Alibaba Pictures to Enter Korean Film Industry with ‘Real’ Movie

Alibaba Pictures signs Memorandum of Understanding to invest in upcoming Korean film industry with action thriller film Real starring Kim Soo Hyun.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s flagship entertainment stream, Alibaba Pictures, has officially announced that the Chinese E-commerce Company will invest in Kim Soo Hyun's upcoming moive Real. Earlier this month, the e-commerce giant formally signed MoU at Busan International Film Festival.

According to Business Finance News, Alibaba Pictures' CEO, Zhang Qiang, has said that at this moment the Korean film industry is very influential. "We're investing in REAL because the Korean film industry is arguably the most influentially creative in the region at present, and the popular Kim Soo Hyun is the embodiment of that. We aim to support regional movie making in Asia, as well as bigger Hollywood movies," Qiang added.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the signed contract will give Alibaba Pictures the rights to distribute the film through advertisement, e-commerce development and brand licensing.

Alibaba Pictures has also recently invested in Paramount's Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. The Chinese business giant also collaborated on online booking, movie promotions and merchandising distribution in China. According to Deadline, Alibaba's investment in Korean film industry will help them in exploring new opportunities because, not only has Korea has always been a powerhouse market for Hollywood, but also it has one of the most profitable local business in the world.

It was earlier reported by Soompi that Korean superstar, Kim Soo Hyun has signed to star in Lee Jung-Sub's upcoming action-thriller Real. Kim Soo Hyun is a Korean superstar and is also widely famous in China for his roles in Miss Granny, The Thieves, Secretly Greatly and Dream Highland. According to Asian Wiki, Real will star Kim Soo-Hyun in the starring role of Jang Tae-Young who is a famous shooter in the Korean criminal world.

The principal photography of Real has already started this month and the film will may release in the latter half of the next year.