The cast and crew of "Avengers: Endgame" on April 15 pose for photographs at a fan event in Seoul's Jangchung Arena. From left are co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo (aka the Russo Brothers), Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, actor Robert Downey Jr., actress Brie Larson and actor Jeremy Renner. (The Walt Disney Company Korea)
By Lee Kyoung Mi and Kim Hwaya
Korea on June 5 will be the first country to release "X-men: Dark Phoenix," the final installment by the studio 20th Century Fox in the X-men film franchise, attesting to the nation's status as a testbed for Hollywood blockbusters.
The country also was the world's first to release "Avengers: Endgame" on April 24, two days before its release in North America, the world's largest film market. As of May 7, the blockbuster had sold 11.59 million tickets in Korea.
Even before the opening of "Endgame," Korea was selected a hub country in Asia for holding promotional events for movies. Marvel Studios on April 15 held its Asia news conference and fan event in Seoul, attracting reporters from 11 countries such as Japan, India, New Zealand and Australia.
Korea was also the first in the world to release a string of other Hollywood blockbusters such as "Transformers," "Doctor Strange," "Captain Marvel" and "Hellboy."
Film critic Jeong Min-ah said, "The Korean film industry is very transparent, so the country is an appropriate place for forecasting audience demand," adding, "If a movie is successful in Korea, then it'll be successful in other countries such as China and those in Southeast and Central Asia. This belief is widespread in the global film industry."
"Though the overall size of the Korean film industry is smaller than China's or Japan's, Korea can have a large effect as the main target of the global film industry due to its ability to rapidly spread fashion and the global standing of Korean culture."
km137426@korea.kr