Concrete Utopia

For other uses, see Concrete Utopia (disambiguation).

Concrete Utopia
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
콘크리트 유토피아
Revised RomanizationKonkeuriteu Yutopia
Directed byUm Tae-hwa
Screenplay by
  • Um Tae-hwa
  • Lee Shin-ji
Based onPleasant Bullying
by Kim Sungnyung
Produced byByun Seung-min
Starring
CinematographyCho Hyoung-rae
Edited byHan Mee-yeon
Music byKim Hae-won
Production
companies
Distributed byLotte Entertainment[1]
Release date
  • August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)
Running time
130 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$30.1 million[2][3]

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

Concrete Utopia is set in Seoul 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 the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards.[12][13] However, it did not make it to the shortlist.[14] A standalone sequel titled Badland 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.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Studio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Concrete Utopia". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2023". KOFIC. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  4. ^ 이병헌·박서준·박보영 '콘크리트 유토피아', 캐릭터 포스터+'입주민 명단' 영상 공개 [Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young 'Concrete Utopia', character poster + 'list of residents' video released] (in Korean). Break News. July 6, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Choi Young-joo (April 16, 2021). 이병헌·박서준·박보영 '콘크리트 유토피아', 16일 크랭크인 [Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-jun, and Park Bo-young'Concrete Utopia', crank-in on the 16th]. CBS (in Korean). No Cut News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Kim, Ji-won (April 16, 2021). 이병헌, '영탁' 된다...'콘크리트 유토피아' 크랭크인 [Lee Byung-hun becomes'Young-tak'... 'Concrete Utopia' Crankin]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Concrete Utopia". HanCinema. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Kim Soo-young (January 12, 2023). "[2023 기대작②] 엄태화 감독 '콘크리트 유토피아', "재난 상황보다 재난에 처한 사람들이 더 중요한 영화"" [[2023 Anticipated Work②] Director Um Tae-hwa's 'Concrete Utopia', "A movie where people in disasters are more important than disaster situations"]. Cine21 (in Korean). Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Jung Tae-yoon (June 2, 2023). "모든 것이 무너졌다"...'콘크리트 유토피아', 8월 개봉 ["Everything fell apart"... 'Concrete Utopia' to be released in August] (in Korean). Dispatch. Retrieved June 2, 2023 – via Naver.
  10. ^ Choi Ji-ye (June 23, 2023). 이병헌·박서준·박보영 '콘크리트 유토피아', 8월 9일 개봉 확정 [공식] [Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young's 'Concrete Utopia' confirmed to be released on August 9 [Official]] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference score:rotten was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Ryu Ji-yoon (August 17, 2023). '콘크리트 유토피아', 내년 오스카 국제장편영화 출품작 선정 ['Concrete Utopia' Selected for Next Year's Oscar International Feature Film Entry]. Dailyian (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  13. ^ Frater, Patrick; Bleasdale, John (August 17, 2023). "International Oscar Race: Korea Selects Disaster Action Film 'Concrete Utopia'". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  14. ^ "96th Oscars Shortlists Announced for 10 Categories". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.