 |
| A scene from the film "Jurassic World Dominion." Courtesy of Universal Pictures |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
A raft of sequels to Hollywood blockbusters are poised to bring more people back to theaters in the coming months following "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which outdid the original "Doctor Strange" in ticket sales in Korea.
Moviegoers are flocking back to cinemas now that there is a wide selection of movies available. As a result, "Doctor Strange 2" attracted more than 5.47 million moviegoers as of Sunday, outpacing "Doctor Strange," which attracted 5.45 million people.
"Jurassic World Dominion," which will be released on June 1, is the sixth and final installment in the franchise which dates back more than three decades. The film picks up after the events of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" (2018) where dinosaurs have escaped the island of Isla Nublar and are now living among humans. It features the return of Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and BD Wong from the first installment of the series, "Jurassic Park."
"Top Gun: Maverick," the much-delayed follow-up to the 1986 hit, "Top Gun," will premiere on June 22. Tom Cruise is returning to his role of ace pilot as an instructor, teaching the next generation of Top Gun aviators. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski with the screenplay written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie.
 |
| Actor Tom Cruise in a scene from the film "Top Gun: Maverick." Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment |
"Lightyear," a spinoff of the "Toy Story" franchise featuring Buzz Lightyear, is coming to theaters on June 15. The film follows the space ranger after he is stranded on a hostile planet far from Earth. He tries to find his way back home through space and time. It is directed by Angus MacLane, who was also the director for "Finding Dory," with the script written by Pete Doctor of "Inside Out."
The live-action "Star Wars" spin-off show, "Obi-Wan Kenobi," will also premiere on June 8. The six-part series begins 10 years after the dramatic events of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" (2005), where Kenobi faced the corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Kenobi embarks on a mission to confront allies-turned-enemies and the downfall of the Empire.
Director Taika Waikiki's "Thor: Love and Thunder," a follow-up to "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), will hit local screens in July. Thor's quest for soul searching is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. Thor goes on his final mission to battle the threat.
A follow-up installment of "Avatar," which is by far the highest-grossing foreign film in Korea with a box office revenue of 125.3 billion won ($98.8 million), will be shown in December. "Avatar: The Way of Water" will be released 13 years after the first film due to director James Cameron's notorious perfectionism and special effects.
The film will feature the return of many original "Avatar" cast members reprising their roles, including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang and will follow the family that Jake Sully (Worthington) has built with his Na'vi partner Neytiri (Saldana).
![[INTERVIEW] How Frank Wildhorn became most popular musical composer in Korea](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/aa01bf883001442494bf0555432fe510.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
