| Bilgi :The year 2002 could probably be described as "the best of times, and the worst of times." One one level, Korean cinema continued its breathtaking run of popularity with local audiences, winning over a 45.2% market share in Seoul, only slightly lower than the 46.1% recorded in 2001 (market share in Korea as a whole was likely higher, but harder to measure). Whereas 2001 featured five smash hits that towered about the competition, box-office in 2002 was more spread out, with a string of mid-level hits to complement the top earners Marrying the Mafia, The Way Home, and Sex is Zero. There were many box-office surprises as well, from the smashing success of the low-budget rural film The Way Home to the better than expected performance of films by top auteurs such as Oasis (Lee Chang-dong) and Chihwaseon (Im Kwon-taek).
On the other hand, 2002 was the year when many investors lost confidence in the industry, following the spectacular failures of big-budget genre films Yesterday, R U Ready? and Resurrection of the Little Match Girl. With budgets soaring higher and higher, even many films that did well at the box-office ended up losing considerable sums of money. As a result, many of the venture capital companies who had rushed into the industry in 2000 and 2001 decided to move out, leaving many production companies short of cash. Although long-term, the bursting of the investment bubble was probably a good thing, in the short term it caused considerable turmoil in the industry and led to the cancellation of many projects.
Artistically, however, Korean cinema was in top form. Several Korean films won prestigious awards at overseas festivals, including Chihwaseon (Best Director, Cannes), Oasis (Best Director and Best New Actor/Actress, Venice), and My Beautiful Girl, Mari (Grand Prix, Annecy International Animated Film Festival). Other films were less recognized, but no less accomplished, such as Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Hong Sang-soo's Turning Gate. |
