TOP 10 BOX-OFFICE HIT KOREAN MOVIES IN KOREA

South Korean film industry is much bigger than you may think. Since not many Koreans know how to spend their pastime in different ways, possibly due to their long labor hours, there are lots of box office hits with over ten million tickets sold. Which means more than 1/5 of Koreans watched each. 

Here, I rounded up box office top 10 Korean films from 2004 to 2014. From this article you can find out that one actor is mentioned three times and two directors, twice on the list.

10th Snowpiercer (2013): 9.4 million audiences

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Chris Evans, Tilda Siwinton, Go Ah-sung

Snowpiercer is a film based on the French graphic novel <Le Transperceneige>. The story unfolds in a background of a non-stop train in the Ice age in which the survivors has class discrimination in their own way and the lower class people eventually start a rebellion.

9th King and the Clown (2005): 10.5 million

Director: Lee Joon-ik

Starring: Kam Woo-sung, lee Joon-gi, Jung Jin-young

 

This film portrays two male street clowns and tightrope walkers in Joseon dynasty bearing a famous line “I am here and you are there.” The synopsis of gay romance drew a huge attention from the public.

8th The Host (2006): 10.9 million

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Go Ah-Sung, Bae Doo-na, Park Hae-il

A gigantic bizarre living creature suddenly appears at Han River in Seoul and takes Song-Kang-ho’s daughter. Unlike Hollywood hero movies, The Host does not have a super hero. But, still it is overwhelmingly intriguing.

7th Haeundae (2009): 11.3 million

Director: Youn Je-Kyoon

Starring: Ha Ji-won, Sol Kyung-gu

A tsunami hits Haeundae beach in Busan city. I would say the tsunami scene is the only attention-grabbing part in this movie. The rest are quite boring.

6th The Attorney (2013): 11.4 million

Director: Yang Woo-seok

Starring: Song Kang-ho

This movie is based on Roh Moo-hyun, a famous attorney. He defends students tortured for suspicion of possession of banned book (“What is history?” by E.H. Carr) in 1981. Following this case, in reality, he decided to be a lawyer for human rights and later he became the President elected in 2002.

5th Masquerade (2012): 12.3 million

Director: Choo Chang-min

Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Ryu Seung-ryong

A Korean movie star Lee Byung-hun plays dual roles as the King and the humble clown. The king seeks a double who can temporarily undertake his position to avoid the constant threat of assassination and finally find a clown who remarkably resembles the king. 

4th Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2013): 12.8 million

Director: Lee Hwan-kyung

Starring Actor/Actress : Ryu Seoung-ryong

The genre of this film is comedy and family drama. It's about a mentally challenged man wrongfully imprisoned for murder. This movie is a little cheesy and boring. I don’t understand why this movie is so popular.

3rd The Thieves (2012): 13.0 million

Director: Choi Dong-hoon

Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Yoon-seok 

Five thieves plan to steal a big diamond in Macao, and they join hands with thieves in Hong Kong. It's the Korean version of <Ocean’s Eleven>. This movie is so intriguing that you will lose track of time while watching it.

2nd Ode to My Father (2014): 14.2 million

Director: Yoon Je-Kyoon

Starring: Yunjin Kim, Hwang Jung-min

It is a family drama rendering modern Korean history. The film, despite the huge box office record, it has this typical tear-jerking story.   

1st The Admiral (2014): 17.6 Million

Director: Kim Han-min

Starring: Choi Min-sik

You may recognize the main actor of this movie, Choi Min-sik - yes, the guy from <Old Boy>, a world famous Korean movie! Set in a Joseon dynasty's wartime background, the film renders a legendary admiral Yi Sun-sin's incredible naval victories. Marine combat scenes are quite lengthy, but absorbing. But if you are not Korean, it could be a little boring. It currently has all time high box office record.

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Written by Karly

She graduated in a university in Korea double majoring in social studies and political science. After graduation, she worked for a while at the Nation of Assembly of Republic of Korea, but now she is working as a reporter. Having a life goal of being a Asia-specialized travel reporter, she travels around the world in her spare time.