Top 10 Highest-Grossing Korean Movies of 2022

According to the Korean Film Council, The Witch: Part 2, The Other One surpassed 2 million viewers at the box office (as of noon on June 25), just 11 days after its release. Notably, this achievement was 4 days faster than its prequel.

With this milestone, The Witch: Part 2, The Other One became the fourth film of 2022 to reach 2 million viewers, joining the ranks of The Outlaws 2, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Jurassic World Dominion. Featuring Shin Shi A, Park Eun Bin, and Lee Jong Suk, the film follows ARK-ADP1 (Shin Shi A), a test subject who can launch energy orbs at high temperatures. She escapes from one of the organization's research facilities and is cared for by Kyung Hee (Park Eun Bin). As a result, ARK-ADP1 becomes the target of various factions with differing motivations.

In its first week, the film earned $12,939,752 and attracted 1,622,617 viewers. By August 31, it had grossed $22,125,278 and sold 2,803,936 tickets, becoming the fourth most-watched film in Korea in 2022.

The film Emergency Declaration premiered in Vietnam on August 12 and made an impressive debut, grossing 5 billion VND on its opening day. Directed by South Korean filmmaker Han Jae Rim, this disaster thriller focuses on a biological terrorism crisis.

Featuring a star-studded cast, Emergency is often compared to the famous zombie film *Train to Busan*, but set on a plane. The plot centers around a disastrous event on flight KI501, traveling from South Korea to Hawaii, where a terrorist named Jin Seok (Im Si Wan) unleashes a deadly virus. As the virus rapidly spreads through the plane, passengers experience high fevers, hemorrhaging, and ultimately death, leading to a full-blown crisis in the air and on the ground. In the face of this catastrophe, pilot Hyun Soo (Kim Nam Gil) teams up with old colleague Jae Hyuk (Lee Byung Hun), a single father traveling with his daughter, to find a way to save the passengers. Meanwhile, ground-based police inspector In Ho (Song Kang Ho) intensifies his investigation to help rescue those trapped in the sky.

Emergency Declaration premiered at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in July 2021 and was released in South Korea on August 3, 2022, with 336,751 tickets sold on its opening day, securing the top spot. The film reached 1 million viewers within four days and surpassed 2 million in 18 days. By August 31, it had earned $15,498,803.

Screen Daily, the UK's daily film magazine, gave Decision to Leave an impressive average score of 3.2 out of 4, the highest rating on the Cannes jury list this year. This score has raised the expectations of Korean film fans, speculating that director Park Chan-wook could take home the prestigious Palme d'Or. Park previously won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004 with Oldboy, and the Jury Prize in 2009 with Thirst, returning to the festival with his competition entry The Handmaiden in 2016. Other strong contenders for Decision to Leave include the Dardenne brothers' Tori and Lokita and Hirokazu Kore-eda's Broker. However, these two films have yet to be released, and media praise and high ratings don’t always guarantee a win at international film festivals. Therefore, it's still too early to predict whether Park will achieve a notable victory at Cannes this year. The Guardian, a UK newspaper, awarded Decision to Leave a perfect 5-star rating in a review, describing the film as Hitchcockian in many ways. The U.S. entertainment magazine Variety called the film a dazzling love story wrapped in a clever murder mystery, nearly magical as its trail of bright clues leads us out, blinking into the light.

As of August 31, Decision to Leave has grossed a total of $14,403,538 with 1,864,652 viewers, becoming the sixth highest-grossing Korean film of 2022.

CJ Entertainment released the first trailer for the blockbuster Alienoid and confirmed that Part 1 of the project would hit theaters in the summer of 2022. The film, blending historical, action, and sci-fi genres, boasts a stellar cast featuring Ryu Jun Yeol, Kim Woo Bin, Kim Tae Ri, So Ji Sub, Lee Honey, Jo Woo Jin, and Kim Eui Sung.

The intriguing film is set during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), following the journey of a group of scholars searching for a mysterious sword. Meanwhile, in the present-day timeline of 2022, extraterrestrials suddenly arrive on Earth. But that's not all—the time portal linking the late Goryeo period with today unexpectedly opens, triggering unprecedented chaos. The production team shared that the film features a plot full of twists, unusual characters, and witty humor, making it one to look forward to. By the weekend of July 12-14, Alienoid had earned 931 million VND with 8,535 tickets sold.

Alienoid (2022) premiered on July 20 and quickly climbed to the top of the box office. As of August 31, it has grossed $11,884,761 with 1,534,001 viewers.

Broker not only had the highest number of advance ticket sales that week, but it also demonstrated its strong box office appeal by reaching the top spot in daily earnings, with nearly 140,000 tickets sold on its opening day. This latest film by director Kore-eda Hirokazu is expected to continue dominating the South Korean box office rankings in the coming weeks.

Following its impressive opening, Broker received a flood of positive reviews from viewers. Korean audiences were delighted by the seamless blend of director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Japanese sensibilities with the talented South Korean cast, which includes Cannes Best Actor winner Song Kang Ho, Gang Dong Won, Lee Ji Eun, Doona Bae, and Lee Joo Young. Many viewers described the experience of watching the film as healing, feeling comforted by the heartfelt journey shared with the characters. Broker (2022) began its run with 146,221 tickets sold and reached 1 million viewers in just 11 days. As of now, the film has earned a total of $9,630,042 with 1,260,646 viewers.

The film also earned Song Kang Ho the Best Actor award. While labeled as a Korean film, Broker was crafted by the Japanese genius director Kore-eda Hirokazu.

After much anticipation, the blockbuster The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure has finally revealed the captivating looks of its main characters.

The Pirates 2 is the sequel to the hit 2014 film, The Pirates. Before filming began, expectations were high for the film to build on the success of its predecessor. This new installment follows a group of pirates on a treasure hunt for the legendary royal treasure of the Goryeo Dynasty, hidden just before Joseon’s rise to power. Recently, the production team released official posters showcasing the characters with vibrant and dynamic looks, a stark contrast to the darker tones of the previous film. The sequel exudes freshness and excitement, bringing new dimensions to the beloved characters. The Pirates 2 premiered on January 26 and hit 1 million viewers by February 5, taking just 10 days to attract over 1 million moviegoers. Notably, it became the first South Korean film of 2022 to surpass 1 million viewers, earning a total of $9,585,155.

One month after its release, the film was made available on Netflix internationally, where it topped the global charts for non-English language films for four consecutive weeks. The Pirates 2 reached the top 10 in 67 countries, accumulating a total of 36.5 million viewing hours.

Directed by Byun Sung Hyun, Kingmaker: The Fox Of The Election is set against the backdrop of the 1960s and 1970s, following a group of individuals determined to overthrow a dictatorial regime and establish a democratic system. Kim Woon Beom (Sol Kyung Gu), a staunch politician from the Democratic Party, faces a personal moral conflict when forced to choose between the light of justice and the darkness of political expediency.

Seo Chang Dae (Lee Sun Kyun), a North Korean defector, enters the scene with the goal of helping Kim Woon Beom secure the presidency. However, the relationship between the two begins to unravel as ethical dilemmas and issues of loyalty emerge. The plot of Kingmaker: The Fox Of The Election is based on true historical events. Both Kim Woon Beom and Seo Chang Dae are inspired by real figures: former president Kim Dae Jung and his strategist, Um Chang Rok, known as the “fox” of the presidential election for his cunning strategies. While the film draws from historical material, its narrative is elevated through Byun’s cinematic lens, turning it into a captivating tale that goes beyond history. Released in 2022, Kingmaker quickly became one of the most talked-about films of the year, earning $5,634,383 from 58,974 viewers on its opening day, January 26.

Notably, Kingmaker (2022) garnered seven nominations at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards in May 2022. Byun Sung-hun won Best Director, Sol Kyung-gu took home Best Actor, and Jo Woo-jin won Best Supporting Actor for their performances.

The Korean Film Council announced that the sequel to the 2017 action-comedy hit The Outlaws, The Roundup, attracted 1.79 million viewers over the weekend, bringing its total audience to 6.54 million. This set a new record for the highest box office turnout for any film released in 2022, surpassing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which had 5.75 million viewers after its May release.

The Roundup also became the highest-grossing Korean film since the 2019 disaster movie Ashfall, which reached 8.25 million viewers. The film surpassed other box office hits like Ode to My Father and the 2013 classic Miracle in Cell No. 7. The story follows Detective Ma Seok Do, who travels to Vietnam to extradite a suspect, only to discover a string of murders connected to an anonymous killer who has been targeting tourists for years. A sequel to the successful 2017 film The Outlaws, The Roundup continues the thrilling journey of Detective Ma Seok Do and his violent crime unit. It currently holds the top spot for the highest-grossing film of the year, earning $100,471,409 and 12,691,379 views as of August 31.

The Roundup also ranks as the third highest-grossing South Korean film of all time, surpassing the record set by Train to Busan (2016). On the global box office chart, it stands at 21st place for worldwide earnings in 2022, according to Box Office Mojo.

Hansan: Rising Dragon is the second epic blockbuster in director Kim Han Min's trilogy about Admiral Yi Sun Shin. While the first film, The Admiral: Roaring Currents, released in 2014, set the record for the highest-grossing Korean film of all time at the domestic box office, Hansan: Rising Dragon has also seen impressive earnings, surpassing 6 million viewers just 20 days after its release.

While The Admiral: Roaring Currents focused on one of the most significant and famous naval battles in Korean history, led by the legendary Admiral Yi Sun Shin, a revered hero with a statue in the heart of Seoul, Hansan: Rising Dragon is set in 1592, five years before the events of the first film. The story centers on the historical naval conflict at Hansan Island, where Admiral Yi Sun Shin must prove that his fleet of turtle ships poses a serious threat to the Japanese, led by General Wakisaka. Both sides engage in a series of spy operations to gather crucial military intelligence, particularly on the designs of Yi Sun Shin's legendary warships. Hansan: Rising Dragon kicks off with a unique approach, blending action with espionage, as both factions send spies to infiltrate the enemy and uncover information on their plans and progress. As a war action film, Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022) is rapidly becoming one of the top-grossing films in South Korea this year.

Before its official release, it achieved 147,909 advance ticket sales, surpassing Parasite (2019). By August 31, Hansan: Rising Dragon had accumulated $53,567,625 in earnings and hit 2 million tickets sold within five days of release.

Lee Jung Jae is not only one of South Korea's finest actors but also showcases his versatility as both a director and screenwriter in the thrilling film Hunt, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022.

Although four years might not seem like a long time, it was a significant period for Lee Jung Jae, especially as it marked his debut as a director and screenwriter. Since collaborating with his close friend Jung Woo Sung on the film City of the Rising Sun (1991), Lee had always dreamed of working on another project together. The idea for Hunt first surfaced in 2017, but Lee's perfectionist nature delayed the production as he strived for the film to meet his exact vision. After multiple revisions, the film finally debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022. Set in 1980, Hunt follows two top agents, Park Pyeong Ho and Kim Jung Do, both working for the National Intelligence Service. These skilled operatives are rivals, and together they chase a North Korean spy sent to South Korea, unraveling a hidden truth in the process. Hunt opened in theaters on August 11, quickly surpassing 1 million tickets sold in just 4 days, 2 million in 7 days, and 3 million by its 12th day.

By August 31, Hunt had grossed $29,630,385 with 3,848,131 tickets sold, becoming the third most-watched Korean film of 2022.