'My Daughter is a Zombie' lurches past 4.3 million admissions in record run

The zombie comedy "My Daughter is a Zombie" has topped the Korean box office for 18 consecutive days since its July 30 release, drawing 4.31 million viewers and grossing 40.8 billion won ($ 29,400) through Sunday, according to data from the Korean Film Council.

The film crossed the 4 million mark over the Liberation Day holiday weekend on Aug. 15, becoming the first title of 2025 to reach that milestone. It has overtaken "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" (3.36 million) and Korean crime thriller "Yadang: The Snitch" (3.38 million) to claim the top spot of the year.

Based on the hit webtoon of the same name, the comedy-drama follows a single father trying to protect his zombified teenage daughter. The film stars Jo Jung-seok, Lee Jung-eun, Cho Yeo-jeong and newcomer Choi Yu-ri, with "The Hostage" director Pil Gam-sung at the helm.

The film's box office run offers a rare bright spot in what has been a historically weak year for Korean theaters. Box office revenue plunged 33 percent in the first half of 2025, with no film breaking the 10 million admission mark that traditionally signals mega-hit status, according to the Korean Film Council's midyear report.

Part of the film’s momentum has been fueled by the government’s 6,000 won ticket discount program, launched July 25. The coupons, capped at two per person and valid through Sept. 2, prompted a rush on theater websites and apps as soon as they went live.

"F1," the Brad Pitt–led racing drama that opened June 25, also benefited from the program, mounting an unusual late surge to reach 4.1 million admissions on Saturday and move into second place for the year.

"My Daughter is a Zombie" has also managed to satisfy fans of its source material, a feat other webtoon adaptations have struggled to achieve. Viewers praised the film’s attention to the original webtoon's beloved details, from grandmother Bam-soon’s yellow vest and topknot to the family’s scene-stealing cat. Though the filmmakers chose a more hopeful ending than the webtoon’s tragic conclusion, the central father-daughter bond remained intact.

That stands in sharp contrast to "Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy," another webtoon adaptation that opened just a week earlier on July 23. Despite its 30 billion won price tag and star-studded cast, including Lee Min-ho and Jisoo, the fantasy epic drew just over 1 million viewers amid backlash from fans who felt the adaptation strayed too far from its source, with critics pointing to its overly compressed storyline and poorly altered characters as fundamental missteps.