Cannes Midnight Title Colony Surpasses 3 Million Admissions in Korea

Zombie thriller Colony, directed by South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, has crossed 3 million admissions in its second weekend in theaters in South Korea, continuing a strong box office run after its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings section at the Cannes Film Festival. Released in Korea on May 21, the film has reached 3,475,000 admissions and earned $24.84 million, according to the Korean Film Council, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year so far, behind The King’s Warden, which has collected $108 million.

The film passed the 3 million admission milestone on its tenth day of release, Saturday, May 30, moving faster than The King’s Warden, which took 14 days to reach the same level. In the latest weekly chart from KOFIC, A24’s Backrooms, which opened on May 27, sits in second place after earning $2.19 million in its opening weekend. It is followed by Michael, which is now in its third weekend and has grossed $997,000 over the latest frame, bringing its total to $10.28 million.

Showbox is distributing The King’s Warden and Colony, as well as the year’s third-biggest release, the horror film Salmokji: Whispering Water. That title has drawn 3.24 million admissions and earned $22 million since opening on April 8. Project Hail Mary ranks fourth among 2026 releases with $21.8 million in box office revenue.

Korean films are dominating the year’s box office so far, with six of the top 10 titles coming from local productions. Other Korean entries in the top tier include Once We Were Us, Humint and Choir Of God. The strong showing suggests a rebound for local cinema after several years of weakness at the box office. The remaining imported titles in the top 10 include Avatar: Fire And Ash, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and The Devil Wears Prada.

Colony stars Gianna Jun, best known for My Sassy Girl, as a biotechnology professor who attends a conference in Seoul when a virus outbreak begins turning other attendees into zombies. The film is produced by Wow Point, Smilegate, Midnight Studio and Showbox. Showbox is also handling international sales for the title and has already secured distribution in more than 120 territories, including Well Go USA for North America.