Hello, Brother

Hello, Brother (Korean: 안녕, 형아; RR: Annyeong, Hyeong-a), also known as Little Brother, is a 2005 South Korean drama film directed by Lim Tai-hyung. The film starred Bae Jong-ok, Park Won-sang, and Park Ji-bin.[2]

Hello, Brother
Directed byLim Tai-hyung
Written byKim Eun-Jeong
Produced byShim Bo-Kyoung
Starring
CinematographyKim Yeong-ho
Release date
27 May 2005 (2005-05-27)[1]
Running time
95 min.
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Plot

Hello, Brother is a family drama which portrays a mischievous young boy's reaction to his older brother's battle with childhood cancer. It is based on the true story of siblings Seol-hwi and Chang-hwi.[3][4]

Cast

Production

Entertainment company MK Buffalo[n 1] announced in August 2004 that it would invest 3.2 billion into the film, with ₩1.8 billion budgeted for production costs and ₩1.4 billion for marketing.[7] In early September, the company began raising funds for production by public subscription over the internet, promising 80% minimum capital preservation and distribution of additional profits if domestic viewership exceeded 1.15 million.[8] It was believed to be the first South Korean film to attempt to raise 100% of production funds from the public prior to beginning production; the 1999 film Happy End had raised a portion of its production funds in a similar way, while the 2003 film A Good Lawyer's Wife had previously raised funds from internet users after production was complete.[9]

However, on 8 September, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) intervened and ordered MK Buffalo to cease public fundraising, stating that the company had violated the Indirect Asset Management Business Act[n 2] with its attempt to raise funds from the public without an asset management license, and possibly with its promise of capital preservation.[10] The company announced the following day that it would comply with the order but that it did not agree that its activities violated the law.[11] In November, MK Buffalo announced that it would restructure the internet fund as an anonymous partnership[n 3] in a second attempt to raise funds for the production from the public without violating securities regulations.[12] Regulation of anonymous partnerships was not under the jurisdiction of the FSS; the Ministry of Finance and Economy regarded this as a loophole in investor protection laws but had no authority to intervene.[13] MK Buffalo raised its increased target of ₩1.95 billion from 430 investors.[14]

Filming began on 11 October, while the funding controversy was still ongoing, and by 15 November the company stated it was roughly halfway complete.[15] By early January, filming had not yet ended, though it was said to be 90% complete, with a target release date in late April. One particularly difficult scene was the one in which character Han-byeol first received cancer treatment, filmed at Chung-Ang University Medical Center. It was difficult to take smooth shots in the highly public setting, and work even had to be stopped temporarily due to complaints from patients and their visiting family members; combined with the emotional nature of the scene, this took its toll on the actors.[3] Filming was completed on 20 January.[16] The trailer was released on 6 February, and the poster on 1 April.[17][18] Soundtrack work continued in March, with veteran singer Kim Jang-hoon and child actor Park Ji-bin recording a duet for release as a promotional music video.[19] On 12 April, the release date was officially announced as 27 May.[20]

Release and reception

An early screening of the film was held on 2 May for 600 people, including 80 of the 430 investors from whom MK Buffalo had raised funds. Investors had extremely optimistic expectations for their rate of return.[21] Another special screening was held on 5 May for young patients at Asan Medical Center.[6] Distribution rights for Japan, China (including Hong Kong), and Singapore were sold to Japanese company Shochiku for US$300,000 just prior to the film's South Korean release.[22]

Hello, Brother was expected to face stiff competition on its release date from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which was released the previous day in South Korea. By 25 May, Star Wars III had sold 88.8% of its release day tickets through advance reservation, as compared to just 4.88% for Hello, Brother.[23] It came in second place behind Star Wars III at the box office on its release weekend, with 316,705 viewers in 194 cinemas.[24] Word-of-mouth contributed to the film's popularity and gave it a strong second week, including 219 thousand viewers during the long weekend for Memorial Day.[25] The week after that it received another 122,881 viewers, breaking the one-million mark, though still short of the break-even point of 1.2 million viewers.[26][27] By 19 June, after the fourth weekend, the film had received a total of 1,089,276 viewers, giving it enough revenue to cover the minimum guarantee of returning 80% of the initial capital to investors, but still short of returning profit. Prospects for future viewership were not bright; although it was not facing competition from other family films at the time, it had already been moved to the smallest screening hall in many cinemas.[28]

Notes

  1. Korean: MK버팔로; RR: MK Beopallo; KRX: 076170.
  2. Korean: 간접투자자산 운용업법; Hanja: 間接投資資産運用業法; RR: Ganjeop Tuja Jasan Unyong-eop Beop. For an English translation of the law, see "Indirect Investment Asset Management Business Act". Ministry of Government Legislation. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  3. Korean: 익명조합; Hanja: 匿名組合; RR: Ingmyeong Johap, a kind of contract similar to the German Stille Gesellschaft or the Japanese tokumei kumiai.

References

  1. "Commercial Releases in 2005". koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  2. "Little Brother (2005)". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  3. 울음바다로 변한 '안녕 형아' 촬영장 [Film set of 'Hello, Brother' turns into an ocean of tears]. Joy News. 9 January 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  4. Min, Dong-yong (19 May 2005). "'Hello Brother': Finding Family Affection through Tears". The Dong-A Ilbo. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  5. 정재형 [Jeong Jae-hyeong] (20 January 2005). 옥동자-안어벙 영화'안녕, 형아' 특별출연 [Ok Dong-ja, An Eo-beong make special appearances in film 'Hello, Brother']. Star News. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  6. '안녕, 형아', 5일 어린이 환자 위해 특별 병원시사회 열어 [Special hospital screening of 'Hello, Brother' on 5th for young patients]. Joy News. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  7. MK버팔로,영화 '안녕 형아'에 32억원 투자 [MK Buffalo invests 3.2 billion in film 'Hello, Brother']. Money Today. 10 August 2004. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  8. 김경인 [Kim Gyeong-in] (2 September 2004). MK버팔로, 영화 '안녕 형아' 인터넷펀드 모집 [MK Buffalo advertising internet fund for film 'Hello Brother']. E-Daily. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  9. '안녕, 형아', 사전 인터넷 펀드 모집 ['Hello, Brother' raising capital in advance through internet fund]. Yonhap News Agency. 2 September 2004. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  10. 민주영 [Min Ju-yeong] (8 September 2004). 영화 '안녕, 형아' 인터넷 공모는 불법 [Internet public subscription for film 'Hello, Brother' is illegal]. Star News. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  11. 윤선희 [Yun Seon-hui] (9 September 2004). 금감원 '안녕, 형아' 인터넷공모 중단 통보 [Financial Supervisory Service announces suspension of fundraising for film 'Hello, Brother']. Star News. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  12. 임채식 [Im Chae-sik] (15 November 2004). 인터넷 펀드 논란 영화 `안녕, 형아` 제작비 전액 '익명조합' 조달 [Film in internet fund controversy 'Hello, Brother' will raise production costs through anonymous partnership]. Digital Times. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  13. 윤선희 [Yun Seon-hui] (30 November 2004). '안녕 형아', 금감원 '불법' 재경부 '합법' ['Hello, Brother': Financial Supervisory Service says 'illegal', Ministry of Finance and Economy says 'legal']. Money Today. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  14. '안녕 형아', 네티즌 투자자 430명 몰려 ['Hello, Brother' raises funds from 430 netizen investors]. Joy News. 24 November 2004. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  15. 이규창 [Lee Kyu-chang] (15 November 2004). '안녕, 형아' 익명조합으로 제작비 조달 ['Hello, Brother' will raise production costs through anonymous partnership]. Star News. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  16. 정명화 [Jeong Myeong-hwa] (21 January 2005). 옥동자와 안어벙 '우리도 영화 찍었어요' [Ok Dong-ja and An Eo-beong: 'We're in the film too']. Joy News. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  17. 유진모 [Yu Jin-mo] (6 February 2005). '안녕, 형아' 눈물샘 자극하는 티저예고편 공개 ['Hello, Brother' tear-jerking teaser released]. My Daily. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  18. 배종옥이 '아들'이라 부른 박지빈,'안녕, 형아' 포스터 공개 [Public release of poster for 'Hello, Brother' with Park Ji-bin, 'son' of Bae Jong-ok]. My Daily. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  19. 김장훈, 박지빈과 '안녕, 형아' OST참여 [Kim Jang-hoon, Park Ji-bin participate in 'Hello, Brother' soundtrack]. Herald Business. 30 March 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  20. 익명조합원 모집 '안녕, 형아', 5월27일 개봉 ['Hello Brother', which raised funds through anonymous partnership, to be released on 27 May]. Star News. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  21. '안녕, 형아' 예상수익률 67.1%..230만 관객 ['Hello, Brother' projects 67.1% return and 2.3 million viewers]. Money Today. 3 May 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  22. 이형석 [Lee Hyung-suk] (25 May 2005). '안녕, 형아' 일본 등 아시아 3개국 수출 ['Hello, Brother' will be exported to three countries including Japan]. Herald Business. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  23. '스타워즈-시스의 복수', 예매율 '88.8%'로 대박 예고 ['Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith' expected to be a big hit, with 88.8% pre-sales rate]. My Daily. 25 May 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  24. 정명화 [Jeong Myeong-hwa] (30 May 2005). '안녕, 형아', 31만명 동원 박스오피스 2위 기록 ['Hello, Brother' mobilises 310 thousand for second place at box office]. Star News. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  25. 박홍규 [Park Hong-gyu] (7 June 2005). '안녕, 형아', 전국 82만 동원후 100만 도전 ['Hello, Brother' mobilises 820 thousand nationwide, aiming for one million]. My Daily. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  26. 이형석 [Lee Hyung-suk] (8 June 2005). '안녕, 형아' 투자자 관객 120만명 이후 1명당 0.6원씩 수익 ['Hello, Brother' will distribute profit of 0.6 won per viewer after reaching 1.2 million viewers]. Herald Business. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  27. 정명화 [Jeong Myeong-hwa] (13 June 2005). '안녕, 형아', 100만 관객 돌파 ['Hello, Brother' breaks one million viewers]. Joy News. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
  28. 익명조합원 모집한 '안녕, 형아', 아쉬운 성적 ['Hello, Brother', which recruited investors by anonymous partnership, has unsatisfactory results]. Yonhap News Agency. 21 June 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2017 via Naver News.
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