Thriller 'Noise' tops Korean box office with highest seat occupancy rateKorean thriller “Noise” has claimed the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, signaling a strong start for the summer release. According to the Korean Film Council’s box office data on Sunday, “Noise” drew over 202,568 moviegoers since its release, securing the top position among Korean films over the weekend. The film attracted more than 147,000 viewers during the weekend alone. “Noise” also ranked first in seat occupancy rate among all films in theaters. As of Sunday, it recorded a seat sales rate of 26.5 percent, surpassing international blockbusters such as “F1: The Movie” (16.6 percent), “How to Train Your Dragon” (20.7 percent), “Elio” (20.9 percent) and the Korean film “Hi-Five” (15.15 percent). Even ahead of its release, “Noise” generated buzz after being officially invited to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, one of the most prestigious genre film festivals, alongside other Korean hits like “Exhuma” and “Escape.” The cast includes Lee Sun-bin, Kim Min-seok, Han Soo-ah and Ryu Kyung-soo. It follJun 30, 2025By Hankookilbo
‘Parasite’ tops New York Times list of best films of the 21st centuryBong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite (2019) has been ranked No. 1 on the New York Times’ list of the 21st Century’s Best Films. Another of Bong’s works, “Memories of Murder (2003),” was ranked No. 99. Released on Friday, the Times’ list of the 100 best films since Jan. 1, 2000, includes three Korean movies: “Parasite,” “Memories of Murder” and “Oldboy” by director Park Chan-wook. The Times described “Parasite” as a delightful yet grotesque film that delivers a fierce indictment of neoliberalism through its story of the haves and have-nots. It praised Bong as a genre master unbound by convention, noting that the film glides between broad comedy and biting social satire before erupting in a blaze of shocking, tragic violence. “Parasite” received widespread international acclaim, sweeping four Oscars in 2020 including Best Picture, and collecting nearly 200 awards at film festivals and ceremonies around the world. “Memories of Murder,” Bong’s earlier work, earned the No. 99 spot. The Times noted that from its very first scene, this Korean procedJun 28, 2025By Hankookilbo
Independent cinema to light up shores of Jeongdongjin in AugustThe picturesque coastal town of Jeongdongjin in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is gearing up to host the 27th Jeongdongjin Independent Film Festival (JIFF) from Aug. 1 to Aug. 3, transforming Jeongdong Elementary School into a vibrant hub for independent cinema right by the beach. Unlike most film festivals, the JIFF is renowned for its open-air screenings held on the school grounds just steps from the beach, creating a unique atmosphere where audiences can enjoy films under the summer night sky. All 27 selected films — 25 shorts and two features — will be screened free of charge, making the festival accessible to all movie fans and beachgoers, the organizer said Friday. Organized by Gangneung CinemaTheque, the JIFF has been held annually since 1999, always on the first weekend of August. It is the only open-air independent film festival in Korea that screens all films for free, fostering a welcoming environment for both filmmakers and audiences. The committee emphasized that this year’s lineup balances polished, genre-driven works with raw, visionary films that may be making theirJun 28, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
'Good News' starring Sul Kyung-gu, Hong Kyung invited to Toronto film festivalNetflix’s upcoming Korean film “Good News” has been officially invited to the Special Presentations section of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), set to run from Sept. 4 to 14. Directed by Byun Sung-hyun, “Good News” centers on a suspicious secret operation to land a hijacked airplane in the 1970s, bringing together a group of people with hidden agendas. The film will have its world premiere at TIFF. The Special Presentations section at TIFF showcases highly anticipated works from around the globe, often featuring strong artistic merit and broad audience appeal. Previous Korean films featured in the section include “Veteran 2,” “Decision to Leave,” “The Age of Shadows” and “The Handmaiden.” TIFF is considered one of the “big four” film festivals alongside Cannes, Berlin and Venice, and is North America’s largest. Festival CEO Cameron Bailey cited “Good News” as an example of “innovation, authenticity and a global perspective,” values that TIFF has upheld over the past five decades. “Good News” marks the third time director ByunJun 27, 2025By Hankookilbo
Foreign films hit yearly high in May, led by 'Mission: Impossible 8'Cinema attendance for foreign movies in South Korea hit a yearly high last month, driven by the latest "Mission: Impossible" installment, data showed Thursday. Foreign films drew 8.53 million viewers in May, up nearly 57 percent from the previous month. Correspondingly, total revenue for these films surged 61.2 percent month-on-month to reach approximately 82.5 billion won ($61 million), according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" alone attracted 2.33 million moviegoers in May, followed by "A Minecraft Movie" with 930,000. Meanwhile, domestic films saw a weaker performance, attracting a total of 3.79 million moviegoers during the same period.Jun 26, 2025By Yonhap
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
