Interest in South Korean cinema on a global scale has been on the rise in recent years. We owe our thanks to director Bong Joon-ho and Parasite for spotlighting the quality and creativity of this cinema on the world’s radar. Why the appeal? If not tackling social topics, South Korean films grab your attention with their emotional capacity and empathy for the humankind. The characters offer depth that you don’t often see in western cinema, and their backstories help you understand their actions.
Of course, South Korean cinema has always had international audiences even before the boom we saw with Parasite. Films like Train to Busan and the Along with the Gods franchise were major hits at the box office. Indeed, here’s a look at the highest-grossing South Korean movies of all time.
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10 Assassination (2015) — $90.9M
Showbox
Co-written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon, Assassination is a period espionage action film, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae in the leading roles. Mainly set in the 1930s, when Korea was under the occupation of Japanese rule, the film depicts a resistance group and their attempt to assassinate an important Japanese official in protest. The brave anti-colonial movements truly get their message across due to the amazing perfomances from the cast — Jun in particular; it’s her movie. Against the backdrop of imperial struggle, we also have the two main leads falling in love, adding an extra layer of sentiment to the story. Overall, Assassination grossed $90.9 million worldwide.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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9 Veteran (2015) — $92M
CJ Entertainment
You’ll notice that corruption, powerful heirs, and injustice are prevalent topics in South Korean movies, and Veteran wholly falls into this category. Written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, Veteran is an action-comedy starring Yoo Ah-in and Hwang Jung-min in the main roles. It follows police detective Seo Do-cheol who gets his hand on a very controversial case and tries taking down a very powerful conglomerate, Jo Tae-oh. It mainly focuses on the power structures in South Korea and rich people’s abilities to get away with pretty much everything. It ultimately grossed $92 million worldwide.
8 Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018) — $92.5M
Lotte Entertainment
Directed by Kim Yong-hwa, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days is an action fantasy sequel to the 2017 film Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (also on this list). It stars Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, and Kim Hyang-gi in the leading roles. The film follows three grim reapers at they lead their 49th soul to the underworld. Its main focus is how hard the entire act of seeking forgiveness really is. The Last 49 Days managed to gross $92.5 million at the worldwide box office.
7 Masquerade (2012) — $94.3M
Masquerade is a period drama movie starring Lee Byung-hun in a dual role. Lee plays the character of the paranoid King Gwang-hae of the Joseon Dynasty, who thinks that everyone is out to get him, so he finds himself a double; an acrobat who pretends to be the King when he’s out of the palace. It’s a testament to an actor’s skill when they play multiple roles in the same movie, especially in the same scene, and Lee is no exception. Grossing $94.3 million worldwide, Masquerade is the seventh-highest-grossing movie of South Korea.
6 Train to Busan (2016) — $98.5M
Next Entertainment World
If we were to pick one genre that South Koreans excel at, it would have to be zombie movies. Just watch Train to Busan and you’ll see it’s one of the most incredible movies you’ve ever seen. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Train to Busan is an action horror film starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, and Ma Dong-seok in the lead roles. Almost the entirety of the movie takes place on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan, as the passengers struggle to survive while a zombie virus spreads outside. The main focus is on the progression of the father-daughter relationship between Seok-woo and Su-an. It critiques the government, depicts human selfishness and sacrifice, and underscores the importance of unity and family.
5 Ode to My Father (2014) — $99M
Directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, Ode to My Father is a drama film starring Hwang Jung-min and Yunjin Kim in the leading roles. It depicts South Korean history from the 1950s to the present day through the lens of an ordinary man named Yoon Deok-soo. It mainly focuses on the Korean War, the dispatch of nurses and miners to West Germany in the 1960s, and the Vietnam War. Grossing over $99 million worldwide, it’s the fifth-highest-grossing-movie in South Korean history.
4 Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) — $109.4M
Directed by Kim Yong-hwa, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is the first part of the fantasy action franchise. Just like its aforementioned sequel, the film stars Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, and Ju Ji-hoon in the lead roles. The two movies were shot as one, but ultimately presented in two parts. It follows firefighter Kim Ja-hong who dies on duty and is escorted by three grim reapers, who have to guide him through the underworld as he has to pass seven trials in 49 days in order to be reincarnated. With $109.4 million grossed worldwide, it’s the fourth-highest-grossing movie in South Korean film history.
3 Extreme Job (2019) — $120M
Directed by Lee Byeong-heon, Extreme Job is an action comedy starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Hanee, and Jin Seon-kyu in the leading roles as narcotics detectives. These detectives get their last chance to save their careers by doing an undercover mission to catch a drug gang. They choose a chicken restaurant as their hide-out spot, but after one of their meals becomes an instant hit, they decide to run the restaurant business while at it. It’s a hilariously awesome action flick with a lot of personality within every character. It managed to gross $120 million worldwide.
2 The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) — $138.3M
Big Stone Pictures
Based on the historical Battle of Myeongnyang, The Admiral: Roaring Currents is an epic action war film directed and co-written by Kim Han-min. Starring Choi Min-sik as the Korean naval commander Yi Sun-sin, who is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 enemy Japanese ships. The movie swept South Korea by storm as it recorded 10 million admissions only 12 days after its premiere, and surpassed Avatar’s record of 13 million viewers in South Korea. It’s an iconic spectacle that more people should be talking about, and it grossed $138.3 million at the worldwide box office.
1 Parasite (2019) $263M
Last but not least, you guessed it: we have the Academy-winning Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho. This black comedy thriller film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, and more in leading roles. The movie focuses on the poor Kim family struggling to get by when they happen to infiltrate themselves into the wealthy Park family. What started as a comedy goes south really quickly, when all of their positions are threatened. It touches on topics of capitalism and class inequalities in South Korea. Grossing over $263 million worldwide, Parasite won four Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.
