Big names keep rolling in despite industry crunch
As the new year dawns, Korean cinema finds itself at a precarious crossroads.
The industry, still reeling from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, faces a dual crisis: Streaming platforms are making theaters increasingly obsolescent, and risk-averse investors are gravitating toward safe bets, with remakes, sequels, and adaptations stacking up one after another. In a telling sign, Korea's five major production houses have barely squeezed out ten projects exceeding the 3-billion-won ($2 million) threshold for 2025.
Yet even despite this industry-wide contraction, Korea's cinematic luminaries are pushing boundaries in unexpected directions. Here's our curated watchlist for 2025:
"Mickey 17"
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Release: March 7, 2025 (US/Canada)
Bong Joon-ho's hotly anticipated follow-up to his Oscar-sweeping "Parasite" ventures into uncharted territory, both literally and figuratively. Based on Edward Ashton's 2022 novel "Mickey7," this $150 million Warner Bros blockbuster stars Robert Pattinson as an "expendable" space colonist whose self-replicating existence hits a snag when one of his dead versions turns up alive.
The budget alone speaks volumes -- at $150 million, it rivals Christopher Nolan's space epic "Interstellar" ($165 million) and stands light-years above most local Korean productions. After a dizzying carousel of release dates through 2024 and 2025, it's finally locked for a March 7 premiere, with Korea getting first dibs before the global rollout.
The work marks Bong's fourth sci-fi foray following "Snowpiercer" and "Okja," though casual audiences might not associate him with the genre after "Parasite's" down-to-earth satire. Robert Pattinson leads a stellar cast including Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.
"No Other Choice"
Director: Park Chan-wook
Release: Late 2025
Park Chan-wook, Korea's arthouse darling, returns three years after his widely acclaimed "Decision to Leave" with a pitch-black comedy-thriller. Adapting Donald Westlake's 1996 novel "The Ax" to a Korean setting, "No Other Choice" follows Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun), a laid-off worker whose job hunt takes a murderous turn against his competitors.
The project pairs screen royalty Lee Byung-hun with Son Ye-jin in what promises to be the auteur's signature blend of violence and visual opulence bordering on obsession. Industry whispers suggest a Venice Film Festival bow, though the late-2025 release window might rule out Cannes.
For production financier CJ ENM, the project is a high-stakes bet that lives up to its title. The studio's entire film division reportedly hangs by a thread after a string of expensive post-COVID flops, with "No Other Choice" being one of their only two releases for this year.
"Bugonia"
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Release: November 7, 2025 (US/Canada)
Korea's wildest cult classic gets a second life through "Poor Things" director Yorgos Lanthimos. The 2003 original "Save the Green Planet" (directed by Jang Joon-hwan) was a commercial dud that's since achieved legendary status -- an anarchic potpourri of sadistic comedy, alien paranoia, and dark social commentary.
Emma Stone headlines this reworking as a pharmaceutical CEO (gender-swapped from the original) who falls prey to a deranged duo of conspiracy theorists. For Korean cinephiles familiar with the original's unhinged brilliance, anticipation runs absolutely fever-high.
The project represents CJ ENM's strategic pivot toward international remakes, which brings together an impressive coalition: "Midsommar" director Ari Aster's Square Peg, Ireland's Element Pictures, and Focus Features handling US distribution on behalf of its parent company Universal Pictures.
"The Match"
Director: Kim Hyung-ju
Release: Early 2025
This long-awaited biopic chronicles the legendary Go rivalry between Cho Hoon-hyun and his protege-turned-rival Lee Chang-ho. Lee Byung-hun portrays the flamboyant Cho while Yoo Ah-in embodies the introverted prodigy Lee, all under Kim Hyung-ju's direction (known for 2017's "The Sheriff in Town").
The film's journey to the screens has been nothing short of wretched. Shot in late 2020 and wrapped by April 2021, its release derailed when lead actor Yoo Ah-in faced drug charges that resulted in a one-year prison sentence. Netflix, the original distributor, practically shelved the project after capitulating to Korea's unforgiving stance toward celebrity misconduct.
In an unexpected revival, recent discussions point to a nationwide theatrical release in early 2025. If realized, it would mark Yoo's first screen appearance since his fall from grace. Whether audiences will separate art from artist remains to be seen, especially as Yoo's February appeal verdict looms.
"Revelations"
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Release: 2025 (On Netflix)
"Train to Busan" architect Yeon Sang-ho, the streaming age's newest golden boy, continues his Netflix hot streak after "Jung_E," "Hellbound" and "Parasyte: The Grey." His latest project teams him once again with "Hellbound" screenwriter Choi Gyu-seok for an adaptation of their own 2022 webtoon.
The supernatural thriller follows Pastor Min-chan (Ryu Jun-yeol) and Detective Yeon-hee (Shin Hyun-been) investigating a missing person case. When divine revelation points to a suspect, Min-chan's quest for justice blurs lines between faith and vengeance, while Yeon-hee grapples with visions of her murdered sister.
Oscar-winning auteur Alfonso Cuaron joins as executive producer, lending additional prestige to Netflix's relentless expansion into Korea. The streaming giant plans seven Korean features for 2025, spanning action, rom-com and animation -- a seismic shift that signals both opportunity and risk to the industry.
Meanwhile, Yeon's creative engine showcases remarkable range throughout the new year: "35th Street," a collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, begins production late 2025. Yeon also helms "Face," a lean 200-million-won mystery thriller set for a 2025 release. Shot in just three weeks, this indie project features rising talent Park Jung-min in dual roles as a father and son embroiled in a murder mystery.
