South Korea’s Plus M Entertainment and Japan’s KDDI Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on theatrical releases across the two territories and jointly develop remakes.
In a bid to strengthen ties between the two Asian markets, the agreement will include simultaneous theatrical releases and market campaigns in Korea and Japan; the co-hosting of remastered screenings through affiliated theatres; and the joint development and remake of IP. It also includes the launch of a work exchange programme
Historically, due to the nature of the Japanese theatrical market – where major distributors finalise their annual release schedules far in advance – it has taken six months to more than a year for Korean films to secure Japanese release dates. Through this partnership, Plus M aims to accelerate the launch of its titles in the Japanese market
The first films slated for simultaneous release under the partnership are Plus M’s Project Y, a crime-action film starring Han So-hee (Gyeongseong Creature) and Jun Jong-seo (Ballerina), and KDDI’s Night Flower, a crime drama starring Keiko Kitagawa.
This week, Plus M saw latest release Yadang: The Snitch become the biggest film of the year at the South Korea box office, with 3.03 million admissions to date surpassing the 3.01 million recorded by Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17. Previous titles include 12.12: The Day, which topped Korea’s box office in 2023, and blockbuster franchise The Roundup.
Japanese telecoms firm KDDI launched film label KDDI Pictures in 2022 and has distributed Korean titles including Hear Me: Our Summer and aespa: My First Page. It is set to release Plus M’s Love In A Big City on June 13, allocating a significant promotional budget to pushing the film.
Plus M head of content Eugene Kim and Noriyuki Takahashi, KDDI general manager of services and products division, signed the MoU in Seoul on May 7 alongside key executives from both companies.
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