'Long-Form' Film Industry Takes on the Short-Form Market... Showbox's 'The King and the Clown' Director Joins the '10 Million Viewer' Club

[Financial News] Film investment and distribution company Showbox has launched a short-form drama label, while Lee Joon-ik, the director of 'The King and the Clown' and 'Radio Star,' will present his first short-form drama in theaters. Short-form dramas, which have grown around online platforms, are emerging as a new content category for the film industry, traditionally associated with 'long-form' productions.

Showbox announced on the 9th that it had launched the new short-form drama label 'SHOWBITE.' Beginning with the sequential release of five productions this month, SHOWBITE plans to unveil approximately 20 titles by the second half of this year.
The first production, director Yoon Hyung-sik's 'Taste of You,' will be released on the global short-form drama platforms Shortime and Vigloo on the 11th. It follows Victor, the second son of a global food group, and Myca, a rival with an absolute palate, as they team up to compete in a cooking contest and fall for each other. Alexander Morel and Jonathan Barcelos star in the drama.
'Grim Reaper: Asura's Return,' an action thriller about Asura, a former secret agent who takes on a powerful organization after his younger sister goes missing, will also be released. Director Lee Chang-woo, who helmed the Chinese remake short-form drama 'A Stormy Marriage,' is at the helm. The cast includes actor Lee Sang-yeob, Yuk Jun-seo, who drew attention through the dating reality show 'Single's Inferno 4,' and Hur Hyun-jun, a former member of the group THE BOYZ.
The historical drama 'Joseon Seulhwaphim' (directed by Park Jin-young), which portrays power struggles, betrayal and seduction surrounding a secret gathering of the upper class during the Joseon Dynasty, stars Lee Tae-sung, Ryu Hyo-young, Ko Yoon and Jung Joo-yeon.
Other productions set to meet viewers worldwide include the romance 'After I Quit, the Top Star Became Obsessed with Me' (directed by Jung Sung-bin), about manager No-eul (Lee Soo-min), who decides to resign, and top star Hee-sung (Lee Yoo-jin), who tries to stop the manager from leaving. There is also the romantic comedy 'Love in Thailand' (directed by MaxCo Kim), in which Jun-seo (Jin Joo-hyung) approaches So-jin (Kim Seung-hee), the heiress to a golf resort, while hiding his identity, and falls in love with her.
SHOWBITE will participate in the International Broadcasting Video Market (BCWW), which opens on the 14th, and the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), held in October. It plans to meet domestic and international partners and expand its distribution platforms.

Lee Joon-ik, who directed 'The King and the Clown,' 'Radio Star' and 'Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet,' has also taken on the short-form drama format. His first short-form drama, 'My Father's Table,' realistically portrays people trying to resolve problems within a changed family.
Presented by Lezhin Entertainment's short-form drama platform LEZHIN Snack, the production will have its exclusive theatrical release at Lotte Cinema on the 9th, the first short-form drama to receive a theatrical release. It was previously screened at the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, where it met audiences.
Based on the webtoon of the same name by writer Gorita, the family drama follows Haeung, a father who has never even entered the kitchen in his life, as he takes up cooking for the first time to survive after his wife, Soonae, develops 'cooking blank syndrome,' a condition that prevents her from cooking.
Haeung, who has spent 40 years as the absolute authority in his household and a 'tyrant at the dinner table,' is played by Jung Jin-young. Lee Jung-eun plays his wife Soonae, who has been responsible for the family's meals, while Byun Yo-han takes the role of their eldest son, Myeongbok.
The production expands the short-form drama format, traditionally consumed mainly on mobile devices, to the big screen and experiments with a new way of viewing. After its theatrical release, Part 1 will be released on LEZHIN Snack at 5 p.m. on the 17th, followed by Part 2 at 5 p.m. on the 24th.

[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter