Concrete Utopia
Theatrical release poster
Hangul	콘크리트 유토피아
Revised Romanization	Konkeuriteu Yutopia
Directed by	Um Tae-hwa
Screenplay by	Um Tae-hwa Lee Shin-ji
Based on	Pleasant Bullying by Kim Sungnyung
Produced by	Byun Seung-min
Starring	Lee Byung-hun Park Seo-joon Park Bo-young Kim Sun-young Park Ji-hu Kim Do-yoon
Cinematography	Cho Hyoung-rae
Edited by	Han Mee-yeon
Music by	Kim Hae-won
Production companies	Climax Studio BH Entertainment[1]
Distributed by	Lotte Entertainment[1]
Release date	August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)
Running time	130 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Box office	US$30.1 million[2][3]

Concrete Utopia (Korean: 콘크리트 유토피아) is a 2023 South Koreandisaster-thriller film directed byUm Tae-hwa, who wrote the screenplay with Lee Shin-ji, based on the second part of thewebtoonPleasant Outcast by Kim Soongnyung. It starsLee Byung-hun,Park Seo-joon, andPark Bo-young.^[4][5][6][7]

Concrete Utopia is set inSeoul shortly after a titanic earthquake destroys the city, and follows the residents of a building that miraculously remained intact. As they try to survive, they are faced with harsh realities and difficult moral decisions. The film was theatrically released on August 9, 2023.^[8][9][10]

The film received generally positive reviews from critics^[11] and was selected as theSouth Korean entry for theBest International Feature Film category for the96th Academy Awards.^[12][13] However, it did not make it to the shortlist.^[14] Astandalone sequel titledBadland Hunters, following a different set of characters evolving in post-earthquake Seoul, was released in January 2024, with producer Byun Seung-min as the only returning key crew member.

Seoul is devastated overnight by a major earthquake. Everything has collapsed, and only one place remains intact: Imperial Palace Apartments. Residents begin to feel threatened as external survivors who have heard of this haven flock to the apartments. They unite for survival, and with a new resident leader, Yeong-tak, they create new rules for residents and prevent entry to outsiders. Thanks to this, unlike the hellish world outside, the utopian apartments remain safe and peaceful. In an endless crisis for survival, however, an unexpected conflict begins among them.

• Lee Byung-hun as Yeong-tak (room 902)^[15][9]

Interim resident leader of Imperial Palace Apartments. With his decisiveness and ability to act in a crisis situation, he is a leader who does not hesitate to take risks to protect the apartments from outsiders.

• Park Seo-joon as Min-sung (room 602)

A civil servant who majored in public administration and met his wife, Myeong-hwa, on a blind date as a college student. After being noticed by Yeong-tak and selected as a security guard, his skills are recognized, and he became the leader's assistant.

• Park Bo-young as Myeong-hwa (room 602)

Min-sung's wife, who is a nurse with a warm personality and strength. She calmly cares for the injured even in extreme situations.

• Kim Sun-young as Geum-ae (room 1207)^[16]

President of the women's association of Imperial Palace Apartments

• Park Ji-hu as Hye-won (room 903)^[17]

A high school student survivor

• Kim Do-yoon [ko] as Do-gyun (room 809)^[18][19]

A resident who initially appears to be uncooperative but is actually a person of upright character who sticks to his beliefs even among people who are becoming corrupted.

Special appearances

• Uhm Tae-goo as a homeless man^[20]

One of the homeless people moving in groups outside Imperial Palace Apartments

• Lee Seon-hee as Ju-mong's mother^[21]
• Oh Hee-joon as homeless man^[22]
• Joo In-young as Kim Po-daek^[23]

On August 4, 2020,Lotte Entertainment announced a disaster thriller film withUm Tae-hwa as director andLee Byung-hun andPark Bo-young in pivotal roles.^[24]Park Seo-joon was also set to star, in a film based on the webtoonPleasant Bullying, by Kim Soongnyung.^[15][25]Park Ji-hu^[17] and Kim Do-yoon joined the cast in April 2021.^[18]

The film is directed by Um Tae-hwa and produced by Climax Studio, and co-produced byBH Entertainment. It is distributed by Lotte Entertainment, who also work as international sales agents for the production.^[1] The film's score is composed by Kim Hae-won, while Cho Hyoung-rae is the cinematographer.^[26]

Principal photography began on April 16, 2021,^[27][28] and wrapped up at the end of August.^[29]

The film was theatrically released on August 9, 2023, and was screened at the2023 Toronto International Film Festival in the Gala section on September 9 for the press and on September 10 for the public.^[30][26] It was invited to the Òrbita competition section of the56th Sitges International Film Festival and screened on October 12. It also screened in the Spotlight on Korea section at theHawaii International Film Festival, on October 18, 2023.^[31] It closed the 2023 London East Asia Film Festival on October 29, 2023.^[32][33] It was also selected at the54th International Film Festival of India, in the Kaleidoscope section, and screened on November 23 and 26.^[34] A few days later, it was selected in the Cinema International section of the29th Kolkata International Film Festival and was screened on December 7, 2023.^[35]

Concrete Utopia was pre-sold in 152 countries in Europe, Asia, and South America.^[36]

The film will be released in North America throughViki in the first quarter of 2024.^[37]

Concrete Utopia was released on August 9 on 1,621 screens.^[38] It opened in first place at the Korean box-office, with 231,015 admissions,^[39] and surpassed one million viewers on August 12, four days after its release.^[40] It registered another million in the next three days, thus surpassing two million viewers in seven days, on August 15.^[41] The three-million mark was achieved on August 24, the 16th day of its release.^[42]

As of 26 December 2023^[update], it is thefourth highest-grossing Korean film of 2023, at US$28,901,354 in revenues and 3,849,242 admissions.^[3]

On the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approvalrating of 100%, based on 61 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.^[11]

Choi Jeong-ah, writing forSports World, praised Lee Byung-hun's acting, stating, "this movie is a comprehensive gift set for Lee Byung-hun's acting" and adding the film was "more creepy than most horror movies".^[43] John Lui, reviewing forThe Straits Times, graded the film with three stars out of five and wrote, "Concrete Utopia unravels slightly at the end, but is mostly a darkly funny take on Nimby-ism as a force so powerful it will survive the ending of the world."^[44] Casey Chong ofFiction Horizon rated the film eight out of ten and described it as "An intriguing disaster movie that skilfully blends black comedy and psychological thriller". Praising the performances of the lead cast, especially Lee Byung-hun, he wrote, "Lee's chameleon-like acting is no doubt one of the best performances I've ever seen in his illustrious career." He also commended Tae-Hwa's "confident pacing and crafty direction". Concluding, he opined that the film is "cliched and oft-told as a disaster movie, still it can overcome its familiarity by giving it a thought-provoking twist with relatable themes, intriguing storytelling, and solid acting."^[45]

Allan Hunter forScreenDaily wrote a positive review, stating, "A slick, inventive blend of jeopardy, violence and black comedy gains further appeal from the echoes ofJ. G. Ballard'sHigh-Rise and elements of biting satire in the style ofTriangle of Sadness."^[46] Alex Hudson, writing forExclaim!, described the film as "a canny allegory about the haves and the have-nots". He graded the film 7/10.^[47] Anna Miller, withNext Best Picture, graded the film 8/10 and wrote, "Concrete Utopia is a gripping, disturbing, and powerful representation of the worst of society, yet equally showcasing the best qualities in humans and how hope, community, and decency will always exist through the dust and devastation."^[48]

Concrete Utopia has won 14 awards, including two for best film, as of 24 November 2023^[update].^[49]

A sequel toConcrete Utopia, titledBadland Hunters, began production on November 14, 2021. It is the first feature film by martial arts director Huh Myung-haeng and featuresMa Dong-seok,Lee Hee-joon,Lee Jun-young, andRoh Jeong-eui in the lead roles.^[64][65] It was released onNetflix on January 26, 2024.^[66]

• List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
• List of South Korean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

• Concrete Utopia atIMDb 
• Concrete Utopia atHanCinema
• Concrete Utopia at theKorean Movie Database(in Korean)

• 2023 films
• 2020s Korean-language films
• 4DX films
• South Korean black comedy films
• South Korean drama films
• South Korean disaster films
• South Korean post-apocalyptic films
• South Korean survival films
• South Korean thriller films
• Films about earthquakes
• Films about survivors of disasters
• Films based on South Korean webtoons
• Films set in apartment buildings
• Films set in Seoul
• Lotte Entertainment films
• IMAX films

• CS1 uses Korean-language script (ko)
• CS1 Korean-language sources (ko)
• IMDb ID (Cite Mojo) different from Wikidata
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from March 2024
• Articles containing Korean-language text
• Template film date with 1 release date
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from December 2023
• All articles containing potentially dated statements
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from November 2023
• HanCinema film ID same as Wikidata
• Articles with Korean-language sources (ko)