the dawning rage, Jesters: The Game Changers, and Battle of Jangsari became a box office flop.
Also, various environmental changes, including the replacement of CEO, the COVID-19 pandemic, and HBO Max (the streaming platform launched by Warner Media), became the reasons for their pullout.
With this decision, the ongoing production for The Witch 2 and the remake of Intern became uncertain.
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