Korean films, Q2 2024: the quarter in review

Released on April 24. Monster detective Ma Seok-do (Ma Dong-seok) goes after an illegal online gambling ring based in the Philippines and an IT-genius entrepreneur. Heo Myung-haeng directed, with Kim Mu-yeol (Baek Chang-gi), Park Ji-hwan (Jang Yi-soo) and Lee Dong-hwi (Jang Dong-cheol) in the cast. Drawing on a 2015 murder case in Pattaya, Thailand, it premiered on February 23, ahead of its release, in the Berlinale Special section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.

It drew 821,631 viewers on opening day and passed 10 million admissions in 22 days. With 11.5 million admissions in total, it was the No. 2 Korean film of 2024 at the box office. It was also invited to festivals including the Midnight section of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Released on June 26. In this horror comedy, Jae-pil (Lee Sung-min) and Sang-gu (Lee Hee-joon), two men constantly misjudged because of their menacing looks, move into a country house and get caught up in a series of escalating mishaps. A remake of the 2010 film Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, it is the feature debut of writer-director Nam Dong-hyub. Gong Seung-yeon, Park Ji-hwan and Lee Kyu-hyung co-star.

It passed its break-even point (reported at 1.1 million) on July 11, and with 1.77 million admissions in total it ranked eighth among Korean films of 2024. It won the Audience Award in the Panorama section at the Sitges Film Festival and the Jury Award at the Florence Korea Film Fest.

Released on June 21. In 1971, Yong-dae (Yeo Jin-goo), a young man who has hijacked a flight from Sokcho to Gimpo, threatens the crew into turning the plane north, while co-pilot Tae-in (Ha Jung-woo) and captain Gyu-sik (Sung Dong-il) fight desperately to land it. Based on the attempted 1971 hijacking of a Korean Air Lines F27 to North Korea, it was directed by Kim Seong-han and written by Kim Kyung-chan. Chae Soo-bin plays flight attendant Ok-soon.

With 1.77 million admissions in total, it ranked ninth among Korean films of 2024, but fell short of its reported break-even point (about 3 million).

Released on May 15. Real estate agent Gu Jeong-tae (Byun Yo-han), who secretly snoops around his clients' homes, becomes a murder suspect after he is the first to find the body of Han So-ra (Shin Hye-sun), an influencer he has been watching. Kim Se-hwi wrote and directed, and Lee El plays detective Oh Young-ju.

With The Roundup: Punishment dominating theaters, it climbed as high as No. 2 at the box office in its second week. Its total of 1.23 million admissions came close to its reported break-even point (1.25 million after revision).

Released on June 5. The story centers on Wonderland, a service that recreates people who have died or are unconscious with AI so that others can meet them over video calls. Kim Tae-yong wrote and directed, with Tang Wei (Bai Li), Suzy (Jeong-in), Park Bo-gum (Tae-ju), Jung Yu-mi (Hae-ri), Choi Woo-shik (Hyun-soo) and Gong Yoo (Seong-jun) in the cast.

Its total of 620,000 admissions fell far short of its reported break-even point (about 2.9 million). Netflix handled its distribution outside Korea and China, and on Netflix it spent two weeks, July 22 to August 4, in the global Top 10 for non-English films, peaking at No. 9.

Released on April 24. The film follows the conversations that Iris (Isabelle Huppert), a Frenchwoman in Korea, has with the people she meets while teaching French. Hong Sang-soo wrote and directed, and Lee Hye-young, Kwon Hae-hyo, Cho Yun-hee and Ha Seong-guk co-star.

Ahead of its release, it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize in the competition of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, and it was also invited to the Icon section of the 29th Busan International Film Festival. It drew 8,688 admissions in Korea.