Direct Hit to Chungmuro, 'Time to Hunt' and 'Call' Release Delays... Filming Sets Also on Alert [Comprehensive]

[Lee Isul, Entertainment Reporter]

The film industry is on high alert.

Major Korean films, foreign films, and animations scheduled for release in the last week of February and early March have been postponing their release dates and canceling all planned official events due to the impact of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).

The current atmosphere in theaters is quiet. This is reflected in the number of moviegoers recorded last weekend. The weekend of February 22 and 23 dealt a direct blow to theaters. According to the Korea Film Council’s integrated ticket sales system on the 24th, the total number of moviegoers over the two days (22nd-23rd) was only 474,979. This is less than half compared to the previous weekend (15th-16th), when 1,208,858 people visited theaters.

Films scheduled for release had already sensed the situation early and were exploring options to postpone their premieres. Therefore, the number of films affected by COVID-19 in Chungmuro during February and March is expected to be very limited.

Last weekend, the releases of Time to Hunt (director Yoon Sung-hyun) and Innocence (director Park Sang-hyun) were postponed, with press screenings and interviews canceled. On the 24th, the films Call (director Lee Chung-hyun), starring Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo, and the low-budget documentary Bapjeong also announced their intention to temporarily postpone their releases.

In addition, the Korean Film Reporters Association’s awards ceremony (hereafter YGK) for the “Film of the Year” was completely canceled due to COVID-19. The YGK stated, “Following the Prime Minister’s statement and the President’s request the next day to refrain from holding events, we held an emergency simplified board meeting and decided to temporarily postpone the YGK-hosted Film of the Year awards ceremony.”

The black-and-white version of Parasite (director Bong Joon-ho), which won four Oscars, has also been indefinitely postponed. CJ ENM announced, “The black-and-white version was scheduled to be screened starting on the 26th, but due to the COVID-19 crisis alert being raised to ‘serious,’ the screening has been temporarily postponed.”

COVID-19 is not only a problem for theaters about to open films. Film shooting sites have also been put on red alert. Currently, film sets in production are equipped with fever detectors and hand sanitizers, and efforts are being made to ensure safety.

Negotiation (director Lim Soon-rye), starring Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin, has been hit hard. The overseas location shoot in Jordan, scheduled to begin in March, has been halted as the Jordanian government recently banned entry for Koreans.

A film industry insider said, “There are estimated to be at least 50 to 60 staff members. There is tension on the set where many people inevitably gather,” adding, “It is inevitable that the overseas shooting schedule will be thoroughly reviewed and disrupted.”

Meanwhile, as of 2 p.m., the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 763, with 18 patients released from isolation and 7 deaths reported.

The government raised the COVID-19 alert to the highest level, ‘serious,’ on the 23rd.