MUMBAI: Advancing its strategy of providing Asian clients with the best of Western and regional content, Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has announced its first distribution agreement with the leading producer of Korean movies -- CJ Entertainment (CJ).
SPTI will partner with CJ to handle television distribution rights to two Korean theatrically-released films -- The Greatest Expectation and How to Keep My Love.
SPTI will distribute these titles throughout most of the Asian region outside of Japan. The announcement was made today by SPTI senior vice president, distribution (Asia) Ross Pollack and CJ Entertainment CFO and head of international Mark Shaw.
Announcing the same, Pollack stated, "This deal reinforces SPTI's position as a leading supplier of content from Asia and Hollywood. These Korean pictures complement SPTI's strong catalogue – a catalog that includes Kung Fu Hustle, which has shattered box office records across Asia, and the Spider-Man franchise. CJ Entertainment is a major creative force in the Korean content arena and we are very pleased to collaborate with them to bring outstanding Korean movies to our clients across Asia. We look forward to working on future distribution projects together as well as building on this relationship with CJ to further explore other business areas of cooperation."
Shaw added, "We are very proud to have SPTI distributing these two Korean films for us throughout the Asian market. With their strong distribution platform, anchored by their broad and comprehensive content, we are fully confident that SPTI will expand the reach of these films. CJ Entertainment is committed to providing better access to Korean content to the rest of the world. As Korean films and Korean talent are beginning to receive international appreciation, it is important that we strive to find better ways to share that content. That is why we are very excited about the possibilities of working with Sony in this endeavor, as well as seeking other opportunities to collaborate to better produce and distribute Asian content together."
How to Keep My Love is a romantic comedy that centers on a 29-year-old woman who believes that she has everything except a successful relationship with her boyfriend.
The Greatest Expectation, on the other hand, is a comedy about two unemployed underachievers -- Chang-sik, who has been shamelessly freeloading off his older brother for two years, and Mi-young, who nurtures grandiose dreams of becoming a TV actress but has failed every audition because she just can't act. The two become enemies over a dime, but then become entangled in a scheme to collect five million dollars after witnessing a hit and run traffic accident involving a very wealthy man.
