Local films have recently led the charge at the Korean box office and not just your typical Korean thriller either. We’ve been spoilt with great films covering a wide range of genres.
Here are 4 stand out films that are currently battling it out for first place at the Korean box office plus 1 film that is surely to set truly shake up the chart.
Pandora
Director: Park Jung-woo
Distributor: Next Entertainment World
Cast: Kim Nam-gil, Moon Jeong-hee, Jung Jin-young, Kim Myung-min
On the heels of ‘The Tunnel’ and ‘Train to Busan’, disaster blockbuster Pandora brings emotional catharsis and is intertwined with political relevance.
Plot: A nuclear power plant is built in a small town in South Korea and gradually corrodes. With an unexpected earthquake, old pipes in the nuclear power plant break and hydrogen gas explodes. Jae-hyuk (played by Kim Nam-gil) risks his life to save his family and country from the atomic explosion.
Pandora, according to Next Entertainment World, will be available to stream exclusively on Netflix to its members in 190 countries, excluding South Korea, next year. In South Korea, the film will be available to stream after its theatrical release, Dec 7th.
My Annoying Brother![45809_58096a815b4c8_still_02]()
Director: Kwon Soo-kyung
Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Cast: Cho Jung-seok, Doh Kyung-soo, Park Shin-hye
Following the smash success of Luck-Key, which recently quenched local audiences’ thirst for comedy over the last few years, My Annoying Brother is another new Korean comedy hit.
Plot: National judo athlete Du-young (played by Doh Kyung-soo) loses his sight permanently. His estranged older brother Du-sik (Cho Jung-seok) takes advantage of Du-young’s crisis to get paroled from prison. The two brothers begin to live together and Du-young slowly eases up to Du-sik who gradually takes charge and helps him adjust to his disability.
The film opened in local theaters on Nov 23.
Missing
Director: Lee Eon-hee
Distributor: Megabox Plus M
Cast: Uhm Ji-won, Kong Hyo-jin, Kim Hee-won
Mothers’ the worst nightmare comes true in mystery thriller Missing, the first film in nine years from director Lee Eon-hee of the classic teen romance …ing (2003).
Plot: Ji-sun (played by Uhm Ji-won) juggles time with her 18-month-old daughter Da-eun and her job at a PR company while fighting over custody of Da-eun. Ji-sun hires Han-mae (Kong Hyo-jin) to help watch over Da-eun. One day, Han-mae disappears with Da-eun.
The film opened in local theaters on Nov 30.
Will You Be There
Director: Hong Ji-young
Distributor: Lotte Entertainment
Cast: Kim Yun-seok, Byun Yo-han, Chae Seo-jin
Based on the French novel “Seras-tu là?” by Guillaume Musso, Will You Be There is a time-travel melodrama complete with a Bob Dylan song.
Plot: Soo-hyun (played by Kim Yun-seok) comes across magical pills that allow him to go back and forth in time. 30 years earlier, a young Soo-hyun (Byun Yo-han) meets his future self and learns that his girlfriend will soon die because of him. In order to save her, the two Soo-hyuns struggle to change the past.
The film opened in local theaters on Dec 14.
Cooperation (literal title)
Director: Kim Sung-hoon
Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Cast: Hyun Bin, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Joo-hyuk, Jang Young-nam, Yoon-ah
Cooperation is a upcoming action thriller starring heartthrob star Hyun Bin and as his counterpart, character actor Yoo Hae-jin who last made waves in Luck-Key and Veteran. The film also features Yoon-ah, a member of the popular girl group Girls’ Generation.
Plot: A North Korean detective (played by Hyun Bin) is sent over to South Korea to catch the boss of a North Korean refugee crime organization. South of the border, he teams up with a South Korean detective (Yoo Hae-jin) for a historic moment of cooperation.
The film will be released in South Korea this January.
Additional sources: KoBiz, AsianWiki