CJ ENM (CJ Entertainment)

Overview

CJ ENM is South Korea's largest entertainment and media conglomerate, operating across film production and distribution, television channels, music, live entertainment, and e-commerce. The company's film division, CJ Entertainment, is the dominant force in the Korean theatrical market. CJ ENM is part of CJ Group, one of South Korea's largest chaebols, and maintains annual content investment of approximately 1 trillion won (roughly $720 million USD), the highest content spend of any Korean entertainment company.

CJ ENM produced and distributed Bong Joon-ho's Parasite (2019) domestically in South Korea, the film that went on to become the first Korean and first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The company has since become the most decorated Asian studio at the Academy Awards. CJ ENM co-produced Celine Song's Past Lives (2023), which earned Oscar nominations, and developed and produced Yorgos Lanthimos's Bugonia (2025), which received four Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress for Emma Stone. Bugonia was distributed globally by Focus Features, with CJ ENM positioning the project as its answer to A24's success with offbeat arthouse cinema.

Jerry Ko, CJ ENM's head of global film, has described three distinct strategies for international projects: co-producing films with Korean cultural elements (like Past Lives), reimagining Korean library titles for global audiences with global talent (like Bugonia), and working with Asian auteurs on Korean-language films with universal stories (like Hirokazu Kore-eda's Broker).

Distribution Model and Vertical Integration

CJ ENM distributes films theatrically in South Korea through its CJ Entertainment label and through its ownership of CGV, the largest multiplex cinema chain in South Korea. CGV operates over 600 screens domestically and hundreds more across China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other Asian markets. This vertically integrated production-distribution-exhibition structure gives CJ ENM control over the entire Korean theatrical pipeline, from production through to the ticket window.

In late 2024, CJ CGV launched CGV Pictures, a new film investment and distribution division aimed at addressing a shortage of mid-budget Korean films in the theatrical market. CGV Pictures has distributed titles including I Am a Prince Alone, God's Band (which drew 1.45 million viewers, more than double its break-even point), Sister, and My Name Is. Its first major investment and distribution title, Okay Madam 2 (also marketed as OK! Madam: Bon Voyage), opens in August 2026.

Internationally, CJ ENM licenses Korean content to streaming platforms including Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Hulu. The company does not operate its own streaming platform but has built deep relationships with global streamers hungry for Korean content. CJ ENM's international sales team pre-sells Korean productions to distributors worldwide at markets including Cannes, Berlin, and the American Film Market.

2025-2026 Slate and International Expansion

Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice (2025), adapted from Donald E. Westlake's novel The Ax, is one of CJ ENM's most significant recent releases. The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received a nine-minute ovation and achieved a 100% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes from over 40 international media outlets. It pre-sold to over 200 countries, achieving the strongest overseas pre-sales record ever for a Korean film distributed by CJ ENM. Neon handled North American distribution, bringing in more than $10 million over the holiday season. The film was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature but did not receive a nomination.

CJ ENM's upcoming international slate includes English-language reimaginings of several Korean library titles. The company is working with Michael Mann on a reimagining of Veteran (2015), and developing star-driven English-language adaptations of Park Chan-wook's Lady Vengeance (2005) and Thirst (2009), as well as Kwon Oh-seung's Midnight (2021). A baseball project called Super Fan, about a Korean fan of the Kansas City Royals, is preparing to begin shooting in early 2026 with a mixed Hollywood and Korean cast.

CJ ENM is also backing Bong Joon-ho's next project, an animated feature titled Ally (working title The Valley), which explores the relationship between humans and deep-sea creatures. CJ ENM, Penture Invest, and French studio Pathe Films are co-investing and co-distributing, with production set to wrap in the first half of 2027 ahead of a worldwide release. The project involves top-tier talent from 12 countries.

Hallyu and Global Korean Content

CJ ENM is a primary driver of Hallyu (the Korean Wave), the global spread of Korean popular culture across film, television (K-drama), and music (K-pop). The company's 25-year creative partnership with Park Chan-wook began with Joint Security Area (2000), the highest-grossing Korean film at the time, and continued through Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005), The Handmaiden (2016), Decision to Leave (2022), and No Other Choice (2025). The Handmaiden sold to 176 countries, setting a benchmark for K-cinema exports that No Other Choice has since surpassed.

CJ 4DPlex, a CJ Group affiliate, operates 1,245 screens across 74 countries in its 4DX and ScreenX formats. In 2025, CJ 4DPlex recorded a combined global box office of $497 million across its formats. The company expanded from concert films (BTS, ENHYPEN, Linkin Park) into narrative feature sales in 2026, with plans to assemble approximately 25 titles per year for international distribution.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For filmmakers seeking Korean distribution or co-production financing, CJ ENM is the primary domestic partner. The company's acquisition criteria favor films with strong commercial potential, major Korean talent involvement, or subjects of specific Korean market interest. Films with Korean co-production financing are automatically positioned within the CJ ENM ecosystem.

Korean pre-sales to CJ ENM are a recognized financing mechanism for international co-productions. The company typically requires significant Korean creative involvement or a subject with strong Korean market appeal. CJ ENM's global film division, led by Jerry Ko, is actively seeking projects that bridge Korean and international audiences, whether through co-production, library remakes, or original Korean-language films with universal themes.

CJ ENM does not maintain an open submission portal. Access runs through representation, sales agents, and festival premiere exposure. The company acquires at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, and Busan, and maintains relationships with major international sales agencies.

Notable Productions and Distributions

Parasite (2019), Train to Busan (2016), The Wailing (2016), Extreme Job (2019), Ode to My Father (2014), Veteran (2015), Decision to Leave (2022), Past Lives (2023, co-production), Bugonia (2025, co-production), No Other Choice (2025), Broker (2022, co-production). CJ ENM's Korean domestic catalog includes many of the highest-grossing films in Korean cinema history.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

See Also

For how Korean co-production and international sales structures work, see Distribution Deals Explained. To understand the global streaming market for Korean content, see Streaming vs Theatrical Revenue. To model the financial structure of an international co-production deal, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.