Train to Busan

Train to Busan (Korean: 부산행; RR: Busanhaeng; MR: Pusanhaeng; lit. To Busan) is a 2016 South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho and written by Park Joo-suk. It stars Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, and Kim Eui-sung. The film takes place primarily on a KTX from Seoul to Busan as a zombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out and threatens the safety of the passengers.

A co-production between Next Entertainment World and RedPeter Film, Train to Busan premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the 2016 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 the Train to Busan series, and was followed by the animated prequel Seoul Station (2016) and the standalone sequel Peninsula (2020).

Plot

Fund manager Seok-woo is a cynical workaholic and divorced father in Seoul. 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 the Hawaiian folk song "Aloha ʻOe" at her singing recital, which he missed, and succumbing to stage fright as a result of his absence. Overcome with guilt, he decides to grant Su-an's birthday wish.