'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle' breaks records in Korea despite persisting controversy

Following the monumental success of its predecessor, “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" — the fifth-highest-grossing Japanese animation film in South Korea and the worldwide box office leader of 2020 — the franchise's new film “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" is staking its claim as the country's biggest cinematic hit. As of Saturday, one day after its theatrical release, “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" has racked up 6.5 billion won in ticket sales, topping the box office and dramatically outpacing 2025

Aug. 24, 2025

'Golden' from 'Kpop Demon Hunters' OST tops British Official chart for 2nd week

"Golden," the smash hit single from the original soundtrack of the Netflix animation film "Kpop Demon Hunters," has topped the British Official Singles Chart Top 100 for the second consecutive week. According to the chart unveiled Friday (local time), "Golden" claimed the top spot, beating "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines Korean American singer Audrey Nuna; and South Korean-born US artist Rei Ami. The track is the first K-pop song to reach No. 1 in 13 years since Psy topped the chart with "Gangnam

Aug. 23, 2025

'KPop Demon Hunters' director Maggie Kang comes full circle

The numbers are already the stuff of legends. Over 210 million views worldwide. Eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Golden" currently the most-streamed track in the US. Netflix's second-biggest original film ever, and still climbing. Maggie Kang, sitting in a packed screening room in Seoul's Yongsan CGV on Friday, looked genuinely stunned by it all. "I can't believe it," she said in Korean, momentarily at a loss for words. "We never imagined this kind of love." Seven years ago, Kang pitc

Aug. 22, 2025

Yeon Sang-ho goes lo-fi With 'The Ugly'

Lately, director Yeon Sang-ho has been building his reputation on spectacle -- zombies tearing through train cars, supernatural messengers delivering divine death sentences -- via Netflix's formidable checkbook. So there's something deliciously offbeat about his latest move: A $150,000 thriller shot guerrilla-style where one actor plays dual roles and his co-star acts entirely without showing her face. At Friday's production briefing at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University, Yeon seemed almost gleeful

Aug. 22, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"Pretty Crazy" (South Korea) Opened Aug. 13 Romance/Comedy Directed by Lee Sang-Geun A down-on-his-luck guy (Ahn Bo-Hyun) falls for his downstairs neighbor (Yoona), only to discover she transforms into a demon every night. "Ballerina" (US) Opened Aug. 6 Action/Thriller Directed by Len Wiseman A ballerina-turned-assassin (Ana de Armas) hunts down those responsible for her father's death in this John Wick universe spin-off. "My Daughter is a Zombie" (South Korea) Opened July 30 Comedy/Drama Direct

Aug. 22, 2025

Korean soccer player cast as lead in Spanish film

Yang Jae-woo has been cast as the male lead in the upcoming Spanish film "Sigue Mi Voz (Follow My Voice)," marking the first time a Korean actor has taken a leading role in a Spanish feature film, industry officials confirmed Wednesday. Yang, 24, a soccer player and actor, will play Kang, a radio host and singer, in the romance film scheduled for release on Sept. 12. The film is based on Venezuelan writer Ariana Godoy's web novel, which has garnered 36.8 million views on Wattpad, a platform owne

Aug. 20, 2025

DMZ Docs to bookend festival with expose on Putin's Russia, Orwell documentary

Sundance Film Festival winner "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin will raise the curtain on the 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs), taking place Sept. 11-17. "We've prepared this festival with a resolve to take one more step forward and confront the issues of violence and hatred that global society has yet to overcome," festival director Chang Hae-rang said at a press conference held in CGV Cinelibrary in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. Held un

Aug. 20, 2025

Park Chan-wook's 'Killing Game'

In a packed screening room at CGV Yongsan on Tuesday, Park Chan-wook and his cast appeared bemused by the turnout. Nearly 300 reporters had gathered for Park's first Korean feature in three years — a project that, he revealed, had been percolating since he first encountered Donald Westlake's 1997 novel "The Ax" two decades ago. "The day has finally come," Park said, with the particular mixture of formality and wit that characterizes his public appearances. The film, retitled "No Other Choice," w

Aug. 19, 2025

'My Daughter is a Zombie' lurches past 4.3 million admissions in record run

The zombie comedy "My Daughter is a Zombie" has topped the Korean box office for 18 consecutive days since its July 30 release, drawing 4.31 million viewers and grossing 40.8 billion won ($ 29,400) through Sunday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The film crossed the 4 million mark over the Liberation Day holiday weekend on Aug. 15, becoming the first title of 2025 to reach that milestone. It has overtaken "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" (3.36 million) and Korean crime

Aug. 17, 2025

Argentine Korean director Cecilia Kang wins best emerging director award at Locarno

Cecilia Kang won best emerging director at the Locarno Film Festival on Saturday for "Hijo Mayor" ("Elder Son"), her first fiction feature examining Korean immigration to South America. The filmmaker competed in the festival's Filmmakers of the Present section, which showcases first and second features. The prize, awarded by the City and Region of Locarno, recognizes a director who has spent nearly a decade chronicling the Korean diaspora experience. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1985 to K

Aug. 17, 2025

Lee to host public film screening to commemorate 80th Liberation Day anniversary

President Lee Jae Myung said Saturday he will host a movie screening for members of the public this weekend as part of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. In a social media post, Lee said he plans to watch "La Resistance," a documentary film on the Korean independence movement, on Sunday at a movie theater in Seoul and shared a website link for the public to apply for the event. The exact location and time were not disclosed for security r

Aug. 16, 2025

Anime 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle' storms Korean box office

The timing couldn't be more awkward — a Japanese anime film is dominating Korean theaters just as the country celebrates its independence from Japanese colonial rule. The latest installment from the hit manga-and-anime franchise "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" has already racked up 411,835 presale tickets, claiming 53.2 percent of all tickets sold as of Friday. At this rate, the film appears on track to sell nearly one million tickets before its Aug. 22 release. With exclusive premium screenings

Aug. 15, 2025

Liberation Day on the big screen, with stories of Korean resistance

As South Korea marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15, the film industry is rolling out a slate of works that grapple with the country's defiant history. This year's lineup spans documentary, drama and experimental formats, each offering a distinct perspective of the independence movement and its enduring legacy. Leading the slate is "La Resistance," a documentary on Gen. Hong Beom-do, a guerrilla commander who led Korean force

Aug. 15, 2025

Movies in theaters this week

"Materialists" (US) Opened Aug. 8 Romance/Drama Directed by Celine Song An ambitious New York matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) finds herself caught between a wealthy client (Pedro Pascal) and her struggling actor ex-boyfriend (Chris Evans). "Ballerina" (US) Opened Aug. 6 Action/Thriller Directed by Len Wiseman A ballerina-turned-assassin (Ana de Armas) hunts down those responsible for her father's death in this John Wick universe spin-off. "My Daughter is a Zombie" (South Korea) Opened July 30 Comedy

Aug. 15, 2025

Resistance, poetry and bullets: Films for liberation day

Come Aug. 15th in South Korea, national flags flutter from apartment balconies while ceremonies fill the airwaves. It's Gwangbokjeol — Liberation Day — marking Korea's freedom from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule in 1945. For a country that endured forced labor, cultural suppression and the horrors of wartime mobilization, the day brings out a distinct national pride. So what better way to mark the occasion than with Korean cinema's take on this dark yet defiant era? These three films, spanni

Aug. 14, 2025