Korean films, Q3 2025: the quarter in review

Released on July 30. To protect his teenage daughter Su-a (Choi Yu-ri), who has been infected with a zombie virus, Jeong-hwan (Jo Jung-suk), a keeper of dangerous wild animals, starts “zombie daughter training” in his seaside hometown. Based on Lee Yun-chang's webtoon of the same name, it was directed by Pil Gam-seong, with Lee Jung-eun, Cho Yeo-jeong and Yoon Kyung-ho co-starring.

Its 363,749 advance tickets were the most of any 2025 release at the time, and it opened at No. 1 with 430,091 viewers. Made for 11 billion won, it needed 2.2 million admissions to break even. Its 5.64 million admissions are the most of any Korean film released in 2025, and in the annual ranking that counts only admissions within 2025, it was No. 1 among Korean films and third overall, foreign films included. It won the award for the most-watched Korean film at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Released on September 24. A black-comedy thriller in which Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a laid-off paper-industry specialist, hatches an extreme plan to land a new job, based on Donald E. Westlake's novel The Ax. Park Chan-wook directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar and Lee Ja-hye, and the cast includes Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran and Cha Seung-won. It premiered on August 29 in the Competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and screened on September 17 as the opening film of the 30th Busan International Film Festival.

It opened with 331,518 viewers, the biggest opening for a Park Chan-wook film, and drew 2.94 million admissions. It won the International People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and Best Director at the Sitges Film Festival; at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards it won six awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress (Son Ye-jin), and at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards it won Best Film and Best Supporting Actor (Lee Sung-min). As Korea's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, it made the shortlist but was not nominated.

Released on September 11. Lim Dong-hwan, son of a blind seal-engraving master, gets word that the remains of his mother, who went missing 40 years ago, have been found, and traces her past. Yeon Sang-ho wrote and directed, adapting his own comic The Ugly. Park Jeong-min plays both Lim Dong-hwan and the young Lim Young-gyu, Kwon Hae-hyo plays Lim Young-gyu, and Shin Hyun-been, Im Seong-jae and Han Ji-hyun co-star.

It premiered on September 9, two days before its release, in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival. An ultra-low-budget film made for 200 million won, it opened at No. 1 with 35,020 viewers and passed 1 million admissions on October 5. Park Jeong-min won Best Actor at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards.

Released on July 23. In a world where Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, a web novel he alone kept reading, has become reality, its only reader, Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop), tries to survive. Based on singNsong's web novel Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, it was directed by Kim Byung-woo, with Lee Min-ho (Yoo Joong-hyuk), Chae Soo-bin (Yoo Sang-ah), Shin Seung-ho, Nana and Jisoo in the cast.

It cost about $21 million to make, but its 1.06 million admissions fell short of expectations. After its later Netflix release, it spent six weeks in Korea's Top 10 from December 2025, peaking at No. 1.

A film released on Netflix on July 18. Noh Woo-sung (Kang Ha-neul), who borrowed beyond his means to buy an 84-square-meter apartment, is struggling with falling home prices and debt when mysterious noise from between the floors starts to torment him as well. Kim Tae-joon wrote and directed, with Yeom Hye-ran and Seo Hyun-woo co-starring.

In its second week it was No. 1 worldwide among non-English films with 7.8 million views, and it stayed in the global Top 10 for three weeks. It entered the Top 10 in 58 countries and reached No. 1 in six of them. Following Noise, released in June, it is another thriller built around noise between floors.

A film released on Netflix on August 29. In 1998, 18-year-old Park Se-ri (Shin Eun-soo), self-conscious about her curly hair, devises “Operation Straight Perm” to confess to her crush and gets tangled up with transfer student Han Yun-seok (Gong Myung). Namkoong Sun directed, the cast includes Cha Woo-min, Yoon Sang-hyeon and Kang Mi-na, and Gong Yoo and Jung Yu-mi make special appearances.

In its second week it was No. 1 worldwide among non-English films with 8.2 million views, and it stayed in the global Top 10 for six weeks. It entered the Top 10 in 61 countries and spent seven weeks in Korea's Top 10, peaking at No. 1. Shin Eun-soo won Best New Actress at the 2026 Golden Cinematography Awards.