CJ WISES UP - OPENS THEATERS IN US

Frustrated by the US distribution model (sell movie to US distributor, US distributor waits forever to release movie, US distributor decides maybe not to release movie after all) CJ Entertainment, Korea's massive movie conglomerate, is trying to create a vertical model of distribution in the US.

Step one: they're building their own theater in the US. The first one will be on two floors of an entertainment center in downtown LA called Madang. Kini Kim, CJ's VP of International Sales says:

“With individual sales, a film has to go to one of the major studio’s 'Classics' divisions to get a sizable release. Otherwise, with an independent distributor, the most you can hope for is a roadshow. Of course CJ is thinking of direct distribution, since it could cover the niche market and even branch into the mainstream.”

Kini Kim is nobody's fool and this is just one of the things CJ has done to try to tap the unlimited revenue for Korean films they see in the US after their recent deal with Dreamworks to distribute TYPHOON. I think this is a smart move by these guys, but I don't think there's as much money in America as they assume. I'm also curious to know if the anti-trust laws that decided United States vs. Paramount Pictures back in 1948 will affect this since that decision required that the studios separate their production and exhibition arms. Does it not apply to an overseas company?