“The Pirates” South Korean maritime action film picked up by 15 countries

PanARMENIAN.Net - South Korean maritime action film The Pirates was picked up by 15 countries across North America, Europe and Asia at the Cannes Film Market, Lotte Entertainment announced Wednesday. The successful presale for the summer release title marks a rare feat for local period films, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Preselling rights went to distributors across North and South Americas, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Mexico, India, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Myanmar, among other territories.

"This marks the highest presale rate for a Korean period film this year," said a spokesperson for Lotte Entertainment. "After only seeing just a short clip, foreign buyers have noted the quality and scale of the computer graphics, as well as the impressive action sequences that demonstrate wide mainstream appeal."

Directed by Lee Seok-hoon, The Pirates follows the face off between pirates and a tyrannical captain to score a kingly booty during the 14th century Joseon Kingdom. The film made headlines for starring actress Son Ye-jin, who has been popular across Asia for romantic heroine roles, as a charismatic pirate. Other notable cast members include heartthrob Kim Nam-gil, who will be appearing opposite Cannes jury member Jeon Do-yeon in A Bastard, and Sulli of K-pop girl band f(x).

The Pirates is slated for a summer release in Korea.