From 'Smugglers' to 'The Moon,' summer blockbuster season in full swing

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Thu, November 30, 2023 | 23:43

Films

From 'Smugglers' to 'The Moon,' summer blockbuster season in full swing

Posted : 2023-06-23 17:34

Updated : 2023-06-25 17:13

Posters for films "Smugglers," left, and "The Moon" / Courtesy of NEW, Dexter Studios

By Kwak Yeon-soo

"The Roundup: No Way Out" has kicked off the summer season with a bigger attendance than expected. The film surpassed 9 million ticket sales on the 21st day of its release, focusing attention on whether big tentpole films can continue to make waves at the box office.

With "The Roundup" doing most of the swinging, a number of films are coming to theaters in the next few weeks alone, heating the summer blockbuster season.

Director Ryoo Seung-wan's crime action thriller "Smugglers" is set for theatrical release on July 26. Set in the 1970s, the film revolves around two female divers who unexpectedly become involved in an illegal smuggling scheme.

Actresses Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ah take on lead roles as female divers. Also joining the cast are actors Zo In-sung, Park Jung-min and Go Min-si. Ryoo is well known due to directing films such as "Veteran" (2015) and "Escape from Mogadishu" (2021).

Director Kim Yong-hwa, best known for the "Along with the Gods" film franchise, is returning with sci-fi blockbuster "The Moon." Featuring A-list actors, including Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Hee-ae and Doh Kyung-su, the film tells the story of a space crew member who is left alone in space during a lunar exploration mission. It will be released on Aug. 2.

A teaser poster of the film "Ransomed" / Courtesy of Showbox

The action drama film "Ransomed," directed by Kim Seong-hun of Netflix series "Kingdom" fame, will hit theaters on August 2. Set in Beirut in 1987, during the Lebanese Civil War, the story revolves around a diplomat named Min-jun (Ha Jung-woo) who is assigned the task of carrying ransom money to rescue an abducted diplomat in Lebanon, and a local taxi driver named Pan-su (Ju Ji-hoon) accidentally gets involved in the mission.

Disaster thriller "Concrete Utopia," starring Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young, will hit theaters on August 9. It follows the story of survivors who gather in an apartment complex in Seoul following a massive earthquake. The film is directed by Um Tae-hwa, who previously helmed the 2016 fantasy film "Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned."

The local films are likely to compete with big franchise Hollywood films such as "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," "Mission: Impossible ― Dead Reckoning Part One," "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."

Director Christopher McQuarrie, actors Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby and Pom Klementieff of "Mission: Impossible 7" will attend a press conference and a red carpet event in Seoul on June 29 ahead of the film's Korean release on July 12.

The cast of "Barbie," including Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as well as actress-director Greta Gerwig will also visit Korea July 2-3 to promote their new film.

yeons.kwak@koreatimes.co.kr