CJ ENM HK announced the partnership with iQIYI International to bring tvN Movies SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) service regionally across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam from 8 August 2020. This will also be the first-time customers in Vietnam will have access to all the blockbuster movies from tvN Movies.
The partnership aims to better satisfy the growing demands for both Korean movies (especially after the multiple Oscar Awards for Parasite earlier this year) and quality streaming services like iQIYI International in South East Asia. As part of the partnership, tvN Movies will provide a roster of First Run movies every month based on viewership intel from iQIYI International, complete with innovative marketing activities to engage the users. The expansion of digital footprint into populous Vietnam is the 7th market for tvN Movies as it ramps up distribution and contents in the Region.
iQIYI is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. In June 2019, iQIYI officially launched the iQIYI International App, providing an abundant and diversified selection of HD entertainment to international viewers.
tvN Movies, the Home of Korean Blockbusters, which is owned by Asia’s leading entertainment CJ ENM, is synonymous with top-rated blockbusters and has been entertaining Asian audiences since 2017. This is the first partnership for tvN Movies in Vietnam and a natural fit given the widespread popularity and demand for Korean content with the youthful population.
At launch, subscribers of iQIYI International will have access to a wide range of Korean blockbusters* and hottest stars such as:
- Parasite (Kang Ho Song, Lee Sun Gyun, Choi Woo Shik and Park So Dam);
- Ashfall (Lee Gyun Hun, Ma Dong Seok, Ha Jung Woo and Suzy);
- Hitman: Agent Jun (Kwon Sang Woo, Hwang Woo Seul Hye and Lee Ji Won);
- Beast Clawing at Straws (Jeon Do Yeon, Jung Woo Sung and Jung Ga-Nam);
- The Divine Fury (Park Seo Joon, Ahn Sung Ki and Choi Woo Shik)
- Baseball Girl (Lee Joo Young, Kwak Dong Yeon and Lee Joon Hyuk);
- Rampant (Hyun Bin, Jang Dong Gun and Lee Sun Bin);
- The Battleship Island (Hwang Jung-Min, Song Joong-Ki and So Ji-Sub);
- Train to Busan (Gong Yoo, Ma Dong Seok and Jung Yu Mi) and many more
* Territories apply
In addition, fans can look forward to watching this year’s Top 3 Summer Blockbusters from Korea on tvN Movies at end of year. CJ ENM has secured first and exclusive Pay TV (PTV), Pay-Per-View (PPV), Video-On-Demand (VOD) and Over-The-Top (OTT) rights for tvN Movies in key Southeast Asia markets. The Blockbusters are:
Peninsula, the CG effects-heavy sequel to 2017 Hit zombie flick Train to Busan, Deliver Us From Evil, an action-packed hitman revenge thriller and sought after the onscreen reunion in 7 years for Best Actors; Hwang Jung Min and Lee Jung Jae and Steel Rain 2: Summit, a big-budget geopolitics war drama on Korean Peninsular starring Jung Woo Sung as South Korean President.
One of the most anticipated Korean movies of the year and an official selection of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Peninsula picks up four years after the zombie outbreak that devastated the Korean Peninsula, revolving around survivors and stars Gang Dong-won, who has featured in local hits such as 1987: When The Day Comes, as Jung-seok, a former soldier who manages to escape from the Korean peninsula – a zombie-infested wasteland turned into a ghetto by other nations trying to stop the spread of the virus. The film has been to sold to 185 countries Worldwide and since opening on 15 July, is on box office streak in all countries it has opened, including >3.5 million admissions in South Korea alone.
Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jung-jae team up in Deliver Us from Evil, an eagerly anticipated movie by the audience with an unpredictable story, stylish action, strong characters, and visuals. In-nam (HWANG Jung Min), a contract killer who most recently completed his final contract, finds out that the victim of kidnapping could be his next of kin. He takes off to Thailand immediately to investigate and enlists Yui (PARK Jeong Min) for help and together they race against time to find the kidnapped child. Meanwhile, Ray (LEE Jung Jae) finds out that his brother has been killed by In-nam and goes after him, leaving a large number of bodies in his quest to seek his revenge. The film opened on 5 August in South Korea.
Steel Rain 2 features a fictional kidnapping of leaders of South Korea, North Korea, and the United States in a North Korean nuclear-powered submarine after a coup by a North Korean general (Kwan Do-won). Star actor Jung Woo-sung plays the South Korean president, and Yoo Yeon-seok takes the role of the North Korean leader, while Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen portrays the U.S. president. The film opened on 29 July and has garnered 1 million admissions in South Korea over its first weekend.