Korean films eye Chuseok box office after dodging 'The Odyssey'
Jeon Do-yeon plays the wife of a laid-off worker in the film “Possible Love,” which opens Sept. 23. Courtesy of Netflix
Four Korean films target Chuseok holiday, including Hollywood remake 'The Intern'
Korean films are expected to engage in a fierce battle for the top spot at the box office during this year’s Chuseok holiday. Several films that had been weighing their release dates to avoid the summer box office rush have instead converged on Chuseok after Na Hong-jin’s new film "Hope" and Hollywood blockbusters "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey" opened in succession during the peak summer season.
The competition will be particularly intense on Sept. 23, when three Korean films, including new works by directors Lee Chang-dong and Hur Jin-ho, hit theaters simultaneously. The long-awaited showdown among major Korean productions is expected to continue through the Hangeul Day holiday weekend in early October.
Choi Min-sik, who plays a senior intern, and Han So-hee, the CEO of a fashion company, appear together in a scene from “The Intern,” opening Sept. 16. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea
The first film off the starting line is "The Intern," a remake of the 2015 Hollywood film of the same name. Opening Sept. 16, the film has drawn attention with Han So-hee and Choi Min-sik taking the roles played by Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro in the original. The story follows a fashion industry rising star played by Han, whose company has become a dark horse just three years after its founding, and Choi, who joins the company as a senior intern after retiring following 37 years at a publishing house.
The main competition begins Sept. 23. "Assassins," a new film by Hur Jin-ho based on the assassination of former first lady Yuk Young-soo; "Possible Love," Lee Chang-dong’s new film about laid-off workers; and "Tazza: The Song of Belzebub," the fourth and final installment in the "Tazza" series, will all open that day.
From left, Yoo Hae-jin, who plays a detective tracking down those behind the assassination of first lady Yuk Young-soo (1925-1974), Park Hae-il, who plays a newspaper reporter, and Lee Min-ho in the upcoming film “Assassins" / Courtesy of Hive Media Corp.
"Assassins" is a period drama based on real events, produced by Hive Media Corp., the company behind "12.12: The Day" and "The Man Standing Next." Yoo Hae-jin plays a detective, Park Hae-il a newspaper editor and Lee Min-ho a rookie reporter as they pursue those behind the assassination.
"Possible Love," Lee Chang-dong’s first new film in eight years, follows two couples who meet through the production of a documentary: a married couple of laid-off heavy-industry workers, played by Sol Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon, who fought against large-scale restructuring, and an affluent couple, played by Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung, who work as documentary filmmakers.
From left, Sol Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon, who play a couple of laid-off workers, and Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung, who play a married couple of documentary filmmakers, in director Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love" / Courtesy of Netflix
Expectations for the film have soared after Lee won the Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second-highest award, for the film at the Venice International Film Festival, which closed Sept. 12. Netflix, the film’s distributor, will screen it in theaters for just two weeks to meet eligibility requirements for submission to the U.S. Academy Awards.
‘Tazza: The Song of Belzebub" is a spin-off with no narrative connection to the previous "Tazza" films. It is a crime entertainment film about a character played by Byun Yo-han who seeks revenge after being betrayed by a former business partner, played by Noh Jae-won.
Byun Yo-han, right, and Noh Jae-won, who play friends and business partners in the film “Tazza: The Song of Belzebub" / Courtesy of CJ ENM and Sidus
"Revival Man: The Red," starring Koo Kyo-hwan, will open Sept. 30, after the Chuseok holiday. Koo’s popularity has surged recently following the film "Us, Our Summer" and the drama "We Are All Trying Here," leading audiences to finally see this film, which completed production in 2024. Koo plays a job seeker who repeatedly comes back to life no matter how many times he is killed in this action comedy based on the webtoon of the same name.
Koo Kyo-hwan plays a job seeker who repeatedly comes back to life in the film “Revival Man: The Red.” Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment and Yong Film
As the buzz surrounding Christopher Nolan’s "The Odyssey" gradually dies down, attention is turning to which Korean film will take over the Chuseok box office.
Moviegoers book tickets at a theater in Seoul, Sept. 6. Yonhap
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.