Fengshui (also referred as Feng Shui or Grave Site) is a 2018 South Korean period action drama film directed by Park Hee-gon. It stars Cho Seung-woo, Ji Sung, Kim Sung-kyun, Moon Chae-won, Yoo Jae-myung and Baek Yoon-sik.[4] The film tells the story of a pungsu expert, Park Jae-sang, who can determine the land that bring good fortune and people around him who compete to occupy the land in order to change their fate and become king.

Fengshui
Official release poster
Hangul
명당
Hanja
明堂
Revised RomanizationMyeong-dang
Directed byPark Hee-gon
Screenplay byJung Ja-young
Produced byLee Kang-jin
StarringCho Seung-woo
Ji Sung
Kim Sung-kyun
Moon Chae-won
Yoo Jae-myung
Baek Yoon-sik
CinematographyBaek Yoon-seok
Lee Ji-hoon
Edited byKim Chang-ju
Music byJang Young-gyu
Production
company
Jupiter Film
Distributed byMegabox Plus M[1]
Release date
  • September 19, 2018 (2018-09-19)
Running time
126 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget10 billion[2]
Box officeUS$16 million[3]

The film is the third and final installment of Jupiter Film's three-part film project on the Korean fortune-telling traditions, following The Face Reader (2013) and The Princess and the Matchmaker (2018).[5] It was released in South Korea on September 19, 2018.[6]

Premise

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A period drama about those who struggle to become king and fight over grave sites and a young man who lost his parents attempting to take revenge on the king.[7][8][5]

Cast

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Main

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Supporting

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Production

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Principal photography began on August 22, 2017. Production ended on January 5, 2018.[13][14] Filming take place in Hadong, Gyeongnam-do.[15][16]

Release

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The film premiered in South Korea on September 19, 2018, with age 12-rating.[17] The film was released alongside The Great Battle, The Negotiation, and The Nun, which considered as the most competitive week on Korean Box Office this year.[18] In North America, the film was released in limited theaters on September 21, 2018.[19]

The film has been selected to screen at the Spotlight on Korea section of the 38th Hawaii International Film Festival in November 2018.[19]

The film was released in VOD services and digital download on October 15, 2018.[20][21]

Reception

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Critical response

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The film received mixed reviews. Praise was given to the acting performances (particularly by Cho Seung-woo, Baek Yoon-sik, and Ji Sung), and cinematography. Most criticisms centered on how the film failed to become a gripping political period-drama despite its solid cast, and some weak performances (particularly by Ji Sung and Lee Won-geun).[22][23]

Yoon Min-sik from The Korea Herald wrote, "Director Park does a passable job of keeping up the suspense with intriguing characters and depiction of the peril at hand, although this is not an immensely difficult task with the abundance of quality actors. Cho is good as usual, and Baek’s steady tone and solemn look reek of charisma. However, the film relies too much on luck, guesswork and brute force to appeal as a political drama."[22]

Woo Jae-yeon from Yonhap News Agency wrote, "Despite the compelling story peppered with twists and stellar performances by Cho Seung-woo, Ji Sung and Baek Yoon-sik, one might leave the theater, feeling the business is unsolved and more stories are left to be told...[however] the filming locations, boosted by the excellent work of the cinematography, is quite breathtaking and fascinating."[23]

Box office

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The film earned US$78,146 from previews and pre-sales.[24]

On its opening day, the film attracted 108,832 moviegoers and grossed US$778,024, finished second behind The Great Battle which released on the same day.[25] During its opening weekend, the film finished in second place with US$4.5 million gross from 548,989 attendance, tailing The Great Battle in the lead.[26] After 6 days of screening, the film surpassed 1 million admissions on September 24, 2018.[27]

The film dropped to third place during its second weekend with US$1.9 million gross from 240,449 attendance, 58% lower gross compared to its debut weekend.[28] On October 2, the film surpassed 2 million admissions.[29] During its third weekend, the film dropped to seventh place with US$141,921 gross from 19,969 attendance, 92% lower gross compared to its second weekend.[30]

As of October 30, 2018, the film attracted 2,084,811 moviegoers with US$15.8 million gross.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "M-Line Adds ZOMBIE ON SALE and FENG SHUI to Cannes Slate". Korean Film Biz Zone. 25 May 2018.
  2. ^ "추석 극장가, 韓영화 3편 동시 개봉..공멸? 한편만 살아남기?". Naver (in Korean). Star News. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "FENGSHUI (2018)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  4. ^ "CHO Seung-woo and JI Sung Meet at GREAT SITE". Korean Film Biz Zone. July 5, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Land determines one's fate in 'Feng Shui'". The Korea Times. 13 August 2018.
  6. ^ "명당". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Feng Shui (Korean Movie)". HanCinema. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Story of land that made a king to unfold on screen". Kpop Herald. 13 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "조승우·지성·김성균, 영화 '명당' 출연". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Moon Chae-won joins cast of 'Myeongdang'". Korea JoongAng Daily. 24 August 2017.
  11. ^ "[인터뷰] 이원근, "'명당'으로 첫 사극 도전 '헌종' 역...과분한 역할"". Seoul Kyungje (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Moon Chae-won, Kim Min-jae join film". Korea JoongAng Daily. 14 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Production Begins on GREAT SITE with CHO Seung-woo, JI Sung and More". Korean Film Biz Zone. 7 September 2017.
  14. ^ "MYEONG-DANG Wraps 4 Months of Filming". Korean Film Biz Zone. 15 January 2018.
  15. ^ "조승우X지성 '명당', 첫촬영 시작…'관상'·'궁합' 잇는 역학 3부작". Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  16. ^ "[공식입장] 조승우X지성 '명당' 크랭크업 "웰메이드 명품 사극 탄생"". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  17. ^ "[국내영화] 명당". Korea Media Rating Board (in Korean). Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  18. ^ "조승우 vs 손예진 vs 조인성, 이 대결 실화? 자존심 걸렸다[개봉DAY]". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  19. ^ a b "'명당', 북미 개봉에 하와이 국제 영화제 초청까지". Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  20. ^ "'명당', IPTV 서비스 오픈…안방서 열기 잇는다". Joy News 24 (in Korean). Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  21. ^ "[쿡리뷰] '명당' 탄탄한 추석영화, 하지만 신선하지는 않은". www.kukinews.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  22. ^ a b "[Herald Review] 'Feng Shui' pretty solid, but not riveting as political drama". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  23. ^ a b "(Movie Review) 'Feng Shui' resonates but lacks gripping power". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  24. ^ "FENGSHUI (2018)". KOFIC. September 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018.
  25. ^ "[NC스코어]'안시성', 개봉 첫날 1위…추석 극장가 흥행 이어갈까". News Culture (in Korean). September 20, 2018. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  26. ^ "[무비:스코어] '안시성' 개봉 첫 주말 112만 동원…140만 돌파 '1위'". Xports News (in Korean). September 25, 2018.
  27. ^ "[박스오피스IS] 조승우X지성 '명당' 추석 당일 100만 돌파(공식)". Sports Daily (in Korean). September 25, 2018.
  28. ^ "[무비:스코어] '안시성' 452만 돌파, 1위 수성…'협상' 역주행 2위". Xports News (in Korean). October 2, 2018.
  29. ^ "'명당' 200만 돌파..조승우부터 이원근까지 '훈훈 인증샷'". Star News (in Korean). October 2, 2018.
  30. ^ "[DA:박스] 주말 1위 '베놈', 200만 넘었다…'암수살인'도 160만 돌파". Dong-ah Sports (in Korean). October 8, 2018.
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