Cover ‘I, The Executioner’ actors and director Hwang Jung-min, Ryoo Seung-wan, and Jung Hae-in representing Korean cinema at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival (Photo Getty Images)
‘I, The Executioner’ actors and director Hwang Jung-min, Ryoo Seung-wan, and Jung Hae-in representing Korean cinema at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival (Photo Getty Images)
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Korean cinema continues to come off the momentum of 2023’s box office recovery, emerging as another landmark year and making waves internationally with these critically acclaimed films
This year, the Korean film industry continues to showcase the industry’s ability to produce commercially successful films, breaking barriers and earning praise. Korean filmmakers have demonstrated remarkable talent in crafting diverse masterpieces, from high-octane action to spine-chilling horror thrillers to laugh-out-loud comedy and dramas that warm the cockles of even the coldest hearts.
Read more: 33 highly anticipated Korean movies to watch in 2024
It’s no surprise that Korean films, combined with the indisputable star power of the country’s actors, will continue to steal the limelight at the world’s most prestigious film festivals. For example, the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival hosted a selection of Korean films and documentaries such as I, The Executioner, Love in the Big City, Harbin, and The Last of the Sea Women while the 77th Cannes Film Festival screened Walking in the Movies and Forest of Echoes.
With that said, let’s look at 10 of the highest-grossing Korean films in 2024 so far.
Above Kim Go-eun as shaman Lee Hwa-rim in ‘Exhuma’ (Photo: Showbox)
Above Ma Dong-seok as Lieutenant of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Investigation team Ma Seok-do in ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ (Photo: Bigpunch Pictures)
Kim Go-eun as shaman Lee Hwa-rim in ‘Exhuma’ (Photo: Showbox)
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1. Exhuma (US$84,081,091)
Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, Exhuma has been hailed as one of the best Korean horror movies of all time, second only to 2016’s The Wailing.
Starring Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun, the film includes mystery and occult elements and follows the process of excavating an ominous grave in a remote South Korean village, which unleashes dreadful consequences buried underneath, teaching them a lesson to never mess with the wrong grave.
See also: 8 spine-chilling must-watch Korean movies
2. The Roundup: Punishment (US$80,349,340)
Directed by Heo Myung-haeng, The Roundup: Punishment is the fourth instalment of The Roundup series and the sequel to The Roundup: No Way Out.
Starring Ma Dong-seok, Kim Mu-yeol, Park Ji-hwan, and Lee Dong-hwi, the film is based on the November 2015 Pattaya murder case in Thailand in which South Koreans kidnapped, imprisoned, and exploited computer programmers to operate an illegal gambling website.
Above Jung Hae-in as Park Sun-woo/Haechi in ‘I, the Executioner’ (Photo: Filmmaker R&K)
Above Jo Jung-suk as his “sister” Han Jung-mi in ‘Pilot’ (Photo: Shotcake)
Jung Hae-in as Park Sun-woo/Haechi in ‘I, the Executioner’ (Photo: Filmmaker R&K)
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3. I, The Executioner ($52,059,951)
Co-written, directed, and produced by Ryoo Seung-wan, I, The Executioner is the sequel to his 2015 film, Veteran.
Starring Hwang Jung-min and Jung Hae-in, the film follows a team of special case investigators within the police department of Korea that tirelessly track down criminals day and night as they investigate a serial killer with a unique modus operandi who’s causing an uproar in the world.
Don’t miss: 12 must-see Jung Hae-in shows to add to your next watchlist
4. Pilot (US$31,497,549)
Directed by Kim Han-gyul, Pilot is a remake of the 2012 Swedish film, Cockpit.
Starring Jo Jung-suk, Lee Ju-myoung, Han Sun-hwa, and Shin Seung-ho, the film follows star pilot Han Jung-woo who suddenly becomes unemployed and succeeds in getting re-employed by a rival airline after a drastic transformation–by disguising himself as a woman and taking on a newly laundered identity.
Above Lee Je-hoon as North Korean soldier Sergeant First Class Lim Gyu-nam in ‘Escape’ (Photo: The Lamp Ltd.)
Above Lee Sung-min as Kang Jae-pil, Lee Hee-joon as Park Sang-goo, and Gong Seung-yeon as Kim Mi-na in ‘Handsome Guys’ (Photo: Hive Media Corp)
Lee Je-hoon as North Korean soldier Sergeant First Class Lim Gyu-nam in ‘Escape’ (Photo: The Lamp Ltd.)
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5. Escape (US$17,692,709)
Directed by Lee Jong-pil, Escape is an unromanticised, satirical tale of the North Korean military culture.
Starring Lee Je-hoon, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Hong Xa-bin, the film depicts the life-threatening defection and chase of Lim Gyu-nam, a North Korean soldier who dreams of a life with a better tomorrow on the other side of the barbed wire fence, and Hyeon-sang, a North Korean State Security officer who must stop him.
Read more: 8 Lee Je-hoon movies and show to watch
6. Handsome Guys (US$12,107,899)
Directed by Nam Dong-hyup, Handsome Guys is a remake of the 2010 Canadian horror-comedy film, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.
Starring Lee Sung-min, Lee Hee-joon, Gong Seung-yeon, Park Ji-hwan, and Lee Kyu-hyung, the film follows self-proclaimed tough guys Jae-pil and Sang-goo who move into their dream European-style house. When unwanted visitors arrive, a sealed evil spirit in the basement is awakened and a dark aura begins to envelop the house.
Above Ha Jung-woo as first officer Tae-in and Yeo Jin-goo as civilian airliner hijacker Yong-dae in ‘Hijack 1971’ (Photo: Perfect Storm Film)
Above Ra Mi-ran as Kim Deok-hee and Jang Yoon-ju as Sook-ja in ‘Citizen of a Kind’ (Photo: C-JeS Studios)
Ha Jung-woo as first officer Tae-in and Yeo Jin-goo as civilian airliner hijacker Yong-dae in ‘Hijack 1971’ (Photo: Perfect Storm Film)
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7. Hijack 1971 (US$12,298,301)
Directed by Kim Seong-han, Hijack 1971 is based on the 1971 hijack attempt of a Korean Air F27 airliner.
Starring Ha Jung-woo, Yeo Jin-goo, Sung Dong-il, and Chae Soo-bin, the film follows the story of disgraced Air Force fighter pilot-turned-first officer Tae-in who finds himself flying a commercial Korean Air that is hijacked in Korean airspace in 1971. An in-flight emergency breaks out when an improvised explosive device detonates and he finds himself having to square off troubled young bomber Yong-dae while prioritising the safety of passengers in this life-or-death situation.
See also: From Seoul to Cannes: How Korean movies conquered the world’s most prestigious film festivals
8. Citizen of a Kind (US$11,805,365)
Directed by Park Young-ju, Citizen of a Kind is inspired by the true story of Kim Seong-ja, a laundromat owner in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, who caught the head of a voice phishing organisation in 2016.
Starring Ra Mi-ran, Gong Myung, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Byung-eun, Jang Yoon-ju, Lee Moo-saeng, and Ahn Eun-jin, the film follows an ordinary, middle-aged single mom Kim Deok-hee who, after losing her laundromat in a fire, is desperate for money. When she falls for a voice phishing scam by a college student held captive in China by a criminal organisation and forced to commit such crimes, Deok-hee takes matters into her own hands.
Above Kim Tae-ri as Lee Ahn in ‘Alienoid: Return to the Future’ (Photo: Caper Film)
Above Byun Yo-han as Gu Jeong-tae and Shin Hye-sun as Han So-ra in ‘Following’ (Photo: Engine Film Inc.)
Kim Tae-ri as Lee Ahn in ‘Alienoid: Return to the Future’ (Photo: Caper Film)
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9. Alienoid: Return to the Future (US$10,071,067)
Directed by Choi Dong-hoon, Alienoid: Return to the Future is the second part of the 2022 sci-fi time-jumping epic, Alienoid.
Starring Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, and Kim Tae-ri, the film, which picks up where 2022’s Alienoid left off, tells the story of humans and ancient Taoist monks travelling through time and space to save everyone by returning to the present while hidden secrets are revealed in the fierce battle to obtain a divine sword.
Don’t miss: Inside the glamorous lives of Korea’s most influential social media stars
10. Following (US$8,622,834)
Written and directed by Kim Se-hwi, Following (also known as She’s Dead) is a suspenseful but humorous thriller with unexpected twists that shed light on the dangers of the superficiality of social media and the concocted reality of the virtual world.
Starring Byun Yo-han, Shin Hye-sun, and Lee El, the film follows realtor Gu Jeong-tae who has a “hobby” of habitually sneaking into his clients' homes to peep into their lives and eventually becomes obsessed with Han So-ra, a deceptive social media influencer with a disturbing case of pathological narcissisism–until he finds her dead in her home one day.
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Lainey was the Digital Director of Tatler Malaysia. When not whiling away the hours watching documentaries, the latest K-drama, or reruns of Friends, she can be found indulging her wanderlust by stalking travel platforms or feeding her obsession with music. She loves animals, running, all things social media, a good conversation over coffee or soju or wine (often rambling on if nobody pulls the brakes on her), and is an avid fan of bursting-at-the-seams laughter.
