Korean films, Q4 2025: the quarter in review
Editors Β· 2026-10-07
Korean films' share of admissions in the fourth quarter of 2025 was 26.4%, the lowest of any quarter that year. With the foreign films Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash dominating theaters, Boss, released over the Chuseok holiday, drew 2.43 million admissions, while Once We Were Us and Choir of God, both released on December 31, drew most of their audiences in 2026. On Netflix, The Great Flood, released on December 19, held No. 1 worldwide among non-English films for four consecutive weeks, through the chart for the second week of January 2026.
Admissions are cumulative figures from the Korean Film Council's box office system (KOBIS) as of October 6, 2026, rounded down to the nearest 10,000, and Netflix rankings are from Netflix's official weekly charts.
The Great Flood β four weeks at No. 1 among Netflix's non-English films
A film released worldwide on Netflix on December 19. In an apartment building being swallowed by a great flood, AI researcher An-na (Kim Da-mi) and her young son fight to survive. Kim Byung-woo directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Han Ji-su, with Park Hae-soo and Kwon Eun-seong co-starring. Ahead of its release, it premiered on September 18 at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.
From its first week (the chart for December 15β21, 2025) through the chart week of January 5β11, 2026, it held No. 1 worldwide among non-English films for four consecutive weeks, recording 33.1 million views in its second week. It stayed in the global Top 10 for seven weeks, through the week ending February 1, 2026, and its weekly views over those seven weeks total 82.2 million. It entered the Top 10 in 93 countries and reached No. 1 in 61. As of October 7, 2026, its 86.6 million views in its first 91 days rank fifth among Netflix's non-English films of all time.
The Great FloodView title details βGood News β a black comedy inspired by the Yodogo hijacking
A film released on Netflix on October 17. Inspired by the 1970 hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351 (the Yodogo), it depicts, as a black comedy, a secret operation to get the hijacked airliner to land safely by any means. Byun Sung-hyun directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Lee Jin-seong, and the cast includes Sol Kyung-gu, Hong Kyung, Ryoo Seung-bum and Japanese actors Takayuki Yamada and Kippei Shiina.
It premiered on September 5 in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival and also screened in the Gala Presentation section of the Busan International Film Festival. On Netflix it spent two weeks in the global Top 10 for non-English films, peaking at No. 8, and seven weeks in Korea's Top 10, peaking at No. 1. It won Best Screenplay at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards, and Byun Sung-hyun won the OTT Film Director Award at the Chunsa Film Art Awards.
Good NewsView title details βBoss β No. 1 over the Chuseok holiday
Released on October 3, during the Chuseok holiday. When the boss dies suddenly, chaos ensues as the candidates to succeed him try to βyieldβ the position to one another. Ra Hee-chan directed, and the cast includes Jo Woo-jin, Jung Kyung-ho, Park Ji-hwan, Lee Kyu-hyung, Oh Dal-su and Hwang Woo-seul-hye. It screened first at the Busan International Film Festival on September 18, ahead of its release.
It opened at No. 1 with 238,895 viewers and passed 1 million admissions in five days and 2 million in 10. It drew 2.43 million admissions in total.
BossView title details βOnce We Were Us β a year-end romance whose run carried into the new year
Released on December 31. Eun-ho (Koo Kyo-hwan) and Jeong-won (Moon Ga-young), who met by chance on a bus heading to their hometown and became a couple, run into each other again 10 years after breaking up. A remake of the 2018 Chinese film Us and Them, it was directed by Kim Do-young, with Shin Jung-geun and Lee Sang-yeob co-starring.
It opened in second place with 110,326 viewers, then held No. 1 at the box office for four weeks. Of its 2.6 million total admissions, 129,136 were counted in the 2025 annual tally, and the remaining 2.47 million came in 2026. It ranks fourth in total admissions among Korean films released in 2025. Moon Ga-young won Best Actress at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards.
Once We Were UsView title details βThe World of Love β Grand Prize at the Three Continents Festival in Nantes
An art-house independent film released on October 22. Things escalate after Lee Ju-in (Seo Su-bin), a popular 18-year-old model student, becomes the only one to refuse to sign a petition backed by the entire school. Yoon Ga-eun wrote and directed, and the cast includes Jang Hye-jin, Kim Jeong-sik, Kang Chae-yoon and Go Min-si.
It premiered on September 7 in the Platform competition of the Toronto International Film Festival and was also invited to the competition of the BFI London Film Festival. It won the Grand Prize (the Golden Montgolfière) at the Three Continents Festival in Nantes and the FIPRESCI Prize in the International Competition of the Warsaw Film Festival, and Seo Su-bin won Best Actress at the Red Sea International Film Festival. At the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards it won Best Director (Yoon Ga-eun) and Best New Actress (Seo Su-bin). It has passed 200,000 admissions.
The World of LoveView title details βChoir of God β North Korean state security's fake worship choir
Released on December 31. With its funds cut off by sanctions against North Korea, the North's State Security Department puts together a fake worship choir to obtain aid money from the international community. Kim Hyung-hyup directed, with Park Si-hoo (Park Gyo-sun), Jeong Jin-woon (Captain Kim) and Tae Hang-ho (Kim Seong-cheol) in the cast.
It opened on 496 screens, but on January 1 it ranked No. 1 among Korean films with a seat-occupancy rate of 41.2%, and in early February it reached No. 1 at the box office. Of its 1.45 million total admissions, 1.42 million came in 2026.
Choir of GodView title details β