Korea’s ‘Concrete Utopia’ Lands North America Streaming Release (EXCLUSIVE)
26.01.2024 - 14:31
/ variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Concrete Utopia,” the highly regarded drama-thriller that was South Korea’s Oscars contender and one of the biggest box office hits of 2023, has scored a streaming release in North America. Rakuten Viki, which specializes in Asian content, has licensed exclusive rights to the film in the U.S. and Canada and will begin streaming it to North American audiences from Friday.
The film, which stars Lee Byung-hun (“Squid Game,” “I Saw the Devil,” the “G.I Joe” franchise), Park Seo-jun (“Parasite,” “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”), and Park Bo-young (“Strong Girl Bong-soon,” “Doom at Your Service”), opened in Korea on Aug. 9 at the top of the box office, and went on to earn $28.0 million from 3.85 million admissions. Based on the second part of webtoon, “Cheerful Outcast” by Kim Soong-nyung ,“Concrete Utopia” portrays Seoul devastated by a powerful earthquake which has left the Hwanggoong Apartment complex as the only building still standing.
Lee’s character Young-Tak temporarily leads the residents of the apartment complex, but as the crisis unfolds, moral values are tested. Variety’s review by Owen Gleiberman said: “[‘Concrete Utopia’] places its characters in a desperate, scary, do-or-die situation and then refuses to tell the audience what to think about them. It’s a fractious, blood-soaked drama about the will to survive that feels like ‘Earthquake’ crossed with ‘Lord of the Flies’.” After its Korean theatrical debut, the film played at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sitges International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest.
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