Top 20 Highest Grossing South Korean Movies of All Time

1. Parasite (Korean: 기생충)

Release Date: 30 May 2019
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin
Budget: ₩17.0 billion ($15.5 million)
Total Gross: US$263.1 million
Synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.

Parasite grossed $71.4 million in South Korea, $53.4 million in the US and Canada, and $133.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $258.7 million. It set a new record for Bong, becoming the first of his films to gross over $100 million worldwide. The film is considered one of the most profitable South Korean movies ever.

Parasite won four leading Academy Awards at the 92nd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, becoming the first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is the first South Korean film to receive any Academy Award recognition, and one of only three films overall to win both the Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Picture, the first such achievement in over 60 years.

2. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (명량)

Release date: July 30, 2014
Directed by: Kim Han-min
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Myung-gon
Budget: ₩14.8 billion
Total Gross: US$138.3 million
Synopsis: Admiral Yi Sun-sin faces a tough challenge when he is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 Japanese enemy ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.

The movie also surpassed Avatar’s record of 13 million viewers to become the most-watched and highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea with 17.6 million admissions and a worldwide gross of US$138.3 million.

3. Extreme Job (Korean: 극한직업)

Release Date: January 23, 2019
Director: Lee Byeong-heon
Stars: Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Hanee, Jin Seon-kyu, Lee Dong-hwi
Budget: ₩6.5 billion (US$5.8 million)
Total Gross: US$120 million
Synopsis: After failing their latest mission, a group of young narcotics detectives led by squad chief Go is offered one last chance to save their career. They should carry out undercover surveillance of an international drug gang. Their stakeout location is a chicken restaurant. Things seem to work, but Ko is informed that the restaurant will soon go out of business. Ko and his colleagues decide to purchase the restaurant, still planning to use it for their undercover operation. However, a rib marinade they have to improvise for a sticky chicken becomes an instant hit, and their chicken restaurant becomes famous for its food.

4. Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds (Korean: 신과함께: 죄와 벌)

Release Date: 20 December 2017
Directed by: Yong-hwa Kim
Starring: Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi
Budget: ₩20 billion ($18.3 million)
Total Gross: US$109.4 million
Synopsis: After a heroic death, a firefighter navigates the afterlife with the help of three guides. As of May 2019, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is the third highest-grossing film in South Korean cinema history by admissions.

5. The Roundup (Korean: 범죄도시2)

Release Date: May 18, 2022
Directed by: Lee Sang-yong
Starring: Ma Dong-seok, Son Suk-ku, Choi Gwi-hwa, Park Ji-hwan
Budget: ₩10.5 billion
Total Gross: US$101.1 million
Synopsis: Followed by Ma Seok-do, who heads to a foreign country to extradite a suspect. However, he discovers additional murder cases and learns about a killer who has committed crimes against tourists for many years.

On accounting for its box office performance, the film opened at number 1 at the South Korean box office and mobilized 467,525 admissions, which is the best opening for a Korean film in the last 882 days. It became the first film in South Korea to register 10 million admissions in 2022 on its 25th day.

As of July 10, 2022, it is the top-grossing film of the year 2022 in South Korea, with a gross of $101,166,707 and 12,592,880 admissions. And, as per Box Office Mojo, it ranks 21 at 2022 Worldwide Box Office.

6. Ode to My Father (Korean: 국제시장)

Release Date: 17 December 2014
Directed by: JK Youn
Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Yunjin Kim, Oh Dal-su, Jung Jin-young
Budget: US$30 million
Total Gross: US$99.3 million
Synopsis: Amid the time of the Korean War, a young boy’s vow to take care of his family marked the beginning of a lifelong promise spanning 60 years.

The film has sold 14.2 million tickets in sales, making it the fourth highest-grossing film in South Korean cinema history based on admissions. Additionally, the film was remade in India titled “Bharat,” directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and starring Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Sunil Grover, and was released on June 5, 2019.

7. Train to Busan (Korean: 부산행)

Release Date: 20 July 2016
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Starring: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an
Budget: $8.5 million
Total Gross: US$98.5 million
Synopsis: While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan. The movie successfully launched the Train to Busan film series, with the animated prequel Seoul Station released in 2016 and a standalone sequel named Peninsula released in 2020.

Train to Busan grossed $80.5 million in South Korea, $2.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.8 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $98.5 million. It became the highest-grossing Korean film in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In South Korea, it became the highest-grossing film of the year.

8. 12.12: The Day (Korean: 서울의 봄)

Release Date: November 22, 2023
Directed by: Kim Sung-su
Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon
Budget: ₩23 billion
Total Gross: US$96.2 million
Synopsis: Following the assassination of President Park in 1979, various military factions wrestle for control during a violent coup in this tense South Korean period action drama.

12.12: The Day became the highest-grossing Korean film of 2023, earning over $96 million against a budget of ₩23 billion.

9. Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days (Korean: 신과함께: 인과 연)

Release Date: August 1, 2018
Directed by: Yong-hwa Kim
Starring: Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Ma Dong-seok
Budget: ₩20 billion (US$18.3 million)
Total Gross: US$92.5 million
Synopsis: The three grim reapers Gang-rim (Ha Jung-woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Lee Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi) will guide their 49th soul Kim Soo-hong (Kim Dong-wook) to the afterlife trials. Meanwhile, God of the House (Ma Dong-seok) will recover the grim reapers’ memories from 1,000 years ago.

10. Veteran (Korean: 베테랑)

Release Date: August 5, 2015
Directed by: Ryu Seung-wan
Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Ah-in, Yoo Hae-jin, Oh Dal-su
Budget: US$5.1 million
Total Gross: US$92 million
Synopsis: An honest cop seeks justice for a common man against all odds. A rich boy seeks revenge on the cop.

Veteran grossed ₩21.7 billion (US$18.6 million) from 2.75 million admissions over its first five days of release. By November 6, it had grossed US$92,077,504 from 13,411,343 admissions and is currently the 10th all-time highest-grossing film in Korean cinema history.

11. Assassination (Korean: 암살)

Release Date: July 22, 2015
Directed by: Dong-hoon Choi
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-su
Budget: US$16 million
Total Gross: US$90.9 million
Synopsis: While Korea was occupied by the Japanese Army in 1933, the resistance plans to kill the Japanese Commander. But their plan is threatened by a traitor within their group and also the enemies’ forces are hunting them down.

The film opened on 1,260 screens on July 22, 2015, Assassination earned ₩3.59 billion (US$3.1 million) from 478,000 admissions. August 26, 2015, it has grossed a total of US$77 million from 11.79 million admissions. The film grossed a total of US$90.9 million worldwide making it the highest-grossing Korean film of 2015 as well as the eighth-all-time-highest-grossing film in Korean cinema history.

12. The Host (Korean: 괴물)

Release Date: July 27, 2006
Directed by: Bong Joon Ho
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona
Budget: ₩11.8 billion (US$11 million)
Total Gross: US$90 million
Synopsis: A monster emerges from Seoul’s Han River and begins attacking people. One victim’s loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.

In early September, the film became South Korea’s all-time box office leader, selling over 12.3 million tickets in just over a month in a country of 48.5 million. By the end of its run on November 8, the viewing figures came in at 13,019,740.

13. A Taxi Driver (Korean: 택시운전사)

Release Date: 2 August 2017
Directed by: Hun Jang
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Jun-Yeol
Budget: ₩15 billion (US$13.8 million)
Total Gross: US$88.7 million
Synopsis: A widowed father and taxi driver who drives a German reporter from Seoul to Gwangju to cover the 1980 uprising, soon finds himself regretting his decision after being caught in the violence around him.

It was very positively received by critics, who praised its unique approach to depicting the Gwangju Uprising events, emotional weight, as well as the main character and his relationship with Hinzpeter. The film was a notable commercial success, according to the Korean Film Council, on the first day of the release, a total of 698,090 tickets were sold, which earned US$4.5 million.

It was the second highest-grossing film of 2017 in South Korea and currently stands as the thirteenth highest-grossing South Korean film in history.

14. Snowpiercer (Korean: 설국열차)

Release Date: 1 August 2013
Directed by: Bong Joon Ho
Starring: Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris
Budget: $40 million
Total Gross: $86.8 million
Synopsis: In a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for the survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer (a train that travels around the globe), a new class system emerges.

With a budget of $40 million, it remains one of the most expensive South Korean movies ever. The film grossed US$59.8 million in South Korea and its largest international market was China, with $11.1 million. As of 23 October 2014, the film earned US$86.8 million worldwide.

15. Masquerade (Korean: 광해: 왕이 된 남자)

Release Date: September 13, 2012
Directed by: Chang-min Choo
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Kim In-kwon
Budget: ₩9.5 billion
Total Gross: US$94.3 million
Synopsis: A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos. Masquerade is one of the highest-grossing South Korean films, with 12.3 million tickets sold.

16. The Thieves (Korean: 도둑들)

Release Date: July 25, 2012
Directed by: Dong-hoon Choi
Starring: Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Hye-su, Jun Ji-hyun
Budget: US$14.1 million (₩15.2 billion)
Total Gross: US$86.7 million
Synopsis: After a heist in South Korea, a gang of 5+1 fly to Hong Kong to look into a heist, in a Macau casino, of a $30M diamond, planned by someone unreliable. He brings in HK thieves as well. Can anyone be trusted?

The Thieves achieved the second-highest single-day opening in Korea’s history, selling 436,622 tickets upon release. This falls behind only The Host, which sold 449,500 tickets on its opening day in 2006. The Korean Film Council reported a total of 12,983,334 admissions, surpassing The Host’s previous record.

17. The Roundup: No Way Out (Korean: 범죄도시3)

Release Date: May 31, 2023
Directed by: Lee Sang-yong
Starring: Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jun-hyuk, Munetaka Aoki, Ahn Se-ho
Total Gross: US$83.4 million
Synopsis: The third installment of The Roundup series and the sequel to The Roundup (2022). The follows, seven years after the roundup in Vietnam, Ma Seok-do joins a new squad to investigate a murder case. He soon starts to dig deeper when he finds out the case involves a synthetic drug and a gang of thugs.

18. Miracle in Cell No. 7 (Korean: 7번방의 선물)

Release Date: January 23, 2013
Directed by: Hwan-kyung Lee
Starring: Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won, Oh Dal-su, Jeong Man-sik
Total Gross: US$80.3 million
Synopsis: A story about the love between a mentally-ill father and his lovingly adorable daughter.

The film took 4.6 million admissions (the equivalent of more than US$30 million) in its first two weeks due to strong word of mouth. 32 days after its release, it became only the eighth film in Korean cinema history to break the 10 million mark in ticket sales.

On March 15, 2013, 52 days after its release, ticket sales reached 12.32 million, making it the seventh highest grossing Korean film of all time. The film was adapted into a Kannada movie in 2017 titled Pushpaka Vimana. The film Miracle in Cell No. 7 was adapted in Turkey in 2019 as “7. Koğuştaki Mucize” starring Aras Bulut İynemli, offering a dramatic interpretation with added story elements and characters. Similarly, the Philippines produced a version with the same title in 2019, featuring Aga Muhlach, Bela Padilla, and Xia Vigor. Indonesia also adapted the film in 2022 under the same title. Moreover, remakes of the film are in the planning stages in Spain and the United States.

19. Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (Korean: 태극기 휘날리며)

Release Date: February 6, 2004
Directed by: Kang Je-kyu
Starring: Jang Dong-Gun, Won Bin, Eun-ju Lee, Kong Hyeong-jin
Budget: US$12.8 million
Total Gross: US$76.3 million
Synopsis: When two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle. The film became one of the biggest successes in South Korean film history up to that time, attracting 11.74 million people to the theatre, beating the previous record holder Silmido.

20. The Attorney (Korean: 변호인)

Release Date: December 18, 2013
Directed by: Woo-seok Yang
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Oh Dal-su, Kwak Do-won, Hwang Geon
Total Gross: US$74.1 million
Synopsis: An ambitious tax attorney decides to represent an old friend in court. The film sold 11,375,954 tickets and became the 15th-best-selling Korean film of all time, the second-highest-grossing Korean film of 2013, and 20th highest grossing South Korean movie of all time.