This Horror Film Just Derailed a Record Held by ‘Train to Busan’

The South Korean supernatural horror film Exhuma is generating buzz. The star-studded movie is setting records, including the derailment of the country’s former top-grosser, Train to Busan.

Movie success in South Korea is measured by “moviegoers” instead of box office returns, and of this writing, it has garnered over 10 million of them which surpasses the 2016 favorite Train to Busan.

India’s current events publication, Outlook reports, “Train to Busan previously held the record with 11,567,816 viewers, but ‘Exhuma’ has now achieved 11,569,310 viewers, marking a significant feat.”

“What’s also interesting to note is that the film achieved the impressive feat of reaching 7 million moviegoers in less than 16 days of its release, surpassing the milestone four days quicker than 12.12: The Day, which held the title of South Korea’s top-grossing box office hit in 2023.”

Exhuma’s plot isn’t exactly original; a curse is unleashed upon the characters, but people seem to love this trope, and dethroning Train to Busan is no small feat so there has to be some merit to the movie. Here’s the logline: “The process of excavating an ominous grave unleashes dreadful consequences buried underneath.”

It also stars some of East Asia’s biggest stars, including Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee and Kim Eui-sung.

Putting it in Western monetary terms, Exhuma has raked in over $91 million at the worldwide box office since its February 22 release, which is almost as much as Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has earned to date.

Exhuma was released in limited theaters in the United States on March 22. No word yet on when it will make its digital debut.

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