[Sesay:] Hello, everyone. The South Korean student that has been detained in North Korea is reportedly about to be released. The South Korean Unification Ministry says Won-Moon Joo is expected to be handed over to South Korea at the border in a few hours. Kathy Novak is in Seoul and joins us now with details. Kathy, what do we know about this decision to free the student now?
[Kathy Novak, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, what we know is just coming from the South Korean side at this stage. It says that North Korea informed the authorities here that this student was to be handed over this afternoon in just a few hours from now. More than that, we're not sure because there's nothing official coming out from the North Korean state media in terms of the reason why he may be released this afternoon. There is a major national holiday coming up. The questions are, perhaps, with the timing be associated with that. But in terms of the reasons behind North Korea's decision, we just don't know. What we do know is that this was a very lucky young man. There are three other South Koreans still being detained in North Korea. They were sentenced to life sentences of hard labor in labor camps. And South Korea continues to call for their release as well. We would imagine that Joo will also be up for some questioning when he arrives on the South Korean side. It is illegal for a South Korean citizen to cross into North Korea without permission. So there will certainly be questions about that, and, indeed, what happened to him while he was in North Korea Isha?
[Sesay:] Well, we're seeing some pictures of Won-Moon Joo speaking to Will Ripley in recent months. What do we know about why he did, indeed, cross over into North Korea? Or what have we learned?
[Novak:] Well, what we heard from him, when he spoke to Will, as you say, he is an NYU student, a South Korean citizen but a resident in the United States studying there. He travelled from China into North Korea and said he wanted to get arrested, that he thought that this whole event would cause he said he wanted a great event to happen. And he was telling Will Ripley at the time that he was hoping he would be able to tell the story of an ordinary student who was able to cross into North Korea and, by the good graces, basically, he said, of the authorities there be allowed to return home. It seems, according to the South Korean Unification Ministry, that may, indeed, be what is going to happen this afternoon. Though, of course, we don't know what is going to be happening to him when he reaches here in South Korea, because, as I say, there will be some major questions being asked of him. Because when he talks about a great event, he didn't really expand on how he thought this could be a good thing. This is a very unusual event, and certainly very dangerous. And he was facing the potential of a very harsh punishment in North Korea.
[Sesay:] Kathy, if he is, indeed, released, which is the expectation, will it make any measurable difference in relations between the North and the South?
[Novak:] Well, it's interesting because he referred to that when he spoke to CNN back in May, that he was hoping that if he were released, that would do something to better relations between the North and the South. As I say, there are three other South Korean citizens doing hard labor, life sentences in North Korea. The South will continue to push for their release. It comes at a very tense time between North and South Korea. As I mentioned, there's this major anniversary coming up in North Korea. We're expecting a big military parade in Pyongyang. There was also expectation that at the time of that event there may be a rocket launch or a nuclear test or fears that another provocative move could be happening from North Korea. So the South is constantly watching out for that. But lately, relations have simmered down from the time of a couple of months ago when there was artillery fire exchanged across the border and high-level talks had to be had to calm the situation. But it's always a tense time on the peninsula, Isha, and it remains that way now with this major anniversary coming up in North Korea in just a few days' time.
[Sesay:] It is, indeed, always a tense time on the peninsula. Kathy Novak joining us from Seoul, South Korea. Thank you, Kathy. Appreciate it. Now the fall movie season has blasted off with the release of "The Martian." The Matt Damon space thriller topped the weekend box office, grossing an estimated $100 million worldwide, including $55 million in the U.S. Amra Walker takes a look now at the sci-fi hit.
[Matt Damon, Actor:] So I have to make water and grow food on a planet that nothing grows.
[Damon:] In your face, Neil Armstrong.
[Amra Walker, Cnn Correspondent:] In "The Martian," Matt Damon stars an as astronaut stranded on the red planet, mistakenly left for dead after a powerful storm forces his crew to abandon their mission.
[Damon:] This is Mark Watney. And I'm still alive.
[Walker:] With help more than 100 million miles away, Damon has to survive all alone while NASA plans a daring rescue. Damon, Director Ridley Scott, and the rest of the cast turned out on the red carpet in London for the film's European premiere.
[Damon:] It's a really uplifting message and movie, and it felt like right now with everything happening, it was a nice thing to put out into the world.
[Unidentified Actor:] I think the movie works very, very well. And I got to work with some terrific people.
[Unidentified Actress:] It's amazing, and it's Matt. People like to see matt. People like to see what Ridley is doing. It's just really exciting to be here.
[Walker:] And the movie is also getting some help generating buzz, thanks to this week's news that NASA scientists have found water on Mars.
[Damon:] Cheers. Congratulations to everybody at NASA with this is huge, huge news. I wish I knew about it while I was stranded on Mars. But the next time I'm stuck there, at least I know there will be water.
[Walker:] Maybe movie makers can tackle that in a sequel. Amra Walker, CNN.
[Sesay:] Well, "The Martian" could break records by the time the box office numbers settle. Right now, just shy of having the biggest October opening ever. Earlier, I spoke with Tim Grierson, the chief film critic of "Paste" magazine about the movie's appeal. Tim, great to have you with us. A $55 million opening weekend box office haul for "The Martian." Help me understand the pull here. Is it Matt Damon? Is it Ridley Scott? Is it the recent discovery of flowing water on Mars?
[Tim Grierson, Chief Film Critic, "paste" Magazine:] It may be a little of all of those things, actually. I think it's just a great concept, the idea of this lone astronaut stuck on Mars trying to figure out how he's going to get home and NASA trying to figure out how to rescue him. We've had stories like "Castaway" and "All Is Lost" and even "Gravity," really like survival stories. They are very popular. I think the fact that they discovered, you know, water on Mars, or at least announced it this week, I think that could help kind of boost people's interest in it. I think the reviews have been really strong for this movie. I thought it was really great myself. I think it's just a really great feel-good movie. I think all of those factors together, combined, to make people feel like this is the movie we want to see this weekend.
[Sesay:] You wrote a great review for it in "Paste" magazine, and one of the things you say is this is not a survival movie, which is what a lot of people may expect. Explain that to me. [01:45:]
[Grierson:] My own father was nervous about seeing this movie. He was like, it's a guy by himself for a whole movie. Do I want to see that? There are little elements of that. Matt Damon is a botanist who has to make 30 days worth of rations last for a year. But the movie is very much about this idea of how people's brain power, how, you know, the smartest people in the world, can work together to figure out how to rescue this one guy who is stuck on Mars. For me, the thing that's really strong about this movie as opposed to "Castaway" is that the character that Matt Damon plays. He is not a character who is going through this ordeal to learn something about himself, as opposed to Tom Hanks' character, where it was a cosmic lesson that this character had to learn about not being so hung up on time and sort of appreciating the everyday. Mark Watney, the character that Matt Damon plays, is a pretty capable, regular, normal smart guy. So this kind of challenge that he goes through is more just about him showing off his competency as opposed to some sort of deep wound in himself that he's going to learn from.
[Sesay:] But the thing about movies, about brain power, they place the director in a pretty tight spot where he has to walk a fine line
[Grierson:] Right.
[Sesay:] between portraying the cerebral and the movie just being dull.
[Grierson:] Yes.
[Sesay:] But you say Ridley Scott pulls it off.
[Grierson:] Yeah. I think it's really well done. It's based on a novel from a few years ago. And what the movie does really well, it's kind of like a mystery or a whodunit, how is this guy going to get off Mars? You get to watch Matt Damon's character figure things out. He is such a smart guy anyway. He figures out, OK. This is how I can make water. This is how I can make food. This is how I can contact NASA. And not unlike "Apollo 13" from 20 years ago, you know, the people back home at NASA are figuring out, if we get a ship at this time over there, how can we make it work? So it's definitely not too cerebral or boring. This is an intense, well-made thriller. There's an idea of a ticking clock. We have to get this guy back in time. So you get wrapped up in smart people doing smart things. And figuring out, if we do this and this and this, we can get this guy back home.
[Sesay:] Tim, great to have you in with us this evening. Great review in "Pace" magazine, as I said. And I'm going to go check it out. Thank you.
[Grierson:] Thank you.
[Sesay:] $55 million in the U.S. alone. Well, "Star Wars" isn't just a box office legend, but an auction success as well. Details of a record-setting sale of movie memorabilia. That just ahead.