Train to Busan (film series)

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Train to Busan
Official franchise logo
Based onCharacters
by Park Joo-suk
StarringVarious actors
(See details)
Distributed byNext Entertainment World
Release date
2016-present
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget$25,075,000
(Total of 3 films)
Box office$111,330,565
(Total of 3 films)

The Train to Busan film series consists of South Korean action-horror zombie films, created by Park Joo-suk and produced by Next Entertainment World. The installments include a theatrical movie, an animated prequel that was released in theaters in the international market, and a standalone sequel that had a limited theatrical release. Based on an original story by Park Joo-suk, the premise centers around a zombie epidemic outbreak that originates in South Korea. Each respective installment details the struggles of the primary characters to withstand the advances of the undead, and survive the events to make their escape.

The original movie, Train to Busan, was met with critical and box office success.[1][2] The prequel, Seoul Station was also met with positive critical reception, with praise directed at its expansion to the story;[3] while it also attained monetary gains for the studios.[4] However, the sequel, Peninsula, received mixed reviews from critics with the movie being perceived as inferior to its predecessors.[5] Despite its overall reception, and being released during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic impact on the film industry, it was a success financially.[6]

The franchise will continue, with an American remake in pre-production,[7] and a sequel movie from Yeon Sang-ho in development.[8]

Films[edit]

Title Korean
title 		World-wide
release date 		Director Screenwriter(s) Producer(s)
Train to Busan 부산행 May 13, 2016 (2016-05-13) Yeon Sang-ho Park Joo-suk Lee Dong-ha
Seoul Station 서울역 August 18, 2016 (2016-08-18) Yeon Sang-ho Lee Dong-ha, Youngjoo Suh and Yeon Sang-ho
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula 반도 July 5, 2020 (2020-07-05) Yeon Sang-ho Park Joo-Suk & Yeon Sang-ho Lee Dong-ha
The Last Train to New York TBA TBA Timo Tjahjanto Gary Dauberman James Wan, Michael Clear, Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian and Gary Dauberman
Untitled Peninsula sequel TBA TBA TBA Yeon Sang-ho TBA

Train to Busan (2016)[edit]

Main article: Train to Busan

A man named Seok-woo, his estranged daughter Su-an, and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train in South Korea during a zombie outbreak. As the passengers become overtaken by the undead passengers, and gradually become infected, the number of defenders dwindle as the safety of available space within the railroad vehicle dwindles. With each station at each stop proves to also be overtaken, the train continues along as its passengers hope to escape before they are all infected. Despite insurmountable odds, the father-daughter duo fight to survive by mending their relationship and creating alliances with the remaining passengers, all while overcoming the rising forces of the army of undead plaguing the limited train space.[9][10][11][12][13]

Seoul Station (2016)[edit]

Main article: Seoul Station (film)

Prior to the events of the zombie outbreak in Busan, Hye-sun and her boyfriend Ki-woong arrive at a train station in Seoul, South Korea. Hye-sun, who recently escaped her life of slavery at a brothel, now lives with Ki-woong in a troubled relationship. As they face financial troubles, Ki-woong approaches Hye-sun with plans to procuring her for services on an adult online website. As their argument at the station begins, the pair separate just as a bloodied homeless man stumbles into the train station area and collapses. The man's younger brother frantically asks onlookers for help, though they are repulsed by the lack of cleanliness and social status of the men; the ailing man is left alone to die. This quickly changes however, when the man reanimates and attacks the crowd in a ravenous frenzy. As the infection begins to spread to those who are bitten, Hye-sun witnesses the ongoing bloodbath, while Ki-woong's search is intensified when her father Suk-gyu arrives looking for her. As the trio reunites, they fight for survival and race to stay ahead of the pandemonius epidemic. As their window for escape narrows, militant officials assemble to contain what the interpret as an insurrection. Despite their differences, the family struggles to board a train and avoid the ongoing attacks from the undead.[14][15][16][17][18]

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020)[edit]

Main article: Peninsula (film)

As a zombie epidemic quickly spreads over South Korea and the country is defeated in a day, Korean Marine Jung-seok races to get his family to a ship to escape the outbreak. The family passes a couple with a young daughter that pleads for assistance, though they leave them behind in their frantic escape. The passengers aboard the ship begin to succumb to similar ailments including Jung-seok's nephew. As his sister refuses to leave her child, Jung-seok is left to lock down the quarters to save the rest of the ship. As military officials arrive, his brother-in-law named Chul-min watches on mournfully watching his wife and son die. He resentfully states that Jung-seok should have done more to save his family. The forces of the world quarantine South Korea and lockdown its borders.

Four years later, the guilt-ridden pair are approached by a criminal mob group in Hong Kong, China to infiltrate South Korea to retrieve a truck filled with US$20 million. As the group creates a plan to reach their goal, Jung-seok and Chul-min negotiate half of the money as their earnings. Upon arrival, the team is ambushed and overtaken by a rogue militia named Unit 631, and an attracted army of undead. As Unit 631 escapes with the truck of money, Jung-seok and Chul-min are separated in the chaotic events. Jung-seok is rescued by two young girls, Joon and Yu-jin, who drive him back to their sanctuary community. As he meets with their mother and grandfather, Min-jung and Elder Kim, respectively, he quickly learns that she was the woman who begged him for help and he chose to leave behind four years ago. The group devise a plan to retrieve the money-filled truck from the criminal military that took it, by infiltrating their arena of underground zombie survival games; after which they will escape the country. In the course of events Jung-seok learns that Chul-min is alive and held therein, and sets out to rescue his estranged brother-in-law.

As the events escalate, he fights with determination to keep the members of his team alive, and seeks to redeem his mistake in leaving them behind years before. As they fight for survival against the advances of the undead, they race against the clock when an arriving helicopter will provide their escape.[19][20][21][22][23][24]

Future[edit]

The Last Train to New York (TBA)[edit]

In September 2018, an English language adaptation of Train to Busan was announced to be in development. Following a competitive bidding war for the distribution rights to the project, New Line Cinema was announced to serve the distributing company.[25]

In February 2021, it was announced that the film will be directed by Timo Tjahjanto, with a script written by Gary Dauberman, the premise will reportedly follow the plot of the original film. The project will be a joint-venture production between New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, Gaumont Film Company, and Coin Operated Productions. James Wan, Michael Clear, Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, and Dauberman will serve as producers.[26] In November 2021, the title was officially revealed to be The Last Train to New York.[7] In December of the same year, Yeon Sang-ho stated that the film would be a reimagined interpretation inspired by the original, as opposed to a direct remake.[27]

The Last Train to New York was originally scheduled to be released theatrically on April 21, 2023; though this was changed to an as-of-yet unspecified date.[7][28]

Peninsula sequel (TBA)[edit]

In August 2020, Yeon Sang-ho confirmed plans to continue the film series with various films set within the same Train to Busan universe, while announcing development on another film had begun. Sang-ho stated that though he may not direct the film, he is involved with the project.[29] In November 2021, the filmmaker stated that after considering expanding the film series into a franchise with a potential television series, film industry conditions on Korea made him decide on making another film.[8] Sang-ho elaborated that work on the third film is ongoing while stating that the plot will be restricted to a confined space more similar to the first film, as opposed to the action-packed sequences of the second movie.[8][30]

Principal cast and characters[edit]

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
Character Title
Train to Busan Seoul Station Train to Busan Presents:
Peninsula 		The Last Train to New York
Seo Seok-woo Gong Yoo
Seo Su-an Kim Su-an
Yoon Sang-hwa Ma Dong-seok
Seong-kyeong Jung Yu-mi
Min Yong-guk Choi Woo-shik
Kim Jin-hee Ahn So-hee
Yon-suk Kim Eui-sung
Hye-sun Shim Eun-kyungV
Suk-gyu Ryu Seung-ryongV
Ki-woong Lee JoonV
Jung-seok Gang Dong-won
Min-jung Lee Jung-hyun
Elder Kim Kwon Hae-hyo
Sgt. Hwang Kim Min-jae
Capt. Seo Koo Kyo-hwan
Chul-min Kim Do-yoon
Joon Lee Re
Yu-jin Lee Ye-won

Additional crew and production details[edit]

Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer Editor(s) Production
companies 		Distributing
companies 		Running time
Train to Busan Jang Young-gyu[31] Lee Hyung-deok Yang Jin-mo Well Go USA Entertainment,
N.E.W.: Next Entertainment World,
RedPeter Films 		Next Entertainment World,
Well Go USA Entertainment 		1 hr 58 mins
Seoul Station Art director:
Ryun Ki-hyun 		Yeon Sang-ho & Lee Yeon-jung N.E.W.: Next Entertainment World,
Studio Dadashow,
Finecut Studios,
Myung Films,
FilmRise,
Shudder Original Films 		Finecut,
Shudder[32][33] 		1 hr 32 mins
Train to Busan Presents:
Peninsula 		Lee "Mowg" Sung-hyun Lee Hyung-deok Yang Jin-mo N.E.W.,
Next Entertainment World,
Shudder Original Films,
RedPeter Films,
Festival de Cannes Official Selection 2020 		N.E.W.: Next Entertainment Word,
Well Go USA Entertainment 		1 hr 56 mins
The Last Train to
New York 		TBA TBA TBA New Line Cinema,
Atomic Monster,
Gaumont Film Company,
Coin Operated Productions 		Warner Bros. Pictures TBA

Reception[edit]

For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section on each film's article.

Box office and financial performance[edit]

Film Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Worldwide total
net income 		Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All-time
North America 		All-time
worldwide
Train to Busan $2,129,768 $93,569,875 $95,699,643 #7,443 #1,025 $8,500,000 $87,199,643 [2][34][35]
Seoul Station — $1,032,650 $1,032,650 — — $575,000 $457,650 [4][36]
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula $1,231,407 $38,441,865 $39,673,272 — — $16,000,000 $23,673,272 [6][37][38]
Totals $3,361,175 $133,044,390 $136,405,565 x̄ #2,481 x̄ #342 $25,075,000 $111,330,565

Critical and public response[edit]

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Train to Busan 94% (117 reviews)[1] 72/100 (16 reviews)[39]
Seoul Station 100% (23 reviews)[3] —
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula 53% (116 reviews)[5] 51/100 (26 reviews)[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Train to Busan". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Train to Busan". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Seoul Station". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Seoul Station (2016)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Peninsula (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 17, 2021). "'Under Siege' Reboot In The Works At Warner Bros For HBO Max With Timo Tjahjanto Directing, Umair Aleem Writing". Deadline. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Ravindran, Manori (November 27, 2021). "'Hellbound' Creator Yeon Sang-ho Details Season 2 Plans, Teases Third Zombie Movie in World of 'Train to Busan'". Variety. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Lee, Maggie (May 13, 2016). "Film Review: 'Train to Busan'". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  10. ^ Tallerica, Brian (July 22, 2016). "Train to Busan". RoberEbert.com. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  11. ^ Kermode, Mark (October 30, 2016). "Train to Busan review – a nonstop zombie thrill ride". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  12. ^ O'Hara, Helen (October 24, 2016). "Train To Busan Review". Empire. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  13. ^ Erlich, David (July 18, 2016). "'Train To Busan' Review: This Electric Korean Zombie Movie Goes Off The Rails". IndieWire. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  14. ^ Tsui, Clarence (August 1, 2016). "'Seoul Station' ('Seoul-yeok'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  15. ^ Long, Lacy (December 17, 2021). "Timo Tjahjanto's 'Train to Busan' Remake Reveals a Release Date and Title". Collider. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  16. ^ Mumford, Gwilym (March 17, 2017). "Seoul Station review – social realism infects animated zombie prequel". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  17. ^ H. C., Luiz (March 17, 2017). "[Review] 'Seoul Station' Is a Worthy Companion to 'Train to Busan'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Novak, Anya (June 9, 2017). "Review: Seoul Station is a Biting Critique of Western Society's Treatment of its Most Vulnerable". Diabolique Magazine. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Nuget, John (October 29, 2020). "Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula Review". Empire. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  20. ^ Tallerico, Brian (August 21, 2020). "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula". RoberEbert.com. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  21. ^ Hoad, Phil (November 6, 2020). "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula – zombie romp cannibalises the classics". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  22. ^ Erhlich, David (August 17, 2020). "'Peninsula' Review: The 'Train to Busan' Series Derails with this Chintzy and Generic Zombie Sequel". IndieWire. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  23. ^ Kaye, Don (August 17, 2020). "Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula Review". Den of Geek. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  24. ^ Fowler, Matt (August 19, 2020). "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Review". IGN. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  25. ^ Kit, Borys (September 25, 2018). "New Line Taps Timo Tjahjanto To Direct 'Train To Busan', Its Remake Of South Korean Box Office Hit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  26. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 18, 2021). "New Line Taps Timo Tjahjanto To Direct 'Train To Busan', Its Remake Of South Korean Box Office Hit". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  27. ^ Moon, Kat (December 1, 2021). "The Director of Hellbound and Train to Busan Wants to Emphasize That Korean Entertainment Didn't Merely Explode Overnight". Time. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  28. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 11, 2022). "Theatrical Release Of Stephen King Pic 'Salem's Lot' Moves From Post Labor Day To Spring 2023; 'House Party' Undated On HBO Max". Deadline. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  29. ^ Collis, Clark (August 21, 2020). "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula director wants to make another film in zombie franchise". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  30. ^ Porter, Chloe (December 4, 2021). "Train To Busan Director Teases Third Movie In The Zombie Franchise". Game Rant. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  31. ^ "Jang Young Gyu discography". Discogs. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  32. ^ Shudder (August 18, 2016). "Seoul Station". Shudder. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  33. ^ Shudder (October 2, 2017). "Seoul Station (A Shudder Exclusive) - Trailer". YouTube. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  34. ^ "Busanhaeng (2016)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  35. ^ Noh, Jean (August 13, 2018). "'Train To Busan' director Yeon Sang-ho working on sequel". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  36. ^ "Seoul Station Director YEON Sang-ho". koreanfilm.or.kr. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  37. ^ Franklin, Garth (April 2, 2020). "Teaser: "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula"". Dark Horizons. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  38. ^ "Ban-do (2020)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  39. ^ "Train to Busan". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  40. ^ "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
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