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D-War Premieres as Dragon Wars in Hollywood

Shim Hyung-rae's big-budget fantasy blockbuster "D-War" will have its North American premiere at the Egyptian Theater in downtown Hollywood on September 13th under the title Dragon Wars. 400 guests will preview the film before its nationwide release the next day on over 1700 screens, the largest exhibition deal ever for a Korean film in the US. Director SHIM, along with American actors Jason Behr and Amanda Brooks will attend the reception after the premiere screening.

The English-language film, shot primarily in LA, is officially budgeted at US$33 million, making it the most expensive Korean film ever produced. Even so, the actual budget is rumored at more than US$75 million, when costs to develop homegrown CGI technology at SHIM's Younggu Art Studio are included. It was released locally on July 25th, quickly becoming a box office phenomenon, raking in 8.2 million admissions to make it the 5th best selling Korean film of all time.

US distributor, Freestyle Releasing has expanded the theatrical launch from 1500 to well over 1700 screens, including the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Meanwhile, a deal has been signed with Sony Pictures, who have picked up ancillary rights to the film.

Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)

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