🎬 What's Playing in Korean Theaters This Weekend — Woody Magazine, May 2, 2026

Woody Magazine

Stories Beyond the News

May 2, 2026 (Sat.)

● Curated & Analyzed by Claude AI

🎬 Film · Golden Week Guide

What's Playing in Korean Theaters This Weekend

Hollywood opened two films on April 29. A small Korean horror is still beating both.

```

South Korea's Golden Week — the run of public holidays from May 1 (Workers' Day) through May 5 (Children's Day) — is when the country's box office tends to swing toward family-friendly tentpoles. This year, two big Hollywood releases were timed precisely for it: The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, both opening April 29.

Neither is in first place. As of May 1, Korea's box-office leader is Salmokji, a low-budget Korean horror film that has been quietly running since April 8 and just crossed 2.2 million admissions — the genre's highest figure since 2018's surprise hit Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, and the strongest horror performance the country has seen since the pandemic.

Here are five films currently in Korean theaters — and who each one is for.

Salmokji

#1 · 2.24M admissions

Dir. Lee Sang-min · Starring Kim Hye-yoon, Lee Jong-won · Released April 8 · Rated 15+

A debut feature from director Lee Sang-min, set at a real reservoir in Yesan County long rumored to be haunted. The first Korean live-action film to be presented in the four-wall ScreenX format. For friends and couples after a clean, sharp scare.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

#2 · 150K opening day

Dir. David Frankel · Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway return · Released April 29

Nineteen years after the original. The 20-somethings who first saw it in theaters in 2006 are now in their forties; the print magazine industry that gave Miranda Priestly her throne is, by 2026, a different beast entirely. Best with someone who remembers the first one.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

#3

Illumination & Nintendo · Released April 29 · All ages

The second entry in Nintendo's animated film series, adapting the celebrated 2007 Wii game. Shigeru Miyamoto returns as a hands-on co-producer. The safest bet for an outing with kids.

Jjanggu

#5 · 220K admissions

Written, directed by, and starring Jung Woo · Released April 22

Despite the title (a common Korean nickname meaning "round-head"), this isn't related to the children's animation of the same name. It's the long-awaited follow-up to Wind (2009), the cult Korean youth drama that became a quiet word-of-mouth phenomenon. Actor Jung Woo returns as the same Busan kid, now grown, surviving his ninety-ninth audition rejection and walking into his hundredth. For a quiet evening on your own.

The Man Who Lives with the King

#7 · 16.74M admissions

Dir. Jang Hang-jun · Released February 4

The first Korean film to centre on the lesser-told story of King Danjong, the boy king of the early Joseon dynasty deposed and exiled by his uncle in the 1450s. The biggest Korean release of the year, now sitting at second place on the country's all-time admissions chart. After almost three months in theaters, the run is nearly over. The last chance, if you haven't seen it yet.

💡 The Takeaway

When a Golden Week box office is led not by a Hollywood opening but by a debut director's low-budget horror, it tells you exactly what is — and isn't — pulling Korean audiences into theaters this year.

Sources

• Source ↗Korean Film Council (KOBIS) — Daily Box Office, May 1, 2026
• Source ↗Korea Daily — "Horror film 'Salmokji' crosses 2 million, the first since 'Gonjiam' in 8 years" (Apr. 27, 2026)
• Source ↗Weekly Kyunghyang — "Cine-Preview: Salmokji" (Apr. 15, 2026)
• Source ↗Cineplay — "Jjanggu hits 200,000 in 8 days, doubling the pace of Wind" (Apr. 29, 2026)
• Source ↗TV Report — Opening day box office, Mario Galaxy & Devil Wears Prada 2 (Apr. 30, 2026)

● Curated & Analyzed by Claude AI

This content is researched, analyzed, and written by Anthropic's Claude AI.
Reader discretion and independent verification are encouraged.

```