Director Yeon Sang-ho’s film Colony is stoking buzz with an overwhelming advance booking rate just one day before release. After its early showcase at the Cannes Film Festival, Korean audiences will see it immediately, and all eyes are on whether the hype will convert into real box-office numbers.
According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated database on the 20th, as of 4:38 p.m., Colony holds a 50.8% reservation share (226,879 pre-sale tickets), ranking No. 1 overall. Given that competitor Michael, currently atop the daily box office, is drawing only around 30,000 admissions per day, Colony is widely expected to open straight at No. 1.
Colony follows survivors trapped inside a locked-down building amid a mysterious outbreak as they face off against the infected, who transform in unpredictable ways. With a star-studded cast including Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun Been, Kim Shin-rok, and Go Soo, the Korean-style infection thriller has been a hot topic even before release, backed by a mega-scale budget of 20 billion won.
Notably, Colony was invited to the Midnight Screening section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, premiering there as a world premiere. The 2,300-seat venue sold out early, and after the end credits rolled, a six-to-seven-minute standing ovation erupted, signaling a red-hot reception. Director Yeon Sang-ho and the cast presented the film amid cheers from local audiences, leaving a powerful impression.
This project also carries major significance for Yeon Sang-ho. After drawing 10 million admissions with Train to Busan in 2016, he’s returning to the infection genre. As his first full-on genre feature since 2020’s Peninsula, many moviegoers are anticipating “the return of a Yeon Sang-ho–style infection film.”
Meanwhile, Colony opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow (the 21st).