| Train to Busan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Yeon Sang-ho |
| Written by | Park Joo-suk |
| Produced by | Lee Dong-ha |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lee Hyung-deok |
| Edited by | Yang Jin-mo |
| Music by | Jang Young-gyu |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Next Entertainment World |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 118 minutes[1] |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Budget | $8.5 million |
| Box office | $98.5 million |
Train to Busan (Korean: 부산행;RR: Busanhaeng;MR: Pusanhaeng;lit. To Busan) is a 2016 South Koreanactionhorror film directed byYeon Sang-ho and written by Park Joo-suk. It starsGong Yoo,Jung Yu-mi,Ma Dong-seok,Kim Su-an,Choi Woo-shik,Ahn So-hee, andKim Eui-sung. The film takes place primarily on aKTX fromSeoul toBusan as azombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out and threatens the safety of the passengers.
A co-production betweenNext Entertainment World and RedPeter Film,Train to Busan premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 13. It was released by Next Entertainment World on July 20 in South Korea; by August 7, it became the first Korean film of the year to break the audience record of over 10 million theatergoers. It received positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing $98.5 million on a budget of $8.5 million.
The film spawned theTrain to Busan series, and was followed by the animated prequelSeoul Station (2016) and the standalone sequelPeninsula (2020).
Fund manager Seok-woo is a cynical workaholic and divorced father inSeoul. His estranged daughter Su-an wishes to spend her birthday with her mother Na-young inBusan. Seok-woo sees a video of Su-an attempting to sing the Hawaiian folk song "Aloha ʻOe" at her singing recital, which he missed, and succumbing tostage fright as a result of his absence. Overcome with guilt, he decides to grant Su-an's birthday wish.
The next day, they board theKTX 101 for Busan atSeoul Station. Other passengers include blue-collar worker Yoon Sang-hwa and his pregnant wife Seong-kyeong, high-ranking executive 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. Just before departure, a severely ill woman with bite marks dives onto the train unnoticed, soon turning into a zombie-like creature; she bites and infects a train attendant, sparking a rapid outbreak on the train.
The survivors flee to another carriage and secure the doors. News reports and phone calls confirm that an epidemic is spreading southward across the country. The conductor is instructed to stop atDaejeon Station and disembark the passengers, but the station is surrounded by infected soldiers who were deployed on duty. The passengers retreat to the train, becoming separated into different carriages in the chaos. The conductor cancels all future stops except for Busan, where the military has established a quarantine zone. Seok-woo, Sang-hwa, and Yong-guk sneak and fight through the zombie horde to reunite with Su-an, Seong-kyeong, In-gil, and the homeless man in another carriage. They struggle toward the front carriage, where the remaining passengers have taken shelter, but Yon-suk coerces train attendant Ki-chul and the other passengers to deny them entry out of fear of infection. Sang-hwa tells Seok-woo to look after Seong-kyeong and sacrifices himself to buy the others time to force open the door, but In-gil is killed in the process.
Yon-suk, Ki-chul, and the passengers demand that the survivors isolate themselves in the frontvestibule. Jong-gil, distraught over her sister's death and disgusted by the behavior of the other passengers, deliberately opens the door to allow the zombies to enter and kill everyone in the carriage. Seok-woo learns from an employee over the phone that his company is indirectly responsible for the outbreak. Yon-suk and Ki-chul escape by hiding in the bathroom.
A blocked track atDongdaegu Station forces the survivors to stop and search for another train, and Yon-suk escapes after pushing Ki-chul into the zombies. A flaming train derails, separating the group and trapping Seok-woo, Su-an, Seong-kyeong, and the homeless man beneath a carriage swarming with zombies. Yon-suk runs into Jin-hee and Yong-guk, pushing Jin-hee into a zombie that bites her in his attempt to escape. Heartbroken, Yong-guk remains with Jin-hee until she turns into a zombie and attacks him. The conductor starts up another train on a separate track and tries to help an injured Yon-suk, who throws him to the zombies. Seok-woo finds a way out from under the carriage, but it is then blocked by falling debris. 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 train.
Seok-woo, Su-an, and Seong-kyeong encounter an infected Yon-suk, who desperately begs them for help before turning into a zombie. Seok-woo manages to push him off the train, but his hand 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 tells her to look after Su-an. Bidding a final farewell to Su-an, who begs him to stay, he runs outside. In his last moments before succumbing to the infection, he reminisces about Su-an's birth before throwing himself off the train.
Seong-kyeong is later forced to stop the train near a tunnel just outside Busan, as the track is blocked by corpses and barbed wire. She leaves the train with Su-an and they continue on foot through the tunnel. Military snipers stationed on the other side spot them and, unable to verify whether they are infected from a distance, are ordered to shoot them. However, they stand down when they hear Su-an singing "Aloha 'Oe" to calm her nerves and pay tribute to her father. The snipers and other military personnel run down the track to lead Su-an and Seong-kyeong to safety.
The film is based on an original story by Park Joo-suk.[2][3] To develop the zombie movements, the production team referenced the game7 Days to Die and the movements of the dolls fromGhost in the Shell 2: Innocence, in addition to reviewing the nurses' movements inSilent Hill.[4]Technical Art Studio Cell handled the special effects makeup for the zombies. The team used an airbrush to draw the zombies' blood vessels, and their styling was varied depending on the stage of infection.[4] Filming took place in various stations across Daejeon, Cheonan, and East Daegu.[4] The water deer featured in the movie was created using a combination of real footage and 3D modeling.[4] The scenery outside the train was achieved using an LED plate rear screen technique positioned behind the set, which was based on the interior of theKTX-I. This method facilitated a greater focus on the characters.[4]
Train to Busan premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 13.[5][6][7][8] It was released byNext Entertainment World on July 20 in South Korea; by August 7, it became the first Korean film of the year to break the audience record of over 10 million theatergoers,[9][unreliable source?][10] and soon surpassed 11 million.[11]
Train to Busan was a commercial success; on a budget of $8.5 million,[12] it 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.[13] It became the highest-grossing Korean film in Malaysia,[14] Hong Kong,[15] and Singapore.[16] In South Korea, it was the highest-grossing film of the year.[17]
Train to Busan received positive reviews from critics. Thereview aggregatorRotten 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."[18]Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, assigned the film an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19]
Clark Collis ofEntertainment Weekly wrote that the film "borrows heavily fromWorld War Z in its depiction of the fast-moving undead masses while also boasting an emotional core theBrad Pitt-starring extravaganza often lacked [...] the result is first-class throughout".[20] Jeannette Catsoulis ofThe New York Times selected the film as her "Critic's Pick" and noted its depiction ofclass warfare.[21] Brian Tallerico ofRogerEbert.com wrote, "After the near-perfect first hour ofTrain to Busan, the film slows its progress and makes a few stops that feel repetitive, but the journey recovers nicely for a memorable finale. You could call itTrain of the Living Dead orSnowpiercer with Zombies. Whatever you call it, if it's playing in your city and you've ever been entertained by a zombie movie, it's hard to believe you wouldn't be entertained by this one."[22]
In a more mixed review, David Ehrlich ofIndieWire commented that "as the characters whittle away into archetypes (and start making senseless decisions) the spectacle also sheds its unique personality".[23]
English filmmakerEdgar Wright applauded the film, writing onTwitter, "Best zombie movie I've seen in forever. A total crowd pleaser. Highly recommend. Go seeTrain To Busan."[24]
Rotten Tomatoes placed the film at No. 2 on its list of the "100 Best Zombie Movies" as ranked by the Tomatometer.[25] In 2025, it was ranked at No. 308 on the "Readers' Choice" edition ofThe New York Times' list of the "Best Movies of the 21st Century".[26]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Film Awards | March 21, 2017 | Best Actor | Gong Yoo | Nominated | [27] [28] |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ma Dong-seok | Nominated | |||
| Best Editor | Yang Jin-mo | Nominated | |||
| Best Visual Effects | Jung Hwang-su | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Designer | Kwon Yoo-jin and Rim Seung-hee | Nominated | |||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | November 25, 2016 | Best Film | Train to Busan | Nominated | [29] [30] [31] |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Eui-sung | Nominated | |||
| Ma Dong-seok | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Jung Yu-mi | Nominated | |||
| Best New Director | Yeon Sang-ho | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Lee Mok-won | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Park Joo-seok | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Yang Jin-mo | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Lee Hyeong-deok | Nominated | |||
| Best Lighting | Park Jeong-woo | Nominated | |||
| Technical Award | Kwak Tae-yong and Hwang Hyo-gyoon (special make-up) | Won | |||
| Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film | Train to Busan | Won | |||
| Buil Film Awards | October 7, 2016 | Best Film | Train to Busan | Nominated | [32] [33][unreliable source?][34] |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Eui-sung | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Jung Yu-mi | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Lee Hyeong-deok | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Lee Mok-won | Nominated | |||
| Yu Hyun-mok Film Arts Award | Yeon Sang-ho | Won | |||
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | N/A | Best Foreign-Language Film | Train to Busan | Won | [35] |
| Best Actor | Gong Yoo | Nominated | |||
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | November, 24, 2016 | Technical Award | Train to Busan | Won | [36] |
| Saturn Awards | June 28, 2017 | Best Horror Film | Nominated | [37] | |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | May 3, 2017 | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Eui-sung | Won | |||
| Ma Dong-seok | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Director | Yeon Sang-ho | Won | |||
| Chunsa Film Awards | May 24, 2017 | Technical Award | Kwak Tae-yong | Won | [40] |
| Special Audience Award for Best Film | Train to Busan | Won |
American distributorWell Go USA releasedDVD andBlu-ray versions ofTrain to Busan on 17 January 2017.[41]FNC Add Culture released the Korean DVD and Blu-ray versions on 22 February 2017. It is also available on Rakuten Viki andAmazon 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]
In the United Kingdom, it was 2017's fourth best-sellingforeign language film onhome video (belowOperation Chromite,Your Name, andGuardians).[42] It was later 2020's sixth best-selling foreign language film in the UK, and third best-sellingKorean film (belowParasite andTrain to Busan Presents: Peninsula).[43]
Ananimatedprequel,Seoul Station, also directed by Yeon, was released on August 18, 2016.[44] Shim Eun-kyung, who played as the runaway girl that triggered the spread of the virus inside the train, appeared as a voice actress for the main character Hye-sun.
Peninsula, a standalone sequel set four years afterTrain to Busan and also directed by Yeon, was released in South Korea on July 15, 2020 to mixed reviews.[45] Yeon has stated that,
Peninsula is not a sequel toTrain to Busan because it's not a continuation of the story, but it happens in the same universe.[46]
In 2016,Gaumont acquired the rights for the English-language remake of the film from Next Entertainment World.[47] In 2018,New Line Cinema,Atomic Monster and Coin Operated were announced to be the co-producing partners for the remake, withWarner Bros. Pictures distributing worldwide, except for France and South Korea. Indonesian directorTimo Tjahjanto is in talks to helm the film, whileGary Dauberman adapts the screenplay and co-produces the film alongsideJames Wan.[48][49] In December 2021, the film's official title was revealed to beThe Last Train to New York, scheduled to be released on April 21, 2023.[50] However, in July 2022, Warner Bros. removed the film from the release schedule[51] withEvil Dead Rise, another New Line Cinema film, taking its original release date.
On June 26, 2025,James Wan tells toEntertainment Weekly that the film is a passion project for them and Wan confirmed that theLast Train to New York is not a remake but more of a spin-off and he also add that the film is set at the exact same time as the original film.[52]
