[HanCinema's News] Five Big Films to Close Out the South Korean Box Office in 2024

With confirmation for "Bogota: City of the Lost" starring Song Joong-ki finally confirmed for December 31st, the full picture of the South Korean box office for the end of the year is now clear. The competition kicks off on December 4th with the dueling premieres of the disaster drama "Firefighters" and the sports film "One Win" competing for different audiences with hopes for the long haul. "Firefighters" is centered around spectacle and social commentary, based on real life events.

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"One Win" is banking on Song Kang-ho as its leading stars to elevate the volleyball film. Neither volleyball for sports movies specifically have been huge winners at the South Korean box office, but Song Kang-ho has an unimpeachable record when it comes to sentimental projects. "About Family" will be aiming for a similar upset on December 11th. The comedy stars Kim Yun-seok as the patriarch of an unconventional family with no major hooks for spectacle.

Mindful of the potential for all three films to be breakout hits, "Harbin" is coming out on December 25th. The historical spy film stars Hyun Bin as a freedom fighter against the Japanese Occupation in the early twentieth century. Past films such as "Assassination" have done well with such premises, but it remains to be whether "Harbin" will connect with audiences. Finally, there's "Bogota: City of the Lost" with Song Joong-ki trying to find financial success outside of South Korea in the nineties.

On paper, "Bogota: City of the Lost" is the best positioned film of the five to become a big hit, blending sentiment with spectacle in an exotic location with a major star. However, "Bogota: City of the Lost" has taken quite some time to get to the big screen, it being the last film of the five to declare a release date having finished filming three years prior, which may suggest a lack of confidence by the distributor. In any case, South Korean audiences have plenty of choices for the box office this December.

Written by William Schwartz