Korean horror films unleash everyday fears this summerKorean cinema is set to deliver a chilling summer with a new wave of horror films that turn everyday anxieties into terrifying experiences. Moving beyond ghosts and monsters, these movies tap into the real-life fears of daily life by dealing everything from inter-floor noise in apartments — Korea's most popular housing type — to subway stations, the convenient transportation method millions of people use daily. One of the most prominent themes explored in these films is inter-floor noise, a pervasive issue in densely populated apartment complexes. Released Wednesday, "Noise" looks at how constant sounds from neighbors can psychologically affect people. The story follows Joo-young (Lee Sun-bin) as she searches for her missing sister in an apartment building that's full of loud noises. During her search, she experiences strange and scary moments. The movie works hard to scare audiences using realistic sounds like chairs scraping, heavy footsteps and loud raps on doors. The movie’s sound director Park Yong-gi said he wanted the noise to feel just as real in the movie theater as it wouJun 25, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Ahn Hyo-seop makes successful idol debut overseas in ‘KPop Demon Hunters’Actor Ahn Hyo-seop is gaining international attention after making a striking debut as a fictional K-pop boy band member in the new Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters.” The film, released Friday, has topped Netflix’s global charts for three consecutive days and ranked No. 1 in 31 countries. It tells the story of Huntrix, a top-tier K-pop girl group whose glamorous performances conceal their true identities as secret demon hunters who protect the world. The members — Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) — strengthen a spiritual barrier called the “Honmoon” through the love of their fans, preventing evil spirits from entering the world. Their peace is disrupted by the sudden rise of a rival boy group, Saja Boys, whose five members — Jinu, Abs, Baby, Romance and Mystery — turn out to be grim reapers in disguise. As the group’s popularity soars, they steal Huntrix's fans and weaken the spiritual barrier, threatening the balance between good and evil. Central to the plot is the mysterious connection between Rumi and Jinu, which unfoldJun 24, 2025By Xportsnews
Korean theaters face worst slump in 21 years, annual audience may fall below 100 millionKorea’s film industry is bracing for its worst first-half performance in over two decades, with projections showing that this year’s total moviegoer tally could fall below 100 million for the first time since 2004, excluding the pandemic years. According to data from the Korean Film Council released on June 23, a total of 40.73 million people had visited theaters through June 22. Based on the average weekly attendance of around 1.42 million, the number is expected to reach only about 42 million by the end of June. If the trend continues, this will mark the lowest first-half turnout since 2004, when 21.82 million people went to the movies, discounting the pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021. By comparison, the first half of 2022, when the industry had just begun recovering from COVID-19, saw 44.92 million viewers. Last year’s first-half figure was 62.93 million, with the total audience reaching 123.12 million. The year’s box office leader so far is the Korean film “Yadang: The Snitch,” which has drawn 3.37 million viewers, a figure that would have ranked only seventh lastJun 24, 2025By Hankookilbo
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ takes world by storm, combining K-pop energy with Korean heritage“KPop Demon Hunters,” a new animated film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Netflix, is dominating global charts, captivating audiences with its genre-defying mix of high-energy K-pop, Korean mythology and dazzling visuals. Released worldwide on Friday, the 99-minute movie quickly soared to the No. 1 spot in the Netflix global film category within just three days, signaling a new milestone for Korea-related creative content. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the story centers on Rumi, Mira and Zoey, members of the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix, who live double lives as demon hunters. By day, they fill stadiums with electrifying performances, but by night they protect the world from supernatural threats. Their mission takes an unexpected turn when a new boy band, Saja Boys, appears and is later revealed to be a group of powerful demons. A-list cast The film’s star-studded voice cast has contributed to its widespread appeal. Actor Ahn Hyo-seop, known for his roles in Netflix’s “A Time Called You” (2023) and dramas like “Dr. Romantic 2” (Jun 23, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Danny Boyle returns to revitalize zombie genre with '28 Years Later'Acclaimed filmmaker Danny Boyle unveiled that his latest zombie franchise “28 Years Later” will be “exciting and terrifying,” offering a fresh take on the genre he helped redefine. “I hope it will be an exciting and terrifying film,” Boyle said during an online press conference with Korean reporters Wednesday. Boyle's 2002 film “28 Days Later" is credited with revolutionizing the zombie genre by introducing fast-moving “infected” rather than traditional slow-moving zombies. The director highlighted how “28 Years Later” continues this tradition by further evolving these creatures. “I think it's a unique setting and experience because people love the first film and continue to talk about the first film,” Boyle said. He elaborated on the film's unique approach to survival, not just for humans but for the virus itself. “It tried to redefine what was understood as a zombie film. We call ours 'the infected,' and they behaved in a different way.” When asked what finally convinced him to revisit the “28 Days Later” universe after more than two decades, Boyle emphJun 18, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Doomsday survival saga ‘Omniscient Reader’ to blend reality, fantasy"Omniscient Reader,” an upcoming movie based on the popular web novel of the same name, aims to immerse audiences in a postapocalyptic world by showing how characters survive on the delicate balance of reality and fantasy, according to its director Kim Byung-woo. "We actively incorporated aspects of the original novel that we found captivating and suitable for cinematic depiction," Kim said during a press conference in Seoul Tuesday. "During the adaptation process, there were inevitably gaps that we had to fill." "Omniscient Reader" tells the story of Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop), the sole reader of a web novel that concludes after more than a decade of serialization. On the day of its finale, the fictional world suddenly becomes reality. Kim Dok-ja, along with the novel's protagonist Yoo Joong-hyuk (Lee Min-ho) and their companions, must navigate this collapsed world to survive. The initial questions of the director, known for his previous works such as "The Terror, LIVE" (2013) and "Take Point" (2018), concerned how to bring such a grand narrative to the screen. "When I first started reJun 17, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Disney-Pixar’s ‘Elio’ arrives in Korea with message of hope for the lonelyDisney and Pixar’s highly anticipated animated feature, “Elio,” promises a heartwarming tale of loneliness and connection, according to its producer and directors, Tuesday, ahead of its Korean premiere Wednesday. “Elio” is a sci-fi adventure centered on Elio, a solitary boy on Earth who finds himself unexpectedly transported through the cosmos, where he encounters unique friends and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Co-director Madeline Sharafian, referencing her previous work on the beloved film “Coco” (2017), emphasized the central theme of “Elio” is finding a sense of belonging. “When you first meet Elio, he’s very lonely on Earth, and he feels the sort of desperation to find a place where he belongs. And all of us on our crew have been dealing with that after the pandemic. We did a lot of research into the psychology of loneliness and where it comes from, and what you can do to escape a bit, to heal from it,” Sharafian told Korean reporters during an online press conference, Tuesday. “We tried to make ‘Elio’ the kind of movie that if someone walksJun 17, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
'Omniscient Reader' set to shake up summer box office with star-studded castThe highly anticipated fantasy action film "Omniscient Reader," starring Lee Min-ho, Ahn Hyo-seop, Chae Soo-bin, Nana, Jisoo and Shin Seung-ho, is emerging as a dark horse at the summer box office. Distributor Lotte Entertainment confirmed Sunday that the film will hit theaters on July 23. Adapted from a massively popular web novel and webtoon, the movie imagines a world where fiction turns into reality. On the day a decade-long web novel ends, its storyline suddenly becomes real. Only Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop), the sole reader who finished the story, knows what happens next. Teaming up with the novel’s protagonist Yoo Jung-hyuk (Lee Min-ho) and a band of survivors, he fights to navigate a destroyed world. The original web novel amassed over 200 million views, while the webtoon version has surpassed 2 billion views worldwide — making the film adaptation a hot topic from the moment it was announced. The newly released main poster features Kim Dok-ja and Yoo Jung-hyuk staring intensely ahead, hinting at the surreal journey to come. The tagline, “The novel only I know has become realityJun 17, 2025By Hankookilbo
Korean box office pins hopes on summer blockbusters for revivalAs the summer movie season approaches, Korea’s film industry is bracing for a pivotal period, with both domestic and Hollywood studios unveiling a slate of big-budget blockbusters in hopes of reversing a disappointing first half of the year at the box office. Despite a few surprise hits, the Korean cinema market has struggled to regain its prepandemic momentum. This year, the highest-grossing film so far is local crime movie “Yadang: The Snitch,” which has drawn just over 3.37 million viewers since its April release. This figure is significantly lower compared to last year’s box office hits “Exhuma” and “The Roundup: Punishment,” each of which surpassed the 11 million admissions mark in the first half of 2024. Even highly anticipated releases have struggled. Director Bong Joon-ho’s Hollywood sci-fi film “Mickey 17” and Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” both fell short of expectations, each drawing just over 3 million viewers. The local box office is now looking to the summer season for a turnaround, as a diverse lineup of big budget fiJun 14, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOKKorean cinemas are becoming showcases for past, not presentThere was a time when stepping into a movie theater meant anticipation for the latest blockbuster or a daring new indie film. Today, the cinematic landscape in Korea has shifted dramatically. The most prominent banners at multiplexes now advertise 4K restorations of classics — Ridley Scott’s 1991 classic “Thelma & Louise,” Denis Villeneuve's “Incendies” (2010) and Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” (1984). Re-releases of these prominent works are not just special events for moviegoers; they are becoming the main attraction, a bittersweet sign of how the role of the movie theater is changing. The thrill of discovering new movies is fading. Instead, people are gathering to rewatch classic movies that have already proven their lasting appeal. This isn’t all bad because it’s genuinely enjoyable to experience a masterpiece on the big screen again, looking as good as new. But movie fans may feel a sense of loss as the cinema, once a place for new possibilities and surprises, now feels like it’s becoming a shrine to the past. This transforJun 11, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
