It's mid-August, a time when many summer films are vying for box office success. Two top contenders are scheduled for an Aug. 14 release: teen cheerleading flick “Victory” and natural disaster film “Twisters.”

“Victory,” directed by Park Beom-su, is set in 1999 in rural Geoje, South Gyeongsang. It revolves around high school students who love dancing and start a cheerleading club for their school’s football team. The film features young stars such as Lee Hye-ri, Lee Jung-ha, Park Se-wan and Jo A-ram.

Director Park wants the film to showcase the power of cheering and the positive energy it creates — and to bring back warm memories of the 1990s.

“I was a bit upset about the 1980s and 90s being caricatured in dramas and variety shows,” said director Park, 45, who was a young adult at the time of the film, during a news conference on Aug. 5 in Yongsan District, central Seoul. “I had an ambition to show that we were also really cool back then.”

Though the film is quite bright, the cast said that something about it leads them to tears. Lee Hye-ri actually began to cry at the news conference, which made other actors emotional as well.

“It’s weird,” Lee Hye-ri said. “When I first read the script alone, I didn’t show any tears, not even once. But when I started reading the script alongside my cast mates, with everyone into their characters, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I could hardly get through the reading.”

While “Victory” brings nostalgia, “Twisters” touches on the more timely issue of natural disasters.

The film, directed by Golden Globe winner Lee Isaac Chung, is a stand-alone sequel to the 1996 movie “Twister.” It follows a researcher and influencer who chase after tornadoes in Oklahoma and features actors such as Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos.

“If you want big action, big thrills, huge entertainment, lots of love and lots of laughs, this film has something for everyone,” Edgar-Jones said during the film’s news conference in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 7, ahead of its Korean premiere. The film was initially released in North America on July 19.

While its director, actor and executive producer Ashley Jay Sandberg paid visit to Korea for the conference, it was actor Edgar-Jones's first time to visiting the country.

“I went on a walk down by the [Han] river and saw people eating around by the river, which was really amazing,” Edgar-Jones said.

The film also set U.S. box office records during the first weekend of its release, achieving the biggest opening gross for a natural disaster film. Its team expressed gratitude for the milestone.

“I grew up in Arkansas, where there are a lot of people who don't go to movies very often, but they were texting me they went to the movies to watch it,” director Chung said. “So just to hear that the people there were embracing the movie meant a lot to me.”

The director revealed that the film's single Korean line was performed by his old friend and associate producer. He did it for Korea, Chung said.

“Originally, it was only going to be one tourist from Australia,” the director said. “But I said we need another tourist, and of course, he should be Korean and he should speak Korean.”

The director recommended watching the film on a big screen. “Tornadoes are majestic and they're big. The bigger the movie screen is, the more you have the experience of actually chasing a tornado.”


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]