Forgot password

Film industries across the globe have been influenced by other national cinemas. Undoubtedly Hollywood has had an impact on global cinema with its storytelling, A-list stars, spectacle and its big budgets – the blockbuster formula. Korean films have proved very successful emulating the success of Hollywood films adapting them to local audiences through titles like The Host (2006) and The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008).

This process of localization has manifested in different ways with Korean films seeking to tap into other local markets casting non-Korean actors, shooting overseas in what is a further illustration of how the industry has attempted to replicate Hollywood’s global template. Early cases include Typhoon (2005) and later My Way (2011).

Remakes are another way in which localizing strategies are evident.  Korean films like Pilot (2024) (based on the Swedish film Cockpit (2012)) and Hidden Face (2024) (a remake of the Spanish-Columbian film The Hidden Face (2011)) are recent examples of Korean remakes but this is not a new trend with further successful titles back in the 2010s including Cold Eyes (2013) (a remake of the Hong Kong film Eye in the Sky (2013)).

Moreover, with the Korean studios seeking to expand overseas, especially in Southeast Asia, Korean studios are collaborating with local production companies in countries like Vietnam and Indonesia with titles like the Miss Granny (2014) remakes.

This week, we look at some of these films beginning with Typhoon (2005), My Way (2011) and also Peninsula (2020). It will then turn to Korean remakes (Cold Eyes (2013), Intimate Strangers (2018), Handsome Guys (2024)), before concluding with remakes of Korean films (Sunny (2011), Miss Granny)).   

Targeting Global Markets (Typhoon (2005), My Way (2011), Peninsula (2020)

The Korean studios led by CJ ENM understood early on that growth in Korea’s industry meant targeting markets in Asia and the West. Early examples were not ultimately successful – at least compared to films like Train to Busan (2016) and Parasite (2019) – illustrating it was the ways in which Korean directors were approaching genre and local themes that were becoming a draw. Nevertheless, films like Typhoon (2005), My Way (2011) and Peninsula would illustrate Korea’s growing global ambitions eyeing markets in Asia and further afield.

Kwak Kyung-taek’s Typhoon (2005) signaled CJ ENM’s drive towards global markets that would become more pronounced in the 2010s and 2020s with films like Snowpiercer (2013) and Past Lives (2023) (a title it co-produced). Typhoon features now a global star Lee Jung-jae alongside Jang Dong-gun about a South Korean naval officer who is tasked with stopping a North Korean terrorist seeking to attack South and North Korea.

With dialogue in different languages, and a massive budget of 15 billion won becoming then the most expensive Korean film to date, and also featuring non-Korean actors including David Lee Mcinnis (Descendants of the Sun (2016)) and Thai actor and martial artist Chattapong Pantana-Angkul (Ong-Bak (2003)), it was an ambitious production. Distributed by DreamWorks, it was the first Korean film to be released by a major Hollywood studio.

Kang Je-gyu’s My Way was also a big gamble for CJ ENM budgeted at 26 billion won. Starring Jang Dong-gun alongside popular actors in other parts of Asia - Japanese actor Joe Odagiri and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing – it was seeking to find an audience in markets in this region like Japan and China that were some of the first countries to experience Hallyu (Korean Wave) in the 1990s and early 2000s.  The film follows two young men (a Korean athlete and a Japanese runner) who come together despite being rivals to fight against the Soviets during World War 2.

The film, however, struggled at the box office selling just 2 million tickets in Korea illustrating how making films for multiple markets can prove risky. Mr. Go (2013) that would target both the Korean and Chinese market was also unsuccessful.

Yeon Sang-ho’s Peninsula sought to replicate the success of Train to Busan after Yeon’s live-action feature debut broke box office records becoming the highest-grossing Asian film in Hong Kong and also was the most popular Korean film in Singapore and Malaysia.

Peninsula that was released during the Covid-19 pandemic was partly set in Hong Kong. The standalone sequel centers on a former soldier played by Gang Dong-won who has escaped from South Korea that is inhabited by zombies. Now four years later residing in Hong Kong, he and a team are recruited to return to the peninsula for a heist to retrieve a truck constraining $20 million.

The film also underperformed at the box office. Its tally of 3.8 million admissions was significantly lower than its predecessor. While the pandemic was a factor in its sluggish sales, critical reaction both locally and internationally suggested that this was ultimately a disappointment for many.

Korean remakes (Cold Eyes (2013), Intimate Strangers (2018), Handsome Guys (2024))

Although not all local remakes have struck a chord with Korean audiences, localizing IP for viewers in Korea has worked in many cases and with the recent success of titles in 2024 (Pilot, Handsome Guys, Hidden Face) and 2025 (Secret: Untold Melody), it looks to continue.

The action thriller Cold Eyes directed by Cho Ui-seok and Kim Byeong-seo was notable for its casting with the lead Jung Woo-sung playing a villainous role as the head of a criminal organization. The film follows a surveillance unit led by characters played by Sul Kyung-gu and Han Hyo-joo as it tracks down criminals in Seoul. Superbly executed and staged, it embodies some of the action set pieces that has come to characterize Hong Kong action cinema and captures the capital in a manner rarely seen in Korean film through its cinematography.  Some of the first international co-productions in the local industry were between Korea and Hong Kong and there have also been other remakes of Hong Kong films including A Better Tomorrow (2010) and Believer (2018).

Lee Jae-kyoo’s comedy-drama Intimate Strangers (2018) that’s a remake of the 2016 Italian film Perfect Strangers was a surprise box office hit accumulating 5.3 million admissions. The film, which stars Yoo Hae-jin, Cho Jin-woong, Lee Seo-jin, Yum Jung-ah and Kim Ji-soo is largely set in an apartment after a married couple invite a group of close friends for dinner. A game is initiated when one of the hosts asks her guests and husband to leave their smartphones on the table and to share what messages and calls come through.

The films characters, dialogue and setting - along with the use of smartphones – felt well suited to local viewers. Although a remake, a film in which so much is set in one location was unusual for the local market making it stand out. It was also one of several remakes released in 2018 that included Door Lock (based on the Spanish film Sleep Tight (2011)) and Believer (a remake of Drug War (2012)).

Coming in 2024 when viewing habits had changed, Nam Dong-hyub’s Handsome Guys was a source of immense enjoyment for many viewers after accruing 1.7 million admissions on a theatrical run that lasted for weeks. It underscored the importance of word-of-mouth that took it well beyond its break-even point of 1.1 million admissions.

A remake of the Canadian film Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010), it follows two friends (Lee Sung-min and Lee Hee-joon) who move to the countryside to fulfill their dreams, but their mean-looking personalities attract the attention of the local police. When the pair try to help a young woman (Gong Seung-yeon) from downing, her friends and the police come to the wrong conclusions.

The blending of genres – chiefly horror and comedy – in the original were a good match for the Korean market that is known for its genre-bending content. But the Korean version also deviates somewhat through its use of humor and execution allowing it to further resonate with local audiences.

Remakes of Korean films (Sunny (2011), Miss Granny (2014))

Following the poor performance of some of its big-budget blockbusters, CJ ENM’s global strategy has focused more on adapting its own IP (intellectual property) for international markets, especially in Asia. Both Sunny (2011) and Miss Granny are examples of one-source, multi-use where a film has been remade into several different versions for specific markets. CJ is often involved in the remakes partnering with local production companies to produce them.

Kang Hyeong-cheol’s Sunny that follows a group of friends who reunite after one of them is terminally ill was a hit a home selling more than 7 million tickets. The film takes place across two timelines – the present and in the 1980s when the characters were high school students. Unlike many Korean films that portray the 1980s in bleak, oppressive manner, Sunny captures it in a more colorful and amusing way.

Friendship and coming to terms with one’s mortality are universal themes, but the local adaptations that includes the Chinese remake Sunny Sisters (2021), Japanese remake Sunny Our Heart Beats Together (2018) and the Vietnamese version Go-Go Sisters (2018) feature local stories, characters, and nuances.

Miss Granny directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk proved even more successful becoming perhaps one of CJ’s most significant projects in the 2010s, together with Snowpiercer (2013) and Parasite (2019). All of which are important in terms of Korean cinema on the world stage.

The comedy about a woman in her 70s (Na Moon-hee) who becomes 20 again (her 20-year-old self is played by Shim Eun-kyung) after taking a picture in a mysterious studio was popular with viewers in Korea during the lunar new year in 2014 selling 8.6 million tickets. It led to several successful remakes across Asia such as the Chinese version 20 Once Again (2015) that generated $59.4 million and the Vietnamese adaptation Sweet 20 (2015) that became the highest grossing local film with more than $4 million in box office gross. The Indonesian version Sweet 20 (2017) was viewed by over a million people.

Written by Jason Bechervaise

Edited by kofic