The Hollywood Reporter - 12.02.2020

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Behind the Headlines

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 15 FEBRUA RY 12, 2020

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↑ Film

Hunt Back On

A shelved satire will hit

theaters after all p. 20

Digital

Warner Max

Politics of a new film

division at AT&T p. 18

$10.54 (+2.3%)

LIONSGATE (LGFA)

Strong subscriber growth

at Starz and a Knives Out

sequel announcement help

quell prior concerns about

Lionsgate’s performance.

$42.74 (-10.7%)

WWE (WWE)

The company’s stock takes a

dropkick after it says Feb. 6

it is exploring “strategic

options” for its WWE Network

streaming service, likely

selling off the rights to events

like Wrestlemania.

and specializes in challenging,

foreign-language fare — the mov-

ie’s success will be tested. “You

can be sure Parasite will be used

for every new Asian title now,”

says Dirk Schweitzer, an acquisi-

tions exec at European distributor

Splendid Films. “It’ll be, ‘This is

Parasite meets ...’ as people try to

jump on the bandwagon.” Alex

Walton, executive vp interna-

tional film sales and distribution

at Endeavor Content, adds that

Parasite “has opened more doors

for exhibitors, helping them

believe they actually can find an

audience with these films.”

In South Korea, Parasite’s Osc a r

wins sparked a national celebra-

tion. South Korean President

Moon Jae-in joined the chorus,

O

n Jan. 5, Parasite writer-

director-producer Bong

Joon Ho gave his accep-

tance speech for foreign-language

film at the Golden Globes and

entreated the audience, via his

translator Sharon Choi: “Once you

overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier

of subtitles, you will be intro-

duced to so many more amazing

films.” A month later, the South

Korean movie obliterated conven-

tional wisdom with four historic

Oscar wins, becoming the first

non-English-language film to

claim best picture.

International filmmakers and

distributors are now eying Bong’s

triumphs with hope and hunger:

hope that Parasite’s success will

open the door to global cinema,

As Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean satire becomes the first non-English-language best picture,

global filmmakers and distributors see opportunity to ‘jump on the bandwagon’

BY SCOTT ROXBOROUGH AND SOOMEE PARK

giving other non-English-

language movies shots at the

world’s No. 1 film award; hunger

for the sort of global box office

returns that, with few exceptions,

have been beyond the reach of

films made outside Hollywood.

“It’s been a real barrier,” says

Korean media mogul

Miky Lee, whose

CJ Entertainment

backed Bong’s film

and who recently

invested in David

Ellison’s Skydance. “Now Parasite

really makes it easier. Netflix has

trained everybody to watch subti-

tles in their living room, and now

Parasite in the movie theater.” 

At the European Film Market —

which kicks off Feb. 19 in Berlin

Mike Hopkins

The former Sony TV exec

lands the top job overseeing

Amazon Studios and Prime

Video, reporting directly to

CEO Jeff Bezos.

Courtney Kemp

Starz taps the Power

showrunner to executive

produce three offshoot shows

as the flagship wraps its

run Feb. 16 after six seasons.

Barbara Broccoli/

Michael G. Wilson

The James Bond producers

miss with side project The

Rhythm Section, a $50 million

budgeted thriller that has

grossed just $5 million in two

weeks of release.

Guy Ritchie

The director’s star-studded

STX actioner The Gentlemen

stands at just $60 million

worldwide after rolling

out in the U.S. and multiple

territories in January.

Parasite’s ‘Revolutionary’ Oscars:

A ‘Game-Changer’ for Film Business

Feb. 4-

Lee

Te a m Parasite onstage after the best picture win during the Academy Awards on Feb. 9.