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[HanCinema's News] Upcoming Zombie Films Hope to Hit Ten Million Admissions Mark

The year 2019 was such a strong one for South Korean films at the domestic box office, following it up in 2020 was always going to be a tall order. But as COVID-19 has ravaged the South Korean film industry, with new major releases only starting again this month, two obvious hopes for a rebound are coming into focus. Both, as it turns out, are zombie flicks- "#ALIVE" and "Peninsula".

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Zombies have been in for the South Korean film market ever since the release of "Train to Busan" back in 2016. However, due to the nature of production schedules, it took some time for major zombie adjacent projects to be ready for release. "Kingdom" was the first major one. Ironically enough, many viewers did not immediately connect the two due to the thirty month gap between releases as well as their taking place in completely different historical periods.

Eclipsed as "Train to Busan" was by "Kingdom", "Peninsula" comes at a peculiar time. While strictly speaking a sequel to "Train to Busan" and helmed by the same director, Yeon Sang-ho, "Peninsula" has a completely different cast, taking place four years after the original. The post-apocalyptic setting also changes the movie's likely tone quite bit, as the original contemporary apocalyptic setting was an obvious springboard for much social commentary.

"Peninsula" has also not benefited much from buzz. Though an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, the cancellation of that festival has hurt the movie's likely planned prestige marketing strategy. "Peninsula" is expected to be released sometime in July, but the movie's distributor appears reluctant to set a specific date until more is known about how new major releases perform over June.

"#ALIVE" may be on stronger footing. Lead stars Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye have been at the front of this zombie movie's marketing push which has emphasized social isolation. Though both zombie movies by strict definition, "Peninsula" and "#ALIVE" are expected to have very different tones. The current box office environment could be a boon or a handicap, as low competition makes better performance more likely, but COVID-19 may yet keep people away from theaters.

Written by William Schwartz

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"#ALIVE" is directed by Cho Il-hyeong, and features Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye, Lee Hyun-wook-I, So Hee-jung, Jo Han-joon-I, Kim Dan-bi. Release date in Korea: 2020/06/24.

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"Peninsula" is directed by Yeon Sang-ho, and features Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Re, Kwon Hae-hyo, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan. Release date in Korea: 2020/07.

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