TIME TO HUNT Scraps Theatrical Plans for Netflix Bow, Faces Legal Repercussions
Apr 08, 2020
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by Pierce Conran
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Berlinale-Premiered SF Thriller Alters Release Plan following Covid-19 Delay
* Netflix decided to postpone the film’s release in all territories until the legal dispute between Contents Panda and Little Big Pictures is resolved. (Updated 14.04.2020)
In the midst of a film landscape that is quickly adapting in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Berlinale-premiered sci-fi thriller Time to Hunt has forgone its theatrical plans in favor of a global Netflix launch. Originally scheduled to open theatrically in Korea on February 22, the sophomore film by Bleak Night (2011) director YOON Sung-hyun will now be made available in the 190 territories served by Netflix on April 10 with subtitles in 29 languages.
The deal with the online streaming giant was struck by the film’s main financier and local distributor Little Big Pictures but has raised the ire of the film’s international sales agent Contents Panda, which had already presold the film to 30 overseas distributors and was looking to conclude a further 70 deals. Contents Panda, also a part financier of the film, has threatened to take legal action against Little Big Pictures as the new deal is in violation of all the pre-sales contracts it had already signed.
Time to Hunt premiered as a special gala selection at this year Berlin International Film Festival and this new deal makes it the first major Korean feature production to launch domestically on a streaming service.
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