Movies in theaters this week

"The First Ride" (South Korea) Opened Oct. 29 Comedy/Drama Directed by Nam Dae-joong Four childhood friends (Kang Ha-neul, Kim Young-kwang, Cha Eun-woo, Kang Young-seok) take their dream overseas trip after 24 years of friendship, but their plans spiral into chaos when an unexpected companion (Han Sun-hwa) joins the group. "Exit 8" (Japan) Opened Oct. 22 Mystery/Horror Directed by Genki Kawamura A man (Kazunari Ninomiya) trapped in an endless subway corridor must spot every anomaly to reach Exit

Oct. 31, 2025

'No Other Choice' lands multiple Gotham nominations, Lee Byung-hun breaks into lead race

Park Chan-wook's jet-black social satire "No Other Choice" has landed three nominations at the 35th Gotham Awards, positioning the film prominently ahead of its North American campaign as Oscar season gets underway. The Korean-language film earned nominations in best international feature, adapted screenplay, and outstanding lead performance for actor Lee Byung-hun. Park shares the screenplay nomination with co-writers Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee and Don McKellar. Lee Byung-hun is the only Korean p

Oct. 30, 2025

Historic Grand Bell Awards back on auction block after failed sale

The trademark rights to South Korea's Grand Bell Awards are being auctioned for the second time in less than two years after the organization that acquired the rights earlier this year failed to complete payment. The bankruptcy trustee for the Federation of Korean Filmmakers, an umbrella organization representing film industry associations that hosted the awards, recently announced the auction of the Grand Bell Awards trademark, a legal representative for the federation confirmed to The Korea He

Oct. 29, 2025

AI filmmakers set sights on global stage as Seoul festival connects to Cannes

By Kim Young-sang The World AI Film Festival is bringing its celebration of artificial intelligence and cinema to Seoul, with WAIFF Seoul 2026 set to unfold March 6-7, 2026, at Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu. The event is organized by Vision Culture, a content strategy agency, and sponsored by Lotte. WAIFF represents an international network of festivals exploring the artistic merger of film and AI. The festival was founded by Institut EuropIA in Nice, France, before expanding to Brazil, Japan,

Oct. 28, 2025

'Little Amelie' from France wins feature grand prize at Bucheon, AI debate takes center stage

France's "Little Amelie" by Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han claimed the grand prize at the 27th Bucheon International Animation Festival on Sunday, as the festival announced the winners of its feature-length competition midway through the five-day event. "Little Amelie," a watercolor-toned portrait of childhood empathy and growth, which premiered at Cannes in May, competed against nine other international features. Japan's "Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise" secured the audience award, while

Oct. 27, 2025

Song Ji-hyo's long game

"We've been doing this for 15 years now. I started at 30, and I'm 45 today," Song Ji-hyo says over coffee in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. "At some point, 'Running Man' will just be a memory. But until then, I'm giving it everything. I'll keep going until my knees give out completely." Of course, you would expect that level of commitment from Song, who has been at the center of Korea's longest-running variety juggernaut since 2010. For a decade and a half, she's been "Ace Ji-hyo" — the blank-faced stra

Oct. 26, 2025

Korea's homegrown animated gems worth seeking out

Japanese anime has been steamrolling in Korean theaters lately. As of Wednesday, "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" sits at 5.47 million admissions through a remarkably resilient two-month run, poised to overtake "Suzume" as Korea's all-time highest-grossing anime. Meanwhile, "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc" has attracted 2.26 million viewers since its Sept. 24 release, maintaining the top spot on the charts for weeks. The numbers tell a story of complete capitulation — one that has local anima

Oct. 25, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"Exit 8" (Japan) Opened Oct. 22 Mystery/Horror Directed by Genki Kawamura A man (Kazunari Ninomiya) trapped in an endless subway corridor must spot every anomaly to reach Exit No. 8, where each overlooked detail sends him back to the start, in this adaptation of the cult video game. "Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death – The Movie" (Japan) Opened Oct. 16 Action/Fantasy Directed by Shouta Goshozono High school sorcerers Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto must protect a girl from deadly ad

Oct. 24, 2025

Get ready for Huntrix dolls, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ boardgame and more from Mattel, Hasbro

Netflix said Tuesday it has signed a licensing agreement with toy giants Mattel and Hasbro to turn its blockbuster animated movie “Kpop Demon Hunters” into a global toy line. The partnership will produce dolls, action figures, collectibles, games and role-playing products based on the hit film, which follows a female K-pop trio that performs at massive concerts while battling otherworldly forces. The first products are slated for release in 2026. Mattel, known for its Barbie franchise, will manu

Oct. 22, 2025

'No Other Choice,' 'The Ugly' lead Blue Dragon Film Awards nominations

Park Chan-wook's satirical thriller "No Other Choice" swept up 12 nominations to lead the field for the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards, with Yeon Sang-ho's experimental microbudget whodunit "The Ugly" close behind with 10 nods, as South Korea's premier film awards announced their nominees Tuesday. The nominations, determined through a combination of expert panel voting Oct.1-19 and online audience participation Oct. 2-19, set up a competitive race across 15 categories. The Blue Dragon Film Awards,

Oct. 22, 2025

Mise-en-scene Shorts Film Festival returns, showcases Korea’s emerging filmmakers

The 21st Mise-en-scene Shorts Film Festival, long regarded as a launching pad for some of South Korea’s most celebrated filmmakers, ended its four-day run Monday, spotlighting the latest and most inventive short films from the country’s emerging directors. Founded in 2002, the festival has been Korea’s premier short film showcase, launching directors such as Jang Jae-hyun ("Exhuma," "The Priests"), Um Tae-hwa ("Concrete Utopia"), and Na Hong-jin ("The Yellow Sea," "The Wailing"). After pausing i

Oct. 21, 2025

Conductor summons Hogwarts to Seoul in live 'Harry Potter' concert

Next week, wizards, witches and anyone who has ever wished they were will gather at Seoul’s Sejong Center for Performing Arts for a magical reunion. From Oct. 24-26, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I in Concert" will bring the final battle of the wizarding world to life — on screen and through the soaring, Academy Award–winning score by Alexandre Desplat, performed live by the Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra. For fans, it is a chance to take a magical adventure through Harry, Ron and

Oct. 17, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"Tron: Ares" (US) Opened Oct. 8 Sci-Fi/Action Directed by Joachim Ronning A humanoid AI program (Jared Leto) breaks into the real world as tech companies race to extend its 29-minute survival limit, with programmer Eve Kim (Greta Lee) caught between corporate warfare and the program's awakening to human desires. "Boss" (South Korea) Opened Oct. 3 Action/Comedy Directed by Ra Hee-chan A mob boss's sudden death triggers a desperate competition among his potential successors (Jo Woo-jin, Jung Kyung

Oct. 17, 2025

'Genie, Make a Wish' tops Netflix non-English series chart

The Korean romantic fantasy series "Genie, Make a Wish" has climbed to the top of Netflix's weekly non-English series chart, the streaming giant said Wednesday. The romantic comedy jumped from its initial No. 5 debut to the top, garnering 8 million views for the week ending on Oct. 12. Premiering on Oct. 3, the 12-part Netflix original follows Ga-young (Bae Suzy), a woman with an antisocial personality disorder. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she accidentally awakens a genie (Kim Woo-bin

Oct. 15, 2025

Byun Sung-hyun’s stylish satire finds humor in history with 'Good News'

Byun Sung-hyun, one of South Korea’s most distinctive filmmakers, returns with a sharp-edged, satirical take on a real-life hijacking from the 1970s. With the director's longtime muse Sul Kyung-gu (“The Whirlwind,” “Hyper Knife”) anchoring the film, “Good News” unfolds against a backdrop inspired by the Japan Airlines Flight 351 incident. In 1970, members of the Japanese Red Army commandeered a Boeing 727 carrying 129 people from Haneda to Fukuoka, ultimately defecting to North Korea. Following

Oct. 14, 2025