‘Train To Busan’ Zombie Apocalypse Will Be Real In Upcoming Virtual Reality Version
The zombie apocalypse Korean film Train to Busan will feel more real once it releases its virtual reality version. The distributor of the hit movie is also planning to create a game and other digital contents to allow fans to experience the real tension of a zombie attack.
Contents Panda, the international sales arm of movie distributor Next Entertainment World, said they had signed a partnership with Singapore's Vividthree Productions to make their VR progam plan possible. The company believes that the 2016 action thriller movie has great potential to do well on other platforms because of its international success.
"I think it will be a good case of showing the potential of a well-made movie. We hope the movie can meet its international fans again through a channel that can provide a new experience," Kim Jae-min, head of the Contents Panda, said in a news release (via Yonhap News).
The VR Tour Show will provide a real thrilling experience of being attacked and eaten by zombies just like in the film. In the movie, divorced father Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) takes her daughter, Su-an (Kim Su-an), to see her mother in Busan on her birthday. At the Seoul Station, they board the KTX train for Busan. Before the train leaves, a girl infected with a virus also boards the train. While the virus spreads like a wildfire in South Korea, passengers onboard the train struggle to survive on their own.
An animated prequel to Train to Busan, title Seoul Station, was also dropped a few days after the release of the movie. Both the film and the animated version were directed by Yeon Sang-ho. In December 2016, French studio Gaumont announced its plan to remake the film in English.
Train to Busan 2
So far, there is no definite release date for Train to Busan 2. However, there are rumors that it could hit cinemas some time this year. As for the cast, Gong Yoo has previously said that he will not come back in the sequel as his character died at the end of the movie.
The next installment of the hit film will reportedly focus on the story of the survivors from the first flick. There were also speculations that it may revolve around the story of finding a cure or an antidote for the zombie virus.
Train to Busan Box Office Record
It is one of the most popular Korean movies of all time. Train to Busan made its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016. Film critics gave the movie positive reviews. Film aggregator Rotten Tomatoes noted that Train to Busan scored 95 percent based on 84 critics. When the film was released in theaters worldwide in August 2016, it smashed box office records.
The zombie apocalypse movie still holds the record in South Korea for the highest single-day gross with $9.9 million. It also smashed South Korea's all-time record for films in its first five days in theaters with $38.8 million in ticket sales. Overall, Train to Busan grossed almost $100 million worldwide. It also became the highest-grossing Korean film in several countries in Asia including Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.