Korean movies are stealing the spotlight on a global scale and more and more international fans are interested in the Korean film industry. So, we're bringing to you the latest news from Chungmuro - the Korean Hollywood, also known as Hallyuwood. Check out what the Korean box office is saying, what the upcoming Korean movie releases are, who the rising stars of Chungmuro are, new trends, and more!

 

Korean Movies At The Box Office

Over the weekend of Jan 5 to Jan 7, 2024, the top 2 Korean movies at the box office were as follows, according to Cine21:

 

#2 "12.12: The Day"

Starring Hwang JungMin, Jung WooSung, and Lee SungMin, "12.12: The Day" is a fictional retelling of the 12 December 1979 military coup in South Korea. It was released on November 22, 2023. This movie was the highest-grossing Korean movie of 2023 and is continuing its success streak in 2024. During the weekend, there were 258,230 admissions, amounting to a total of 12,538,553 ticket admissions.

 

#1 "Noryang: Deadly Sea"

"Noryang: Deadly Sea" is a historical action film starring Chungmuro veterans Kim YunSeok, Baek YoonSik, Jung JaeYoung, and Huh JoonHo. It was released on December 20, 2023. The movie is part of director Kim HanMin's trilogy about Admiral Yi SunSin. It tells the story of the Battle of Noryang. During the weekend, 269,534 admissions were recorded, making for a total of 4,167,342 admissions.

 

Upcoming Korean Movies

There are a number of Korean movies coming up in January and February. Among them, here are our picks for the top 3 films that you should look forward to!

 

1. "Exhuma" - Releasing In February, Only In Theatres

Starring Choi MinSik, Yoo HaeJin, Kim GoEun, and Lee DoHyun, this Korean horror movie is highly anticipated. Coming from the Director behind horror classics like "Svaha: The Sixth Finger" and "The Priests", Jang JaeHyeon, you can expect another fantastic, immersive experience with this one. In addition, with a cast this extraordinary, "Exhuma" is set to be a masterpiece.

When shaman duo HwaRim (Kim GoEun) and BongGil (Lee DoHyun) are called to LA for a case, they realize the unnerving presence of a deceased ancestor among them, causing a series of paranormal events. However, when his ominous grave is exhumed, a vicious darkness is unleashed.

CineFact: "Exhuma" is Lee DoHyun's first major role in a Korean movie.

 

2. "Badland Hunters" - Releasing On Jan 26, Only On Netflix

"Badland Hunters" is a sequel to 2023's immensely popular film "Concrete Utopia". This Korean movie is set for a global release on Netflix. It stars Ma DongSeok, Lee HeeJun, Lee JunYoung, and Roh JeongEui in the main roles.

"Badland Hunters" will follow NamSan (Ma DongSeok), who is a wasteland hunter in a post-apocalyptic world where survival is a privilege and all order has crumbled. He is joined by Yang GiSu (Lee HeeJun) - a doctor; Choi JiWan (Lee JunYoung) - his partner; and Suna (Roh JeongEui), who follows him.

CineFact: Lee JunYoung is steadily building up his silver screen presence, with "Badland Hunters" being his third main role in a film, while Roh JeongEui is gradually making her way into the league of Chungmuro rising stars.

 

3. "Mission Cross" - Releasing In February, Only In Theatres

While one of his films, "12.12: The Day", is still ruling the box office, Hwang JungMin is back with another movie: "Mission Cross". This time, it is an action comedy with a star-studded cast, directed by Lee MyungHoon.

KangMoo (Hwang JungMin) is a househusband, but he used to be a special forces officer. His wife MiSeon (Yum JungHwa) is a violent crimes detective. When a mysterious woman, HeeJoo (Jeon HyeJin), shows up in their lives, KangMoo can no longer hide his past, while MiSeon is convinced that he is having an affair. Chaos and hilarity ensue.

 

Trend Alert - Korean Animated Movies

If webtoons are dominating the K-Drama industry with the increase of webtoon-based K-Dramas, the film industry is seeing a rise in animated movies. While Korean animation was previously targeted at children, animation for adults is growing in popularity. At the time of writing, there are three Korean animated movies in the works: Bong JoonHo's as yet unnamed animated film based on the book "The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss" by Claire Nouvian, exploring the relationship between humans and deep sea creatures; "Ggoma" - a film about animal rights by Myung Films; and Netflix's first-ever Korean animation film "Lost In Starlight", with Kim TaeRi and Hong Kyung as voice actors.

Is your drama watchlist ready for November? If not, don't worry. We are here to help you make your selection for the new month.

In our previous list, we recommended K-Dramas starting in November (here). Let's have a look at the web dramas streaming this month.

Here is a selection of 5 web dramas streaming in November not to forget to watch. (This list only includes web dramas).

 

1. "A Breeze of Love"

When: From November 10

Cast: Shin JeongYou, Woo JiHan

Genre: BL, Romance

Summary: A romance between two young guys who suffer from insomnia. DongWook suffers from ghost hauntings every night but finds solace and a good night's sleep when he sleeps next to DoHyeon. This leads to interesting turns of events for the pair.

Why look forward to it?: This web drama is webtoon-based so you can read the story beforehand to get an idea of the plot and compare it to the production. Alternatively, if you didn't get enough of the drama, then you can get your extra fix by reading the webtoon. That aside, the sentimental poster is serving youthful and soft romantic vibes, foreshadowing a 'butterflies in your stomach' inducing storyline and heart-fluttering chemistry between the two leads. "A Breeze of Love" promises to be another gem of a BL among this year's releases.

 

2. "Secret Playlist"

When: From November 18

Cast: Kim HyangGi, Shin HyunSeung, YeonOh

Genre: Drama, Romance, Youth

Summary: University student HanJu by day and Metube cover artist by night, PLII is on the rise. When she is noticed by a popular boy group member, she does whatever it takes to keep her secret identity hush-hush.

Why look forward to it?: Another fan-favorite-webtoon-based gem that will give you the best of both mediums is none other than "Secret Playlist". Many fans are especially excited to see Kim HyangGi return to the screen since her last drama at the very beginning of the year. Additionally, the narrative promises a thrill ride with healing as the overall tone. The healing from the youthful story elements will contrast with the suspense from being in on HanJu's secret and seeing how well she will manage to keep it.

 

3. "A Bloody Lucky Day"

When: From November 20

Cast: Lee SungMin, Yoo YeonSeok, Lee JungEun, Hong XaBin

Genre: Thriller, Psychological, Drama

Summary: Oh Taek, a taxi driver, takes on a long-distance passenger who offers to pay him a high price for the ride. Little does he know that his passenger is a serial killer.

Why look forward to it?: Just reading the summary already gives you that sinking feeling in your stomach from the plot twist right off the bat. Firstly, the casting is brilliant as it has veteran actors that include Lee SungMin who is renowned for his acting in this particular genre, Yoo YeonSeok who is renowned for his duality in acting, and Lee JungEun who is also a chameleon when it comes to pulling off different genres. With a suspenseful storyline, this drama already promises to become a fan favorite that will have everyone on the edge of their seats.

 

4. "Once Upon A Boyhood"

When: From November 24

Cast: Yim SiWan, Lee SunBin, Kang HyeWon, Lee ShiWoo

Genre: Action, Thriller, Comedy, Youth

Summary: The story of students at a farming school during the mid-to-late '80's and the incident that twists their fate.

Why look forward to it?: Many are curious about this drama for several reasons. One of the biggest reasons is because of the casting. Not only does the cast already have amazing visual chemistry, but they will also be playing high school-aged characters despite some of them being slightly older. Many are curious about how interesting this aspect will be and the fresh perspective it is guaranteed to give the story. Additionally, many are looking forward to Yim SiWan as the lead because of his consistently authentic acting portrayals of previous characters with super complex backgrounds, much like this one.

 

5. "Tell Me That You Love Me"

When: From November 27

Cast: Jung WooSung, Shin HyunBeen, Kim JiHyun, Lee JaeKyoon

Genre: Romance, Melodrama, Slice-Of-Life

Summary: When a man with a hearing impairment and who is uncomfortable speaking meets an expressive aspiring actress, they fall in love; leading to deep romance.

Why look forward to it?: The story is already giving heartfelt vibes with a hint of teary eyes. The narrative is likely to be incredibly emotional and the casting of the two romantic leads (cream of the crop actors in their own rights) is raising curiosity about their potential chemistry. This might be the melodrama-type drama that many K-Drama fans have been waiting for to be released this year.

Which web drama will you be adding to your Korean web drama watchlist for November? Let us know in the comments!

 

Ever since entering the fray of K-Dramas, ENA have been hard at work to create a variety of eye-catching series to go head to head with their competitors. Rather than following trends, they forge their own path and create impactful shows that are hard to forget. They tread the line between dramatic entertainment and touching human emotions, allowing their characters to brightly shine despite their various flaws.

They aim to do this once more through the touching K-Drama, "Tell Me That You Love Me". It is a remake of a Japanese series of the same name, released in 1995. At the helm of the ENA remake is Jung WooSung and Shin HyunBeen as the main leads. It depicts the lives of Cha JinWoo (Jung WooSung), a man with a hearing impairment, and Jung MoEun (Shin HyunBeen), former flight attendant now transformed into an aspiring actress. They coincidentally meet while visitng Jeju Island and their lives become gradually intertwined from that point onward.

As the year draws to a close and the nights become progressively colder, it seems "Tell Me That You Love Me" has come at the right time to warm all of our hearts.

Find out how it does just that and why it should secure a spot on your watchlist.

Note: this article may contain spoilers.

 

1. A Story Of Dreams And Aspirations

Despite her hard working nature, Jung MoEun finds it difficult to advance in the cutthroat entertainment industry. Regardless of this and the gravity of hardships that appear in the first episode alone, she continues to remain hopeful and strives to take things one step at a time. Jung MoEun confidently stands in front of casting directors, peers, and a live audience with a conviction to paint the world in majestic hues of color that she can call her own.

 

2. Embracing A Person's Disability

There are still various prejudices that appear when it comes to the disabled, in whatever form they're in. They are often looked at as different and people tend to keep their distance from them. However, in the most touching way possible, Jung MoEun unabashedly closes the gap and completely embraces Cha JinWoo's hearing impairment. She takes it upon herself to learn how to properly communicate with him, showing her kind, caring heart to audiences worldwide. Seeing her tireless time and effort to learn sign language provides a special type of warmth that touches every corner of your soul.

 

3. Sincere Love Story

Jung MoEun and Cha JinWoo's first known meeting is what some might call an accident or pure coincidence. Picking up her scarf blown by the wind, they become acquainted but neither are enamored enough to actively pursue the other person. However, after a few key events, they begin to see something special and a unique connection forms between the two. What lies on the horizon are hints of romance with a tinge of sadness.

The way Jung MoEun creates that bridge for Cha JinWoo is enough to make the gears turn in his head and in his heart. And while we're still in the beginning stages of the ENA drama, the next course of action seems obvious: for these two to fall in love. The process they must go through to get to a happy relationship remains unseen, however, viewers are excited to accompany them on this exciting, yet heartrending love story.

Have you started watching "Tell Me That You Love Me"? How are you enjoying the drama so far? Let us know in the comments!