Starring actors Gong Yoo, Kim Soo-an, Jung Yu-mi and Ma Dong-seok, “Train to Busan” has set a new pre-sale record for Korean blockbusters.

Over 320,000 people reserved tickets for the movie in advance of its Wednesday release with an estimated ticket sales of over 2.6 billion won, according to the Korean Film Council data as of Wednesday morning.

Although it is difficult to predict how many people “Train to Busan” will draw following its July 20 opening, the Korean crime film “A Violent Prosecutor,” released in February, attracted over nine million cinemagoers after pre-sale reservations of 250,000. 

Given the high level of anticipation around the apocalyptic summer thriller, there has been an inevitable outflow of spoilers on social media channels.

“It’s unfortunate that the spread of spoilers seems ill-natured, rather than accidental,” said director Yeon Sang-ho in an interview with a local media outlet.

Screened at Cannes Film Festival in May, “Train to Busan” is scheduled for global releases in the coming months, starting with North American premier on July 22, and openings in Australia, New Zealand, France, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and more to follow in August and September.

By Kim Yu-young (ivykim@heraldcorp.com)