The Korea Herald

지나쌤

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

By Kim Da-sol

Published : Aug. 12, 2023 - 16:00

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“Concrete Utopia”

(South Korea)

Opened Aug. 9

Thriller/Disaster

Directed by Um Tae-hwa

Residents of Hwanggung Apartment building No. 103, the only building that has survived a destructive earthquake, initially see their building as a “utopia,” but it soon devolves into a nightmare.

“Ransomed”

(South Korea)

Opened Aug. 2

Adventure/Action

Directed by Kim Seong-hun

A diplomat named Min-jun (Ha Jung-woo) and a local taxi driver named Pan-su (Ju Ji-hoon) are on a mission to rescue a fellow diplomat, with a bag full of cash to trade with local gangsters for the hostage’s release.

“Smugglers”

(South Korea)

Opened July 26

Crime/Action

Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

Jo Choon-ja (Kim Hye-soo) returns to her old town after three years away. Her best buddy, Um Jin-sook (Yum Jung-ah), who spent time in prison on a smuggling conviction during that time, feels betrayed when Choon-ja reappears. But they soon resolve their differences and collaborate on a mutual goal.

“Elemental”

(US)

Opened June 14

Animation

Directed by Peter Sohn

Four different anthropomorphic elements -- fire, water, land and air -- live in Element City. A witty, passionate young woman in the fire element family, Ember, changes the way she sees life after meeting a go-with-the-flow guy from a water element family, Wade Ripple.