Over the years, Malaysian cinemas have featured more varieties of movies.
On top of the usual Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil movies, we have begun to see more choices such as Thai, Indonesian, Japanese anime and South Korean movies premiering on our big screens.
Thanks to the rise of Hallyu wave, Malaysians have shifted their interest to South Korean movies in recent years.
In 2016, Train to Busan became the Malaysian number one South Korean movie, racking up about RM4.8 mln on its opening weekend.
Earlier this year, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds opened at number one in Malaysian cinemas, winning against Chris Hemsworth’s 12 Strong and Matt Damon’s Downsizing.
Now, we have five upcoming South Korean movies we can look forward in selected cinemas till the end of 2018:
1. Champion (June 14)
This sports comedy film directed by Kim Yong Wan stars Ma Dong Seok, Kwon Yul and Han Ye Ri.
Mark (played by Ma) is a disgraced arm wrestler turned bouncer. Given up for adoption by his biological mother as a baby, Mark was raised in the US by an American family. The prospect of making money at an arm-wrestling competition in South Korea leads him back to his homeland where he searches for his biological mother but finds his biological siblings instead.
2. Believer (July 5)
In October 2017, the South Korean entertainment industry mourned the loss of one of its finest actors Kim Joo Hyuk.
Believer is Kim’s final film before his untimely death due to car accident.
It is a remake of Chinese-Hong Kong action thriller Drug War (2012).
3. The Accidental Detective: Returns (Jul 12)
This crime comedy film is a sequel to Kim Jung Hoon’s 2015 film The Accidental Detective.
It stars Kwon Swang Woo, Sung Dong Il and Running Man’s Lee Kwang Soo.
4. Along with the Gods: The Last 49 days (Sep 6)
This movie is based on webtoon Singwa Hamgge by Joo Ho Min.
It is the second installment after the first part, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017).
The plot circles around the story of fireman Kim Ja Hong (Cha Tae Hyun) and grim reaper Gang Rim (Ha Jung Wood).
5. Monstrum (Sept 27)
When it comes to South Korean movies, we rarely see a period genre taking a slot in our local cinemas.
This year we have Monstrum, a period thriller directed by Heo Jong Ho.
It is supposedly based on a real case in 1527 during King Jungjong’s reign when an unknown creature threatens the King’s life.
The movie stars Kim Myung Min, Lee Hye Ri, and Choi Woo Shik.
