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The end is near for 2017. With only five weekends remaining in the year, the number of new releases has dwindled to just a handful of hopeful box office contenders. While Chuseok and the Lunar New Year holiday seasons typically represent the key periods for launching big Korean releases, the right film can open any weekend and go on to box office success. Such was the case with this year’s monster hit A Taxi Driver, which was released in early August. Now a certified blockbuster, A Taxi Driver has gone on to be screened for millions of people around the world, win numerous awards, and earn 6x its budget.  

This December, Korean audiences will be welcomed by the domestic releases of 4 hotly anticipated films. These movies range in scope from poignant historical drama to expensive, visual effects laden epic. Some are adaptations of popular web comics, and one of the films was so massive, it had to be split into two parts. The week of Christmas will be an especially busy time with three releases serving as bookends to the holiday season. Additionally, media distribution disruptor Netflix will offer two of the films on their streaming service shortly after their Korean theatrical releases. 

The 4 films featured below are scheduled to be released over the last remaining weekends of the year. 

The Kiwi Company will follow up its Chuseok smash hit THE OUTLAWS with ZHANG Hang-jun’s mystery film Forgotten. 

Written and directed by Zhang, Forgotten centers around Yoo-seok a young man who is kidnapped for 19 days and returns to his family exhibiting strange behavior with no memories of what happened. His younger brother Jin-seok works to uncover the truth of what happened over those 19 days. 

Forgotten is Zhang’s first feature release since 2010, when he directed Humans Don’t Die in the Night. GIM Mu-yeol (Warriors of the Dawn) and KANG Ha-neul (Midnight Runners) star as brothers Yoo-seok and Jin-seok, respectively. Rounding out the cast are veteran actors MOON Sung-keun (A Petal) and NA Young-hee (Woman of Fire ’82)(translated title).

Forgotten was picked up for international distribution by Netflix while still in the script stage. The film will be distributed domestically by MEGABOX X Plus M which has set a November 29 release, and will stream globally on Netflix in early 2018.

Next Entertainment World’s 2017 slate, which includes such hits as The Villainess and The King, has earned both commercial and critical acclaim. Their final release of the year will be YANG Woo-suk’s upcoming action thriller Steel Rain.

Steel Rain is based on Yang’s own web comic of the same name, which ran from 2011 to 2016. The story takes place in the near future, where a political coup in North Korea has led to instability on the peninsula. A pair of intelligence agents from North and South Korea team up for a secret mission to prevent the start of a nuclear war.

Steel Rain is the follow-up to Yang’s 2013 political hit The Attorney and stars JUNG Woo-sung (The King) and KWAK Do-won (THE WAILING). The two recently appeared on screen together in Asura : The City of Madness. 

Steel Rain, which will be released domestically on December 20, made headlines when it was announced that it would also be distributed by online streaming giant Netflix shortly after the film’s Korean premier. 

The Korean box office saw a massive hit in August this year with the release of the JANG Hun’s historical political drama A Taxi Driver. Starring SONG Kang-ho and German actor Thomas Kretschmann, A Taxi Driver, which recounted the events of the Gwangju Democracy Movement, was box office gold, attracting 12 million viewers to theaters. CJ Entertainment will hope lightening can strike twice with the upcoming release of JANG Joon-hwan’s historical drama 1987.

1987 is based on the true story of the death of Korean student activist Park Jong-chul. Park, a student at Seoul National University died after being detained and tortured by authorities for not revealing details about activities protesting Chun Doo-hwans’s dictatorship. Park’s death sparked outrage and served as a catalyst for the June Democracy Movement which helped bring democracy to South Korea. 

1987 represents a step away from genre fair for eclectic director JANG Joon-hwan, helmer of the cult classic film Save the Green Planet. The film’s star-studded cast features KIM Yun-seok (The Fortress), HA Jung-woo (Along with the Gods), KIM Tae-ri (The Handmaiden) and YOO Hae-jin, who has had a string of hits this year. YEO Jin-gu, star of JANG’s 2013 action thriller Hwayi: A Monster Boy will play the role of Park Jong-chul.

1987 will be released in Korean theaters December 27.

Upcoming two-part fantasy epic Along with the Gods is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The ambitious film, which was shot simultaneously with its sequel over the course of 10 months, features a large, star-studded cast and spectacular special effects compliments of director KIM Yong-hwa’s visual effects production company Dexter Studios.

Along with the Gods is based on the popular web comic Along With God and tells the story of Ja-hong (CHA Tae-hyun), a deceased fire fighter who has to stand trial for his life over 49 days to determine where he will spend eternity. On his quest, Ja-hong meets many deities and creatures while being escorted through the after-life by an angel-of-death named Kang-rim (HA Jung-woo). The cast includes JU Ji-hoon (The Treacherous), LEE Jung-jae (Assassination), DOH Kyung-soo (Room No.7) and KIM Hyang-gi (A Werewolf Boy).

The film, which is being distributed by Lotte Entertainment, has been popular with buyers worldwide and has so far been sold for distribution in over 100 territories. Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds will bow on December 22 with the sequel scheduled to be released in the summer of 2018.