Zombie film 'Train to Busan' nears 10 million viewers
“Train to Busan” will hit 10 million viewers early this week. / Courtesy of Next Entertainment World
By Lee Jin-a
Korean zombie film “Train to Busan” will reach 10 million viewers this week. The film has attracted 9.81 million moviegoers since its release on July 21, according to box office data.
It will become the first Korean film to hit the milestone this year and 14th in Korea’s film history.
According to the Korean Film Council, the movie reached 9,817,588 viewers as of Sunday morning and, at that pace, will hit 10 million viewers early this week.
“Train to Busan,” released on July 21, had record opening sales -- 872,232 tickets -- at the Korean box office. On July 23, the movie scored the highest number of viewers in a day -- 1,280,950 -- beating Korean war film “Roaring Currents” (2014).
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Korea’s first zombie blockbuster debuted in the Out of Competition category at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The film also won the top prize at the 20th Fantasia International Festival on August 3.
The movie, featuring Korean actors Gong Yoo and Don Lee, portrays Seok-wu (Gong Yoo) and his daughter (Kim Soo-ahn) riding a train to Korea's southern port city of Busan where there has been a zombie outbreak. He teams with several passengers and strives to survive the apocalyptic predicament.
The film has been exported to 156 countries, including the United States, Canada, China, India, Germany and Japan.