‘Time To Hunt’ Contract Talks End And Prompt New Air Date

Time To Hunt, starring Lee Je-hoon and Choi Woo-sik is heading back to Netflix. The film was originally due to air on the streaming platform on April 10. On April 9, the Seoul Central Court halted the debut, pending negotiations between two companies that were involved in its distribution. Negotiations have been successful and the drama will now air on April 23.

The dystopian thriller, which also stars Ahn Jae-hong and Park Jung-min, premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 22, as the first Korean film to be screened in the festival’s Berlinale special section. With the onslaught of COVID-19 emptying theaters in Korea, the film’s Feb. 26 theater debut was delayed and eventually the film’s distributor, Little Big Pictures, announced that the film would have its global premiere on Netflix. 

Little Big Pictures had contracted Contents Panda to sell the film internationally. Given the effect of COVID-19 on theater turnout, Little Big Pictures terminated the contract with Contents Panda, citing an unprecedented situation. Contents Panda filed a complaint, saying they already sold the film in 30 countries, with negotiations underway to sell the film in dozens more. Some of their promotions had taken place before the Berlinale.  Contents Panda requested an injunction against the film’s Netflix release, which included plans to show the film in 190 countries.

After a brief period of negotiations, the two companies resolved their differences. Little Big Pictures released a statement with apologies to fans who were anticipating the film’s release and also to Contents Panda, acknowledging their contribution to the film’s sales.

Contents Panda also released a statement, saying they had successfully concluded negotiations and there would now be no problem airing the film on Netflix.

Time to Hunt is an action thriller in which four young men plot a robbery to escape their miserable existence. However, they choose the wrong people to rob and end up being hunted by a mysterious unstoppable killer. 

The film was poised to attract attention because of its stars, Lee Je-hoon, who starred in the popular TV series Signal, and Choi Woo-sik, who starred in the Academy-Award winning best picture Parasite, but also because of its director Yoon Sung-hyun, who  won multiple awards for his first film, Bleak Night. Time to Hunt is his second full length film.

While some Korean films delayed their release due to the pandemic, Time To Hunt was the first to choose a streaming option instead.