Pang Brothers' 'The Mage' Hits Busan Market as Asia Rollout Begins
The Pang brothers' supernatural crime thriller "The Mage" is on sale to the rest of the world on the same day it opens in cinemas in three Asian territories.
The Cantonese-language film, directed by Danny and Oxide Pang and starring Josie Ho, is being introduced to international buyers at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), the sales market attached to the Busan International Film Festival where producers sell the licences to release films in different countries, according to Variety.
The sales set-up splits the work in two. Abnormal Studios, a subsidiary of Westec Media Limited, is meeting buyers in Busan and connecting interested parties to 852 Films. 852 Films, which produced the film, is handling inquiries and rights deals for the remaining open territories, meaning countries where no distributor has yet been signed.
Ho, who co-founded 852 Films, leads the cast as Lan Pui Ching, a garbage collector pulled into a supernatural crime story. The ensemble includes Iman Taheri, Carlos Chan, German Cheung, Kathy Yuen and Sabrina Ng. The film was produced for 852 Films by Conroy Chan and had led the company's 2025 slate.
"The Mage" already has a festival trail behind it. It had its world premiere in July at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), where Ho received the Fantastic Icon Award at the festival's 30th edition. It then opened the Midnight section of the Bangkok International Film Festival and is set for its European premiere in the Sitges Collection strand at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival.
The commercial rollout is moving fast. Edko Films has acquired Hong Kong and Macau rights, while CJ ENM Hong Kong has taken Taiwan and Southeast Asia, with CJ ENM Hong Kong to release the film in Malaysia, according to Screen Daily. "The Mage" opened in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan on Oct. 8, followed by Singapore on Oct. 15 and Thailand on Oct. 29. Releases in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are due in November.
What makes this stand out for audiences is the distance Ho travelled for the role. She has spoken about living with germaphobia and having to work through it to play a garbage collector, according to AsiaOne. For buyers in Busan, the question is simpler: which territories are still open, and who takes them next.
