Korean remakes of foreign hits become new movie industry trend

Actors Hong Kyung, left, and Roh Yoon-seo in a scene from romance film “Hear Me: Our Summer” / Courtesy of PLUSM Entertainment By Baek Byung-yeul Films released in Korea this year such as "Pilot," "Handsome Guys,” "Hear Me: Our Summer" and “Hidden Face” share a common trait — they are remakes of foreign films. These Korean remakes are not based exclusively on Hollywood movies, but rather draw from the original material's unique premises and solid storylines from various countries. By skillfully adapting these stories to fit Korean contexts, these remakes have been well-received by audiences and are becoming a trend in the domestic film industry.

"Films based on foreign originals have been continuously released in theaters this year. While these films weren't all produced this year — some were made last year or the year before — they all have compelling themes and storylines that keep audiences engaged until the end," an official from the local film industry said on condition of anonymity. The industry official added that the production of foreign film remakes is due to the relative ease of borrowing already-proven ideas.



"Creating a hit movie requires various conditions and investing large amounts of capital doesn't necessarily guarantee success. From this perspective, remaking foreign films that have already received critical acclaim by adding Korean sensibilities seems to offer a more straightforward production path, which is why this production method is becoming a trend," the official said. "Pilot" and "Handsome Guys," two films that have already entertained numerous audiences in theaters and completed their theatrical runs, are remakes of Swedish and Hollywood films, respectively.

"Pilot," a comedy flick starring popular actor Jo Jung-suk, is a remake of the 2012 Swedish movie "Cockpit." The comedy film follows the story of Han Jung-woo (Jo), who goes from being a hotshot pilot to unemployed overnight, but succeeds in getting rehired by disguising himself as a woman using his sister's identity. The film needed to garner 2.

2 million viewers to break even, but it achieved great success by attracting over 4.7 million viewers. "Handsome Guys" is also a Korean remake, based on the 2010 American black comedy horror film "Tucker & Dale vs.

Evil." Starring actors Lee Sung-min and Lee Hee-jun, this medium-budget film was produced with 4.6 billion won ($3.

27 million), achieving encouraging results and garnering around 1.77 million viewers. Both films demonstrate how these adaptations have managed to resonate with local audiences by skillfully blending the original concepts with Korean contexts, proving Korean remakes can perform well at the local box office.

Actors Song Seung-heon, right, and Cho Yeo-jeong, back view only, are seen in a scene from the upcoming film “Hidden Face.” Courtesy of NEW "Hear Me: Our Summer," a romance film, is also seeing success, as the remake of the 2010 Taiwanese film “Hear Me” ranked second at the local box office, following Hollywood blockbuster “Gladiator II” as of Wednesday. In this film, Yong-jun (Hong Kyung) and Yeo-reum (Roh Yoon-seo) mistakenly believe each other to be deaf, growing closer as they communicate through sign language.

"Hidden Face," which will be released in local theaters on Nov. 20, is also a remake of a 2011 Colombian film of the same title. The Korean version is the fourth remake of the original, following remakes made in India, Turkey and Mexico.

This film depicts the story of orchestra conductor Seong-jin (Song Seung-heon), who searches for cellist Soo-yeon (Cho Yeo-jeong), his missing fiancee. At the same time, Seong-jin is attracted to Mi-joo (Park Ji-hyun), who replaces Soo-yeon. The conductor thinks his fiancee just disappeared, but she is actually trapped in a secret space of their house, watching what’s happening around Seong-jin.

This film is gaining attention ahead of its release as movie fans expect its director Kim Dae-woo, best known for “Forbidden Quest” (2006), “The Servant” (2010) and “Obsessed” (2014), to show his unique color..