“Exhuma” (Showbox)
“Exhuma,” directed by acclaimed "master of K-occult" Jang Jae-hyun, continues its strong performance at the box office, likely to surpass 7 million total viewers this weekend -- the third weekend since the movie’s release on Feb. 22.
According to Korean Film Council data, “Exhuma” accumulated a total of 6.7 million ticket sales as of Friday. The movie, which cost 1.4 billion won ($1 million) to produce, reached the breakeven point of 3.3 million ticket sales a week after its release.
It is currently the most-viewed film released so far this year.
“Exhuma,” Jang’s first work in five years, centers around the story of Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik), who is tasked with relocating a tomb with the help of Young-geun (Yoo Hae-jin), an undertaker, after young exorcists Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun) receive a hefty sum of money and discover through a supernatural phenomenon a dark omen related to a wealthy Los Angeles family.
Theatergoers can expect to see more occult films this year.
The mystery horror flick “Devils Stay,” directed by Hyun Moon-sub, is actor Park Shin-yang’s first movie in 10 years. Park stars as a father who suddenly loses his daughter and struggles to fight against a demon. Actor Lee Min-ki plays a priest.
“Holy Night: Demon Hunters” (Bigpunch Ent.)
Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok here, will star in “Holy Night: Demon Hunters,” a film that combines the occult and action genres. Directed by rookie director Lim Dae-hee, the movie is set in chaotic Seoul, where a devil-worshipping criminal network impacts people’s lives. The police are forced to collaborate with Holy Night, a trio of demon hunters. The trio is led by Don Lee with Girls Generation member and actor Seo-hyun and David Lee (“Svaha: The Sixth Finger,” “Squid Game 2”) in his squad.
“The Glory” megastar Song Hye-kyo is also returning to the silver screen after 10 years this year as an exorcist nun.
In the movie “Dark Nuns” (working title) directed by Kwon Hyeok-jae, Song plays a strong-hearted nun who endeavors to rescue a boy possessed by an evil spirit. Jeon Yeo-been, Lee Jin-wook and Huh Joon-ho also star in the film that is a sequel to “The Priests,” a 2015 exorcism movie that was both a critical and commercial success. It was written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun.
Actors Kwak Si-yang and Jo Yoon-seo will star in yet another occult horror film, “Three Evil Island,” (working title). Kwak will play Japanese journalist Matsuda Ryuhei, who runs an investigative reporting team and accompanies Chae So-yeon (Jo), a TV producer who specializes in investigating pseudo-religions. They work together to discover the truth of a pseudo-religion that is believed to have disappeared during the Japanese colonial era.
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