Korean films, Q2 2026: the quarter in review
Editors ยท 2026-10-06
Genre films led the Korean box office in the second quarter of 2026. Yeon Sang-ho's zombie film Colony drew nearly six million viewers, and the low-budget horror film Salmokji: Whispering Water set a new record for Korean horror.
Admissions are from the Korean Film Council's box office system (KOBIS) as of October 4, 2026.
Colony โ the most-watched Korean film released in Q2
Released on May 21. A mysterious infection spreads through a skyscraper in central Seoul and the building is sealed off; trapped biotechnologist Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun) searches for a way out with the other survivors. Yeon Sang-ho directed and co-wrote the script with Choi Gyu-seok, and Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-been and Kim Shin-rok co-star.
It premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival before its release. It passed 1, 2, 3 and 4 million admissions faster than any other film released in Korea in 2026, and drew 5,953,042 viewers.
ColonyView title details โSalmokji: Whispering Water โ Korea's biggest horror film ever
Released on April 8, this is director Lee Sang-min's feature debut. When a figure that was not there during filming appears in street-view footage of Salmokji, a reservoir surrounded by unsettling rumors, producer Su-in (Kim Hye-yoon) and her crew head to the reservoir to reshoot. Lee Jong-won and Kim Jun-han co-star.
It was No. 1 at the daily box office for 21 consecutive days from its release, and on May 17 it overtook A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), the record holder for 23 years, to become the most-watched Korean horror film of all time. It drew 3,241,491 viewers.
Salmokji: Whispering WaterView title details โThe Eyes โ Shin Min-a in a dual-role thriller
Released on June 24, Yeom Ji-ho's thriller remakes the 2010 Spanish film Julia's Eyes. Seo-jin (Shin Min-a), a photographer slowly losing her sight to a hereditary disease, questions the circumstances of her twin sister's death and starts investigating herself. Shin plays both twins, and Kim Nam-hee plays detective Do-hyuk.
It spent three consecutive weeks at No. 1 at the box office and drew 1,541,511 viewers.
The EyesView title details โWild Sing โ a reunion 20 years later
Released on June 3, this comedy is directed by Son Jae-gon. Hyun-woo (Gang Dong-won), leader of Triangle, a mixed-gender dance trio that once ruled the charts before breaking up overnight, receives an offer for a reunion concert 20 years later and sets out to bring the members back together. Uhm Tae-goo, Park Ji-hyun and Oh Jung-se co-star.
It drew 1,346,333 viewers and was released worldwide on Netflix on July 31.
Wild SingView title details โMy Name โ a Jeju 4.3 story that began in Berlin
Chung Ji-young's film premiered in the Forum section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in February and opened in theaters on April 15. In the spring of 1998, the story of an 18-year-old boy embarrassed by his name, Young-ok, and his mother Jeong-sun (Yeom Hye-ran), who has no memories from before she was eight, leads back to the Jeju 4.3 incident. Shin Woo-bin plays her son.
It won audience awards at the Udine Far East Film Festival and the New York Asian Film Festival, and drew 224,391 viewers.
My NameView title details โAudition 109 โ Jung Woo's directorial debut
Released on April 22, it follows Jjang-gu, a young man from Busan living alone in Seoul with dreams of becoming an actor, who keeps trying even after failing his 99th audition. Jung Woo directed with Oh Seong-ho and plays the lead. It is a follow-up to Jung Woo's 2009 film Baram (Wish), with Jung Soo-jung (Krystal) and Shin Seung-ho co-starring. It drew 411,178 viewers.
Audition 109View title details โ