As the year comes to a close, we’re sharing the most popular and most watched Korean movies released theatrically in South Korea in 2023. The list is based on the data provided by Korean Box Office Information System (KOBIS) on their page, as of December 21st:
THE ROUNDUP: NO WAY OUT
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 10,682,813 | Gross: $80,405,329 | Release date: May 31, 2023
The Roundup: No Way Out (2023), also known as “Crime City 3” or “The Outlaws 3” is the follow-up to the hit films, The Outlaws (2017) and The Roundup (2022). The story is set seven years later when detective Ma Seok-do is moved to the Metropolitan Investigation Team to investigate a homicide case and fight against the mastermind behind the drug smuggling ring with his new team.
Cast: Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jun-hyuk, Jung Hojin | Writers: Lee Sang-yong, Cha Woo-jin | Director: Lee Sang-yong
12.12: THE DAY
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 9,422,549 | Gross: $69,955,193 | Release date: November 22, 2023
The political-thriller movie, 12.12: The Day (2023), also known as “Spring in Seoul” is based on true events that shook Korea in the late 1970s during a short period of political freedom. It narrates the time when former President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his close aide, and the coup leader extended martial law, violently suppressing mass pro-democracy protests. Amid chaos, the spring of Seoul that everyone waited and longed for heads to an unexpected direction.
Cast: Hwang Jung Min, Jung Woo Sung, Park Hae Joon, Lee Sung-min, Kim Sung-kyun | Writer-Director: Kim Sung Soo
SMUGGLERS
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 5,143,219 | Gross: $38,160,529 | Release date: July 26, 2023
The action-crime film, Smugglers (2023) is set in the 1970s in a peaceful seaside village in Kunchon, where haenyos or female deep sea divers collect seafood for living but suddenly experience financial trouble as factories start to build near the beach. So they decide to join a smuggling business but unexpectedly get into trouble as the peaceful village is gradually breaking apart.
Cast: Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, Jo In-sung, Park Jeong-min, Kim Jong-soo, Go Minsi | Writer-director: Ryoo Seung-wan
CONCRETE UTOPIA
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 3,849,242 | Gross: $28,734,871 | Release date: August 9, 2023
The disaster-thriller movie, Concrete Utopia (2023) is based on the webtoon “Pleasant Bullying” by Kim Sung-nik that tells the story of survivors in Hwang Gung Apartments, the only building left standing in Seoul after a massive earthquake hit the land. Due to the extreme cold weather, outsiders start coming in to the apartment but soon becomes overloaded, so the residents take action to enact special measures.
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young | Writers: Um Tae-hwa, Lee Shin-ji | Director: Um Tae-hwa
LOVE RESET
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 2,165,358 | Gross: $16,326,330 | Release date: October 3, 2023
The rom-com movie, Love Reset (2023), also known as “30 Days” tells the story of a married couple about to divorce who unexpectedly suffers from amnesia caused by a car accident, 30 days before the end of their marriage. Falling for each other again amid loss of memories, members of their families strategize a 30-day plan to help them recall their memories and continue the divorce.
Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Jung So-min | Writers: Bang Gicheol, Nam Dae-jung | Director: Nam Dae-jung
DR. CHEON AND THE LOST TALISMAN
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 1,916,431 | Gross: $14,312,997 | Release date: September 27, 2023
The mystery-thriller film, Dr. Cheon And The Lost Talisman (2023) is based on the webtoon, “Possessed” by Fresh and Kim Hong-tae that talks about a fake exorcist named Dr. Cheon who can’t see evil spirits but solves cases with exorcism insight. So he is commissioned for the case of a girl who is strongly possessed.
Cast: Kang Dong-won, Huh Joon-ho, Esom, Lee Dong-hwi, Kim Jong-soo | Director: Kim Seong-sik
THE POINT MEN
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 1,721,100 | Gross: $13,410,836 | Release date: January 18, 2023
The action-crime film, The Point Men (2023), also known as “Bargaining” follows a Korean diplomat and a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent who risk their lives to save a group of South Korean tourists taken hostage by the Taliban group in Afghanistan. It is inspired by a true story of South Korean missionaries taken hostage in Afghanistan in 2007.
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Hyun Bin, Kang Ki-young | Writer: Ahn Yeong-su | Director: Yim Soon-rye
SLEEP
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 1,470,359 | Gross: $10,671,474 | Release date: September 6, 2023
The mystery-thriller film, Sleep (2023) revolves around a newlywed couple whose married life turns into a nightmare as the husband who suffers from sleepwalking suddenly transforms into someone else whenever he falls asleep. This causes an intense anxiety to the pregnant wife, unable to sleep at night.
Cast: Lee Sun-kyun, Jung Yumi | Writer-Director: Jason Yu
HONEY SWEET
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 1,388,263 | Gross: $10,326,502 | Release date: August 15, 2023
The rom-com film, Honey Sweet (2023) tells the love story between a genius confectionery researcher who has an excellent sense of taste but leads a solitary existence and a resilient woman who thrives in life, even joining a loan review consultancy firm to pay off her own debts. As they get to know each other and become closer, their union begins to face obstacles from people who don’t support them.
Cast: Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Hee-sun, Cha In-pyo, Jin Seon-kyu, Han Sun-hwa | Writer: Lee Byeong-heon | Director: Lee Han
DREAM
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 1,128,375 | Gross: $8,311,094 | Release date: April 26, 2023
The sports-comedy film, Dream (2023) is about a football star player who gets involved in an assault case, receiving disciplinary probation, and a female director who documents the story of football players. As part of the disciplinary process, he is given a challenging assignment to coach a group of homeless people who are inexperienced with football but is set to compete for the Homeless World Cup, making him struggle during trainings. From being cold towards them, he begins to have a change of heart as the team shows determination to achieve the win, putting their best foot forward.
Cast: Park Seo-joon, Lee Ji-eun (IU) | Writer-Director: Lee Byeong-heon
RANSOMED
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 1,058,745 | Gross: $7,828,603 | Release date: August 2, 2023
The action-drama film, Ransomed (2023) is set in 1987 about the unauthorized operation of a diplomat to rescue a co-diplomat who has been missing for 20 months in Lebanon and a ransom of 2.5 million U.S. dollars. To avoid airport security that’s interested in the ransom, he flees the scene in the cab of a Korean driver and rely on him as the only Korean around Lebanon.
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon | Writer: Kim Jeong-Yeon, Yeo Mi-Jeong | Director: Kim Seong-hoon
ROAD TO BOSTON
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 1,026,741 | Gross: $7,287,954 | Release date: September 27, 2023
The sports film, Road To Boston (2023), also known as “Boston 1947” is about the journey of Korean athletes who participated as national marathoners in the 1947 Boston International Marathon, a prestigious marathon event and the first international sports event held since World War II.
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Bae Seong-woo, Yim Si-wan, Kim Sang-ho | Writer-Director: Kang Je-gyu
THE DEVIL’S DEAL
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 756,355 | Gross: $5,752,313 | Release date: March 1, 2023
The political-crime film, The Devil’s Deal (2023) is set in Busan in 1992 about betrayals and conspirations, revolving around three men who make dangerous deals for money, power, and honor, including a candidate for the National Assembly, a hidden powerhouse in politics, and a gangster who fight fiercely to overturn the game by holding secret documents that will shake the Republic of Korea.
Cast: Cho Jin-woong, Lee Sung-min, Kim Mu-yeol | Writer: Lee Soo-Jin | Director: Lee Won-tae
REBOUND
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 699,243 | Gross: $5,161,688 | Release date: April 5, 2023
The sports movie, Rebound (2023) tells the story of a well-known basketball team at Joong-Ang High School in Busan that is on the verge of being terminated after years of weak performances. A social worker and former minor league baseball player, Kang Yang-Hyeon, becomes the new head coach but players walk out due to his lack of experience. Coach Kang gathers the rejected players from top basketball schools and form a ragtag team of six, training them with his motto: “There is no such thing as missed shots, only rebounds!” and taking them on the KBA National Tournament.
Cast: Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Shin-young, Jeong Jin-woon, Jung Gun-joo | Writers: Kim Eun-hee, Kwon Seong-hui | Director: Jang Hang-jun
THE CHILDE
Content rating: 18 | Admissions: 682,856 | Gross: $5,165,032 | Release date: June 21, 2023
The action-noir film, The Childe (2023), also known as “Sad Tropics” tells the story of a mysterious nobleman who chases after a Korean-Filipino (Kopino) boxing fighter who goes to various illegal arenas in the Philippines. Struggling to obtain funds for his ill mother’s surgery, the young Kopino travels to South Korea to see his father whom he has never met before but unexpectedly collides with a strange nobleman (Childe) and other unidentified forces who try to pursue him, making his life a mess.
Cast: Kim Seonho, Kang Tae-joo, Kim Kang-woo, Go Ara | Writer-Director: Park Hoon-jung
PHANTOM
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 664,146 | Gross: $5,198,190 | Release date: January 18, 2023
The action-spy film, Phantom (2023) is set in the backdrop of the Japanese colonization of Korea in 1933 that revolves around five individuals who are suspected as “Phantom” spies of the anti-Japanese organization in Gyeongseong. Locked up in a secluded hotel for interrogation, they fight each other’s suspicions while they struggle to escape altogether. It is based on “Sound of the Wind” by Mai Jia.
Cast: Sol Kyung-gu, Lee Hanee, Park So-dam, Park Hae-soo, Kim Dong-hee, Seo Hyun-woo | Writer-Director: Lee Hae-young
THE MOON
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 516,556 | Gross: $4,004,085 | Release date: August 2, 2023
The sci-fi film, The Moon (2023) is about South Korea’s lunar exploration and the rescue mission of a space crew staff who is accidentally left stranded in space due to an unexpected accident. This leads the former head of space center to embark on a rescue mission but experiences struggles in saving him. Meanwhile, the female general director of NASA space station holds the key to bring him back safely.
Cast: Sol Kyung-gu, Doh Kyung-soo, Kim Hee-ae | Writer-Director: Kim Yong-hwa
OUR SEASON
Content rating: 12 | Admissions: 474,531 | Gross: $3,435,185 | Release date: December 6, 2023
The fantasy-drama film, Our Season (2023), also known as “Vacation” is about the miraculous moment that happens when a mother who is in heaven is granted a special vacation to Earth to stay with her daughter who is a university professor living abroad. When the mother learns that her daughter is running a local diner and staying at her old house, she becomes frustrated but soon learns about the struggles of her daughter’s unresolved issues concerning her. This leads the mother to find ways to show sincere feelings toward her daughter, a moment that she has never done before.
Cast: Kim Hae-sook, Shin Mina | Writer: Yoo Young-ah | Director: Yook Sang-hyo
THE BOYS
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 471,425 | Gross: $3,436,672 | Release date: November 1, 2023
The crime-drama film, The Boys (2023) tells the story of the re-investigation of the boys who were suspects of robbery at a supermarket, “Woori Super” in a small town. It is based on the true story of the “Samrye Nara Super” robbery incident that occurred in Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do in 1999.
Cast: Sol Kyung-gu, Yoo Jun-sang, Jin Kyung, Heo Sung-Tae, Yeom Hye-ran | Writer: Jung Sang-hyeop | Director: Chung Ji-young
TARGET
Content rating: 15 | Admissions: 424,916 | Gross: $3,077,900 | Release date: August 30, 2023
The thriller film, Target (2023), also known as “Don’t Buy The Seller” follows a young lady who has recently moved into a new house and reports a seller who sold her a damaged washing machine through a second hand app. Little does she know that the seller is a psychopathic serial murderer who uses an online second-hand market to lure victims and she becomes the next target.
Cast: Shin Hae-sun, Kim Sung-kyun, Im Chul-soo, Lee Joo-young, Keum Sae-rok | Director: Park Hee-gon
Source: KOBIS
KORB 