These South Korean movies won big at the box office. Have you watched all of them yet?
If you are looking forward to South Korean films that are a wholesome blend of elite direction, thought-provoking themes, engaging storytelling and visually stunning cinematography, then these highest-grossing Korean movies will make great additions to your watch list.
At the forefront of the list are ground-breaking hits like Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Oscar-winner Parasite and Yoon Je-kyun’s 2014 masterpiece Ode to My Father, which managed to achieve global acclaim with their exceptional storylines. The former made box-office history by becoming the first South Korean Oscar-winning film to take home four Academy Awards — Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, at the 92nd Academy Awards. Meanwhile, the latter, starring popular actor Hwang Jung-min, became the 11th highest-grossing Korean movie to surpass 10 million ticket sales after its release on 17 December 2014.
Meanwhile, drawing inspiration from the Korean Joseon dynasty Buddhist paintings and early Buddhist texts of the Ten Kings of Hell is the Ha Jung-woo starrer Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017). One of the highest-grossing movies in South Korean cinema history, the fantasy thriller topped the box office with over USD 2.9 million gross on its first day, reports the Korean Film Council.
These highest-grossing Korean movies are a must-watch
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1 /10
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik, Park Seo-joon
Total Gross: USD 263.1 million
Synopsis: The poverty-stricken Kims cunningly places themselves in the service of the wealthy Park family to make ends meet. What they are unaware of is that the obscenely rich household harbours dark secrets in their basement.
About the movie: One of the highest-grossing South Korean films, Parasite is inspired by the 1960 classic The Housemaid and the Christine and Léa Papin incident in the 1930s. Additionally, the script is based on Bong’s own source material from a play written in 2013.
Directed by: Kim Han-min
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Ryoo Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong, Jin Goo
Total Gross: USD 138.3 million
Synopsis: It’s 1597 Korea and the threat of the Japanese invasion is looming large. To win the impending war, Admiral Yi Sun-sin (Choi) has to make sure that they can keep the 12 ships under their command, unharmed. Will the heavily outnumbered Korean army be able to defeat the hundred ships of the Japanese navy?
About the movie: This top-grossing film starring Korean actor Choi Min-sik is the first instalment in director Kim’s trilogy based on Admiral Yi Sun-shin’s three great battles. The other two are Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022) and Noryang: Deadly Sea (2023).
3 /10
Directed by: Lee Byeong-hun
Cast: Ryoo Seung-ryong, Lee Ha-nee, Jin Sun-kyu, Lee Dong-hwi
Total Gross: USD 120 million
Synopsis: A team of detectives, including Chief Go (Ryoo), Jang (Lee), Ma (Jin), Young-ho (Lee) and Jae-hoon (Gong), attempts to take down a drug cartel. They go undercover and start working at a chicken restaurant. However, the rising popularity of the restaurant poses a threat to their mission.
Directed by: Kim Yong-hwa
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi
Total Gross: USD 109.4 million
Synopsis: After his death, Kim Ja-hong (Cha) is left to navigate the afterlife with his guardian Kang Rim (Ha). Ja-hong must now meet the gods and face trials over 49 days. However, with an evil spirit wreaking havoc in the real world, the plans of Rim getting Ja-hong to the afterlife become challenging.
About the movie: One of the highest-grossing movies to watch, it is a Korean adaptation of the 2010 webcomic Singwa Hamgge by Joo Ho-min.
5 /10
Directed by: Lee Sang-yong
Cast: Ma Dong-seok, Son Suk-ku, Choi Gwi-hwa, Park Ji-hwan
Total Gross: USD 101.1 million
Synopsis: After exposing a ruthless loan shark, Detective Ma Suk-do (Ma Dong-seok) is once again appointed to lead a mission in Vietnam. Upon reaching there, Suk-do is instead entangled in the gruesome murder of multiple Korean tourists by a vicious killer named Kang Hae-sung (Son).
6 /10
Directed by: Yoon Je-kyun
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Kim Yunjin, Oh Dal-su, Jung Jin-young
Total Gross: USD 99.3 million
Synopsis: Yoon Deok-soo (Hwang) has been experiencing the painful phases of South Korean history since the 1950s. Be it the Hungnam evacuation, the government’s decision to dispatch nurses and miners to West Germany in the 1960s, or the Vietnam War, Deok-soo endures it all.
7 /10
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an
Total Gross: USD 98.5 million
Synopsis: Seok-woo (Gong) is on his way to Busan along with his daughter Soo-an (Kim) aboard Seoul’s KTX train. As their journey begins, a deadly virus starts to spread in Seoul. When an infected person escapes into the train to save herself, she ends up turning into a zombie and infecting others. With the entire train at risk, will Seok-woo make it out to safety with his little daughter?
About the movie: Gong was the Best Actor nominee for the film at the 2017 Asian Film Awards.
Awards won: This zombie horror movie won awards for Best Director and Best Special Effects at the 2016 Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain.
Directed by: Kim Yong-hwa
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Ma Dong-seok
Total Gross: USD 92.5 million
Synopsis: Angels of death Gang Rim (Ha), Hae Won-maek (Ju) and Duk Choon (Kim) are appointed to take part in deceased Soo-Hong’s (Kim) afterlife trial. In the process, the three angels meet God of House (Ma) and end up navigating their 1,000-year-old past.
About the movie: This Korean movie is based on the webtoon of the same name by acclaimed artist Joo Ho-min.
9 /10
Directed by: Ryoo Seung-wan
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Ah-in, Yu Hae-jin, Jung Woong-in
Total Gross: USD 92 million
Synopsis: While investigating the suicide of truck driver Bae (Jung), Detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang) discovers that the sadistic heir to the powerful conglomerate Sinjin Group, Jo Tae-oh (Too), had assaulted Bae. Do-cheol also learns that Bae left a son behind. He then vows to put the culprit behind bars for the sake of Bae and his son.
10 /10
Directed by: Choi Dong-hoon
Cast: Gianna Jun, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Park Byung-eun
Total Gross: USD 90.9 million
Synopsis: It’s the 1930s, and Korea is under Japanese occupation. Korean resistance fighter Yeom Seok-jin (Lee), skilled snipper An Ok-yoon (Gianna) and a few others plan to assassinate a highly ranked Japanese general Kawaguchi (Park).
Awards won: Best Film at the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards and 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards.
(All total gross figures are from Box Office Mojo as of 19 January 2024.)
(Hero and featured image: Courtesy IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which is the highest-grossing Korean movie?
Some of the highest-grossing movies to come out of South Korea are Parasite, Train to Busan, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Ode to My Father and Extreme Job.
– Which is the No.1 Korean movie?
Some of the top Korean movies are Parasite, Train to Busan, Exit, Ode to My Father, Kill Boksoon, High Society, Pandora, The Negotiation, Silenced, Oldboy and Burning.
– Which is the highest-grossing domestic South Korean film?
Some of the highest-grossing domestic South Korean films are The Admiral: Roaring Currents, Extreme Job, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Ode to My Father, Veteran and The Thieves.
– Who is the most famous Korean movie actor?
Some of the most famous Korean movie actors are Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Jung-min, Ma Dong-seok, IU, Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Jung Yu-mi, Gong Yoo, Jun Ji-hyun, Choi Min-sik, Ju Ji-hoon, Yeon Sang-ho and Lee Byung-hun.
A PhD research scholar, Sushmita is a full-time writer and a part time poet. Notepads are Sushmita's one true love -- the unbothered victims drowned in the ink of her pen. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, she mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, Sushmita is dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
