Yeon Sang-ho's 'Paradise Lost' Sells to 118 Countries Ahead of U.S. Premiere
Yeon Sang-ho's psychological thriller Paradise Lost has been sold to 118 countries before it even opens at home, according to Variety.
International sales agent CJ ENM told the trade paper that overseas sales revenue alone has already passed the film's net production budget. That is a rare position for a Korean thriller days from release. The money is banked before a single ticket is sold in Seoul.
The next stop is the United States. Paradise Lost will have its U.S. premiere at the 46th Hawai'i International Film Festival, which runs Oct. 21 to Nov. 15. It plays in the festival's Spotlight on Korea section on Nov. 1 and Nov. 4. The festival lists it as a Hawai'i Premiere, a 101-minute film from South Korea in Korean with English subtitles, according to HIFF.
The film stars Kim Hyun-joo as Ryu So-young and Bae Hyeon-seong as Ryu Sun-woo. For Bae, it is his first lead role in a feature film. Yeon directs. He is the film-maker behind Train to Busan and Colony, according to HIFF.
Festival demand has been strong. Paradise Lost played in Special Presentations at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival and sold out all four official screenings there, about 2,300 seats in total. It then screened as a Gala Presentation at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, where it sold out all four screenings.
What makes this stand out is the speed of the rollout. For fans, this means a short wait between festivals and cinemas.
Paradise Lost is produced by Wowpoint and presented by Wowpoint and CJ ENM. CJ ENM is also handling international sales and distributing the film at home. It opens in South Korean cinemas on Oct. 21, followed by Taiwan on Oct. 23 and Singapore on Nov. 5. Well Go USA will release it in North America on Nov. 6, the same day it opens in Vietnam. Indonesia follows on Nov. 13.
