Train to Busan

Fund manager Seok-woo is a cynical workaholic and divorced father. His estranged daughter Su-an wishes to spend her birthday with her mother Na-young in Busan. Seok-woo sees a video of Su-an attempting to sing "{{lang|haw|Aloha ʻOe|italic=yes}}" at her singing recital and succumbing to stage fright as a result of his absence. Overcome with guilt, he decides to grant Su-an's birthday wish. The next day, they board the KTX 101 at Seoul Station, bound for Busan. Other passengers include blue-collar worker Sang-hwa and his pregnant wife Seong-kyeong; COO Yon-suk; a high school baseball team including player Yong-guk and his cheerleader girlfriend Jin-hee; elderly sisters In-gil and Jong-gil; and a traumatized homeless stowaway hiding in the bathroom. Just before departure, an ill woman boards unnoticed, soon turning into a zombie and infecting a train attendant, sparking a rapid outbreak on the train.

The survivors flee to another car and secure the doors. News reports and phone calls confirm that an epidemic is spreading southward across the country. When the train stops at Daejeon Station, they find the city overrun by zombies and hastily retreat to the train, becoming separated into different cars in the chaos. Seok-woo learns from an employee that his company is indirectly responsible for the outbreak. The military establishes a quarantine zone near Busan, to which the conductor sets the train's course. Seok-woo, Sang-hwa, and Yong-guk fight through the zombie horde to reunite with Su-an, Seong-kyeong, In-gil, and the homeless man in another car. They struggle toward the front car, where the remaining passengers have taken shelter. Prompted by Yon-suk and train attendant Ki-chul, the passengers deny entry, fearing infection. Sang-hwa sacrifices himself to buy the others time to force open the door and enter, but In-gil is killed in the process.

Yon-suk, Ki-chul, and the passengers demand that the survivors isolate themselves in the front vestibule. However, Jong-gil, distraught over her sister's death and disgusted by the passengers, deliberately opens the door to allow the zombies to enter and kill the remaining passengers in the car. Yon-suk and Ki-chul escape by hiding in the bathroom.

A blocked track at the East Daegu Station forces the survivors to stop and search for another train. Yon-suk escapes after pushing Ki-chul into the zombies. A flaming locomotive derails, separating the group and trapping Seok-woo, Su-an, Seong-kyeong and the homeless man beneath a carriage swarming with zombies. Meanwhile, Yon-suk runs into Jin-hee and Yong-guk, pushing the former into a zombie in his attempt to escape. Heartbroken, Yong-guk remains with Jin-hee until she turns and kills him. The conductor starts another locomotive on a separate track but is thrown to the zombies while trying to help an injured Yon-suk. Seok-woo finds a way out from under the carriage, but it is blocked by falling debris shortly after. The homeless man sacrifices himself to buy Seok-woo time to clear the debris, allowing Seok-woo, Su-an, and Seong-kyeong to escape and board the new locomotive.

The group encounters Yon-suk, who is on the verge of turning and desperately begging for help. Seok-woo manages to push him off but is bitten in the process. He puts Su-an and Seong-kyeong inside the engine room, teaches Seong-kyeong how to operate the train, and says a final farewell to Su-an. In his last moments before turning, he reminisces Su-an's birth before throwing himself off the locomotive.

Later, a blocked track forces Su-an and Seong-kyeong to stop the train before a tunnel just outside Busan. They leave the train and continue on foot along the tracks through the tunnel. Snipers stationed on the other side of the tunnel spot them, and prepare to shoot, mistaking them for zombies, but stand down when they hear Su-an singing "Aloha 'Oe".

{{div col}}

• Gong Yoo as Seok-woo, a workaholic fund manager
• Jung Yu-mi as Seong-kyeong, Sang-hwa's pregnant wife
• Ma Dong-seok as Yoon Sang-hwa, husband of Seong-kyeong
• Kim Su-an as Su-an, daughter of Seok-woo
• Choi Woo-shik as Min Yong-guk, a high school baseball player
• Sohee as Kim Jin-hee, Yong-guk's girlfriend
• Kim Eui-sung as Yon-suk, a business executive and COO
• Choi Gwi-hwa as a homeless man
• Jang Hyuk-jin as Ki-chul, a train attendant
• {{ill|Park Myung-sin|ko|박명신}} as Jong-gil, In-gil's younger sister
• Ye Soo-jung as In-gil, the older sister of Jong-gil
• {{ill|Jeong Seok-yong|ko|정석용 (배우)}} as the driver of the KTX
• Han Seong-soo as the KTX train Team Leader
• {{ill|Kim Chang-hwan (actor)|ko|김창환 (배우)|lt=Kim Chang-hwan}} as Deputy Kim Jin-mo
• Shim Eun-kyung as a runaway girl
• {{ill|Lee Joo-shil|ko|이주실}} as Seok-woo's mother and Su-an's grandmother
• {{ill|Woo Do im|ko|우도임}} as female train attendant Min-ji
• Cha Chung-hwa as Middle aged woman
• Kim Joo-hun as Baseball coach
• Han Ji-eun as Woman wearing headphones

{{div col end}}

The film is based on an original story created by Park Joo-suk. The team tried to reference the movements of the zombies in the game 7 Days to Die and the movements of the dolls from Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, and also reviewed the movements of the nurses in Silent Hill. The film was filmed in various stations from Daejeon, Cheonan and East Daegu. The water deer in the movie was created using real videos of water deer and 3D modelling.{{cite web|url=http://www.cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=84792|title=[스페셜] <부산행> 스탭들이 재구성한 영화 촬영현장|website=Cine21|date=27 July 2016|access-date=17 October 2021|archive-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019232604/http://www.cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=84792|url-status=live}} The scenery that is seen outside the train in the film was shot with an LED plate rear screen technique behind the set piece that was based on the interior of the KTX-I, facilitating the increased focus on the characters. The blood vessels of the zombies were drawn with an airbrush. The zombies were styled differently depending on the progress of the infection.

Train to Busan grossed $80.5 million in South Korea, $2.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.8 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $98.5 million.

It became the highest-grossing Korean film in Malaysia,{{cite web|last1=Begum|first1=Mumtaj|title='Train to Busan' speeds away to box-office record|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/09/24/train-to-busan-speeds-away-to-boxoffice-record/|website=The Star|access-date=24 September 2016|archive-date=4 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104191929/https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/09/24/train-to-busan-speeds-away-to-boxoffice-record/|url-status=live}} Hong Kong,{{cite web|last1=Chu|first1=Karen|title=South Korean Zombie Hit 'Train to Busan' Becomes Highest-Grossing Asian Film in Hong Kong|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/south-korean-zombie-hit-train-933674|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=28 September 2016|access-date=1 October 2016|archive-date=21 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821073009/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/south-korean-zombie-hit-train-933674/|url-status=live}} and Singapore.{{cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/train-to-busan-is-no-1-at-singapore-box-office-and-top-korean-movie-to-date|title=Train To Busan is No. 1 at Singapore box office and top Korean movie to date|author=Wai Yee, Yip|work=The Straits Times|date=24 August 2016|access-date=19 October 2016|archive-date=9 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009223116/http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/train-to-busan-is-no-1-at-singapore-box-office-and-top-korean-movie-to-date|url-status=live}} In South Korea, it recorded more than 11 million moviegoers{{cite web|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2016/08/19/2016081901020.html|title=Zombie Movie 'Train to Busan' Passes 11 Million-Viewer Mark|publisher=The Chosun Ilbo|date=19 August 2016|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220044342/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2016/08/19/2016081901020.html|url-status=live}} and was the highest-grossing film of the year.{{cite web|title=South Korean Box Office For 2016|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/2016/?area=KR&grossesOption=calendarGrosses|website=boxofficemojo.com|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=12 February 2021|archive-date=16 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316133124/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/2016/?area=KR&grossesOption=calendarGrosses|url-status=live}}

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 95% of 129 critics have given the film a positive review with an average rating of 7.70/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Train to Busan delivers a thrillingly unique — and purely entertaining — take on the zombie genre, with fully realized characters and plenty of social commentary to underscore the bursts of skillfully staged action."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/train_to_busan |title=Train to Busan (Busanhaeng) (2016) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=2 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502132350/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/train_to_busan/ |url-status=live }} Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, assigned the film an average score of 72 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/train-to-busan |title=Train to Busan Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009110821/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/train-to-busan |url-status=live }}

Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the film "borrows heavily from World War Z in its depiction of the fast-moving undead masses while also boasting an emotional core the Brad Pitt-starring extravaganza often lacked," adding that "the result is first-class throughout."{{cite magazine|last1=Collis|first1=Clark|title=Train to Busan: EW review|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/24/train-busan-ew-review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time|access-date=5 September 2016|date=24 August 2016|archive-date=27 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827161432/http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/24/train-busan-ew-review|url-status=live}} At The New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis selected the film as her "Critic's Pick" and took notice of its subtle class warfare.{{cite web|last1=Catsoulis|first1=Jeanette|title=Review: All Aboard 'Train to Busan' for Zombie and Class Warfare|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/movies/train-to-busan-review.html?_r=0|website=The New York Times|access-date=5 September 2016|date=21 July 2016|archive-date=22 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822160921/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/movies/train-to-busan-review.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}

In a more mixed review, David Ehrlich of IndieWire comments that "as the characters whittle away into archetypes (and start making senseless decisions), the spectacle also sheds its unique personality."{{cite web|last1=Ehrlich|first1=David|title='Train To Busan' Review: This Electric Korean Zombie Movie Goes Off The Rails|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2016/07/train-to-busan-review-korea-zombies-yeon-sang-ho-1201706829/|website=IndieWire|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=6 September 2016|date=18 July 2016|archive-date=7 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107060958/https://www.indiewire.com/2016/07/train-to-busan-review-korea-zombies-yeon-sang-ho-1201706829/|url-status=live}} Kevin Jagernauth of The Playlist wrote: "[Train to Busan] doesn't add anything significant to the zombie genre, nor has anything perceptive to say about humanity in the face of crisis. Sure, it lacks brains, and that's the easy quip to make, but what Train To Busan truly needs, and disappointingly lacks, is heart."{{cite web|last1=Jagernauth|first1=Kevin|title=Korean Zombie Thriller 'Train To Busan' Needs More Brains [Review]|url=http://theplaylist.net/korean-zombie-thriller-train-busan-needs-brains-review-20160722/|website=The Playlist|date=22 July 2016 |publisher=Spin Entertainment|access-date=6 September 2016|archive-date=16 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916025133/http://theplaylist.net/korean-zombie-thriller-train-busan-needs-brains-review-20160722/|url-status=live}}

In 2016, British filmmaker Edgar Wright, director of zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, highly applauded the film, personally recommending it on Twitter and calling it the "best zombie movie I've seen in forever."{{cite tweet|last1=Wright|first1=Edgar|title=Best zombie movie I've seen in forever. A total crowd pleaser. Highly recommend. Go see 'Train To Busan'.|user=edgarwright|number=794767561057443841|access-date=30 August 2017|date=4 November 2016}} Rotten Tomatoes lists the film on its 100 Best Zombie Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer.{{Cite web |title=100 Best Zombie Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer |url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/essential-zombie-movies/ |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en-US}}

American distributor Well Go USA released DVD and Blu-ray versions of Train to Busan on 17 January 2017.{{cite web|title=Train to Busan (2016): Releases|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/train-to-busan-v658929/releases|publisher=AllMovie|access-date=23 February 2017|archive-date=23 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223220816/http://www.allmovie.com/movie/train-to-busan-v658929/releases|url-status=live}} FNC Add Culture released the Korean DVD and Blu-ray versions on 22 February 2017. It is also available on Rakuten Viki and Amazon Prime Video streaming. The Indian version is a minute shorter than the original version due to a few violent zombie shots being censored.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In the United Kingdom, it was 2017's fourth best-selling foreign language film on home video (below Operation Chromite, Your Name, and Guardians).{{Cite book |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2018.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook 2018 |publisher=British Film Institute (BFI) |year=2018 |location=United Kingdom |pages=97–8 |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528130725/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2018.pdf |url-status=live }} It was later 2020's sixth best-selling foreign language film in the UK, and third best-selling Korean film (below Parasite and Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula).{{Cite book |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/statistical-yearbook |title=2021 – Film on Physical Video |publisher=British Film Institute (BFI) |year=2021 |location=United Kingdom |pages=10 |access-date=27 April 2022 |archive-date=27 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427094931/https://www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/statistical-yearbook |url-status=live }}

{{main|Seoul Station (film)}}

An animated prequel, Seoul Station, also directed by Yeon, was released on 18 August 2016.{{Cite web|url= http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?seq=3835&mode=VIEW#sthash.VhW0pLBF.dpuf|title= YEON Sang-ho's SEOUL STATION Debuts in Belgium|website= KoBiz|author= Conran, Pierce|date= 7 April 2016|access-date= 7 March 2020|archive-date= 25 November 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201125203012/http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?seq=3835&mode=VIEW#sthash.VhW0pLBF.dpuf|url-status= live}}

{{main|Peninsula (film)}}

Peninsula, a standalone sequel set four years after Train to Busan and also directed by Yeon, was released in South Korea on 15 July 2020 to mixed reviews.{{cite web|url=https://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=468&aid=0000631470|title=강동원 주연 '반도', 런칭 포스터 공개...'부산행' 그 후 4년|first=Jin-sil|last=Choi|language=ko|date=28 February 2020|access-date=28 February 2020|work=Sports Seoul via Naver|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031040530/https://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=468&aid=0000631470|url-status=live}} Yeon has stated that, {{blockquote|Peninsula is not a sequel to Train to Busan because it's not a continuation of the story, but it happens in the same universe.{{cite journal |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/train-to-busan-follow-up-peninsula-scores-raft-of-sales-exclusive/5147347.article |title='Train To Busan' follow-up 'Peninsula' scores raft of sales (exclusive) |first=Jean |last=Noh |date=20 February 2020 |access-date=28 February 2020 |journal=Screen Daily |publisher=Media Business Insight Limited |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125134934/https://www.screendaily.com/news/train-to-busan-follow-up-peninsula-scores-raft-of-sales-exclusive/5147347.article |url-status=live }}}}

In 2016, Gaumont acquired the rights for the English-language remake of the film from Next Entertainment World.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/asia/train-to-busan-english-remake-gaumont-1201933494/|title='Train to Busan' English-Language Remake Rights Go to Gaumont|date=7 December 2016|access-date=11 December 2017|archive-date=5 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205024004/https://variety.com/2016/film/asia/train-to-busan-english-remake-gaumont-1201933494/|url-status=live}} In 2018, New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster and Coin Operated were announced to be the co-producing partners for the remake, with Warner Bros. Pictures distributing worldwide, except for France and South Korea. Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto is in talks to helm the film, while Gary Dauberman adapts the screenplay and co-produces the film alongside James Wan.{{Cite web|title=James Wan to produce remake of South Korean zombie movie 'Train to Busan'|url=https://ew.com/movies/2018/09/26/james-wan-train-to-busan-remake/|access-date=18 February 2021|website=EW.com|language=EN|archive-date=19 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119214336/https://ew.com/movies/2018/09/26/james-wan-train-to-busan-remake/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=18 February 2021|title=New Line Taps Timo Tjahjanto To Direct 'Train To Busan', Its Remake Of South Korean Box Office Hit|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/new-lines-train-to-busan-timo-tjahjanto-1234696403/|access-date=18 February 2021|website=Deadline|language=en-US|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226185752/https://deadline.com/2021/02/new-lines-train-to-busan-timo-tjahjanto-1234696403/|url-status=live}} In December 2021, the film's official title was revealed to be The Last Train to New York scheduled to be released 21 April 2023.{{Cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=16 December 2021|title=Warner Bros Dates 'Blue Beetle', 'Last Train To New York' & 'Toto' For 2023 & Beyond|url=https://deadline.com/2021/12/blue-beetle-last-train-to-new-york-toto-warner-bros-dates-movie-release-dates-1234893356/|access-date=17 December 2021|website=Deadline|language=en-US|archive-date=17 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217011310/https://deadline.com/2021/12/blue-beetle-last-train-to-new-york-toto-warner-bros-dates-movie-release-dates-1234893356/|url-status=live}} However, in July 2022, Warner Bros. removed the film off the release schedule{{Cite web |last=King |first=Aidan |date=11 July 2022 |title='The Last Train to New York': Warner Bros.' 'Train to Busan' Remake Delayed |url=https://collider.com/last-train-to-new-york-train-to-busan-remake-delayed/ |access-date=12 July 2022 |website=Collider |language=en-US |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712002159/https://collider.com/last-train-to-new-york-train-to-busan-remake-delayed/ |url-status=live }} with Evil Dead Rise, another New Line Cinema film, taking its original release date.

• Trip Ubusan: The Lolas vs. Zombies: Filipino comedy movie whose name is inspired by this film's
• Snowpiercer: Post-apocalyptic action movie also involving low-class passengers on a train rebelling against the ruling elites in the midst of a crisis.

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20161103052211/http://traintobusan.co.kr/}}
• {{KMDb film|14687}}
• {{IMDb title|5700672}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|train_to_busan}}
• {{Metacritic film}}
• {{hancinema film|Train_to_Busan}}

{{Train to Busan}}

{{Yeon Sang-ho}}

{{Next Entertainment World}}

{{Blue Dragon Film Award Audience Choice}}

Category:Train to Busan (film series)

Category:2016 films

Category:2016 action thriller films

Category:2016 horror thriller films

Category:2010s action horror films

Category:Apocalyptic films

Category:Films about families

Category:Films directed by Yeon Sang-ho

Category:Films set in Busan

Category:Films set in Seoul

Category:Films set in South Chungcheong Province

Category:Films set in Daejeon

Category:Films set in Daegu

Category:Films set on trains

Category:Korea Train Express

Category:2010s Korean-language films

Category:Next Entertainment World films

Category:South Korean action thriller films

Category:South Korean action horror films

Category:South Korean horror thriller films

Category:South Korean zombie films

Category:Films about viral outbreaks

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Category:Films about father–daughter relationships

Category:2010s South Korean films

Category:Living Dead films