"Once in a Summer" to be Released in Japan

The Korean film "Once in a Summer" will be released in Japan on Jan. 27. The movie, which stars two top stars, Lee Byung-hun and Soo Ae --but fared badly at the Korean box office when it was released on Nov. 30--is expected to do well in Japan.

The two stars will also do their utmost for the movie's success in the island country, as they did in Korea, touring local cities to promote the movie despite its poor performance at box office. They will fly to Japan on Jan. 16 and give interviews with various media outlets to promote the film. Lee visited the neighboring country last year for promotional purposes.

The movie is expected to do well in Japan, unlike in Korea, due to Lee's tremendous popularity there. It was sold to Japan for US$4 million before its release in Korea.

Another reason for lofty expectations is the success of "Now and Forever, which performed poorly in Korea but was the only Korean movie to make the top five at the Japanese box office last year, as it starred Choi Ji-woo, who is enjoying great popularity in Japan for her role in the hit drama "Winter Sonata".

The film's producer, KM Culture, said that it will also be shown at more theaters than anticipated.

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