My Daughter Is a Zombie (film)

My Daughter Is a Zombie
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
좀비딸
RRJombittal
MRChombittal
Directed byPil Gam-sung
Screenplay by
  • Pil Gam-sung
  • Kim Hyun
Based onMy Daughter Is a Zombie
by Yun-chang Lee
Produced byKwon Mi-kyung
Starring
CinematographyKim Tae-soo
Edited byNam Na-yeong
Music byKim Tae-seong
Production
company
Distributed byNext Entertainment World
Release date
  • July 30, 2025 (2025-07-30)
Running time
113 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget₩11 billion[1]
Box officeUS$37.9 million[2]

My Daughter Is a Zombie (Korean: 좀비딸) is a 2025 South Korean zombie comedy film directed by Pil Gam-sung and starring Jo Jung-suk, Lee Jung-eun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Choi Yu-ri. Film adaptation of manhwa of the same name by Yun-chang Lee, it depicts a father's struggle to protect his daughter, who has been infected with a zombie virus, as he seeks refuge in his mother's rural home.[3]

It was released theatrically on July 30, 2025 in South Korea.[4] The film has grossed $38 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing South Korean film of 2025.

Synopsis

Lee Jung-hwan, a single father and keeper at Seoul Zoo, spends his days bickering with his teenage daughter Soo-ah, who is passionate about dancing. On Soo-a's fifteenth birthday, a zombie virus, called the GAR Virus, sweeps across the world. The Lees flee the city, but as they drive away, Jung-hwan discovers that Soo-a was bitten while waiting for him to fetch the car. She transforms before they can reach a hospital, and when she attacks Jung-hwan, he manages to subdue her.

Jung-hwan takes Soo-a to his resolute mother Bam-sun, who still lives at his childhood home, the seaside village of Eunbong-ri. He plans to bring Soo-a to a local hospital, but after he witnesses a special unit of the army killing an infected boy, he changes his mind, intending to mercy-kill her himself. While Bam-sun argues with him, Soo-a slips away and goes to an old boathouse, where she used to play when she was a child. When she starts reacting to other cherished stimuli, Jung-hwan and Bam-sun realize that parts of her memory must still be intact. When Jo Dong-bae, Jung-hwan's childhood friend, comes by for an impromptu visit and discovers Soon-a's condition, Jung-hwan swears him to secrecy.

Upon hearing a scientific report confirming that the infected indeed retain their old memories and that the virus can be weakened if these are re-stimulated, Jung-hwan decides to use his years of experience in tiger taming to restore Soo-a. He and Dong-bae begin training Soon-a, who gradually becomes docile around them. While the government reports that the outbreak has run its course, a substantial bounty has been placed for any report on new infections. While shopping in town, Jung-hwan meets his old crush Shin Yeon-hwa, a local schoolteacher who hates zombies after her fiancé got infected during the outbreak and she was forced to kill him; she has thus become a local celebrity for reporting infected to the government. After Yeon-hwa invites herself to Bam-sun's house for dinner and she gets awkwardly fended off, she begins to suspect that Soo-a is infected.

After the village is declared zombie-free, the locals throw a festival. Jung-hwan and Dong-bae take the disguised Soo-a there as part of her treatment, but her condition is noticed and recorded on film, which is then posted on social media. Meanwhile, Yeon-hwa confronts Bam-sun, who confesses the truth and also states that Soo-a is actually Jung-hwan's niece and he took her in after her mother Jung-hye was killed in a traffic accident and her actual father, who was living off Jung-hye's money, abandoned Soo-a. When Jung-hwan, Soon-a and Dong-bae return and Yeon-hwa prepares to kill the girl, Jung-hwan manages to pacify Soo-a, thereby winning Yeon-hwa over to his cause.

However, more complications ensue when the village council decides to enroll all resident children, including Soo-a, at the local middle school to prevent its closure, resulting in several very close calls. Additionally, that evening Soo-a's father, who has noticed the video post, kidnaps his daughter to turn her in for the bounty. Jung-hwan intercepts him but is beaten to the ground. Seeíng Jung-hwan attacked, Soo-a breaks her docility and bites her father, infecting him and forcing Jung-hwan to kill him. Now that the secret is out, Jung-hwan decides to leave with Soo-a, but an army unit looking for her arrives and corners them at the boathouse. When Jung-hwan refuses to step aside, he is shot, but as he lies bleeding out, Soo-a reacts with sadness, stalling the soldiers with her emotional display.

After getting rushed to the hospital, it is revealed that while training Soo-a, Jung-hwan, who has gone into a coma, had sustained several bites from her which he immediately desinfected, thereby developing an immunity to the GAR Virus. The resulting anti-bodies were used to restore Soo-a to full humanity, and his story has become a worldwide sensation, fostering hope for a quickly available cure. While waiting for Jung-hwan to recover, Soon-a successfully participates in a dancing contest. When Yeon-hwa visits Jung-hwan and replays a video recording of her performance, his finger begins twitching to the music.

Cast

Production

In April 2024, Studio N announced that it would adapt manhwa My Daughter Is a Zombie into a film. Pil Gam-seong was assigned the job of direction.[6]

In June 2024, Lee Jung-eun and Jo Jung-suk were offered roles of mother and son. Choi Yu-ri was also considering the role of daughter of Jo Jung-suk in the film.[7]

The film was announced in July 2024 after completing the cast.[8] Filming began in August 2024.[9] Choi Yu-ri, who portrayed the zombie daughter Soo-ah, for 300-day period wore special makeup spanning from pre-production through filming. Each session lasted two hours and was carefully structured into four progressive stages, reflecting the story and emotional changes of her character.[10]

The film was made on a production budget of ₩11 billion having a break-even point of 2.2 million viewers.[1]

Music

The song "No. 1" by BoA is a major theme in the film.[11]

Release

My Daughter Is a Zombie was released in South Korean theaters on July 30, 2025 by Next Entertainment World.[12] The production report was presented on June 30, 2025 at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.[13]

On 12 October 2025, it was showcased at the 58th Sitges Film Festival in the 'Panorama' section.[14]

The film is scheduled for a staggered release across 22 countries in Asia and Oceania. It will premiere in Taiwan on August 1, followed by releases in Indonesia and Vietnam on August 8, and the Philippines on August 13. Subsequent releases are planned for Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei on August 14; Australia, New Zealand, and 12 other Oceanian countries thereafter; and Hong Kong and Macau on August 21.[15]

Home media

The film was made available for streaming on IPTV (KT Genie TV, SK B TV, LG Uplus TV), Home Choice, Coupang Play, Google Play, KT SkyLife, Webhard, and Cinefox, from September 25, 2025.[16]

Reception

Box office

The film topped overall advance ticket sales and recorded the highest single-day pre-release ticket sales of the year on the day prior to its theatrical debut. With a total of 363,749 advance tickets sold, it set a new record for the highest pre-release sales for any film released in 2025 so far.[17][18] The film was released on July 30, 2025 on 1557 screens.[19] It opened at the top recording 430,091 viewers on its opening day at the Korean box office. The film achieved the highest opening score of the year for the films released till date and set a new record for the highest opening for a Korean comedy film to date.[20] On August 2, it surpassed 1 million cumulative viewers in four days of its release by registering 1,146,221 cumulative audience,[21] and by August 4, it surpassed 2 million cumulative viewers in six days of its release.[22] As of August 9, the film surpassed 3 million cumulative viewers in 11 days since its release.[23] On August 15, it recorded 4,004,640 cumulative viewers and became the first and fastest film to surpass 4 million viewers among films released in South Korea in 2025.[24] On August 24, the film surpassed 5 million cumulative viewers, recording a total of 5,016,800 admissions within 26 days of its release.[25]

As of September 24, 2025, the film has grossed US$37,845,399 from 5,620,837 admissions.[19][26] It recovered its production cost within 8 days of release, becoming a commercial success.[27]

Critical response

Woo Jae-yeon writing the review of the film in Yonhap News, wrote that the film has received attention for its strong performances, with particular praise directed at the central father-daughter dynamic, which serves as the emotional anchor of the narrative. Choi's portrayal of a character situated between human and zombie identities was highlighted for its nuance and depth, writing "Choi's nuanced portrayal of a half-human, half-zombie is a standout." Woo noted the film’s deliberate use of retro stylistic choices, which set it apart from the contemporary trend of sleek, genre-driven Korean cinema. Concluding his review Woo opinioned, "the film is a perfect escape for the scorching summer season," for the viewers seeking a surprising blend of sentiment and escapism.[28]

Accolades

Award ceremony Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Cinematography Awards 2025 Best Actor Jo Jung-suk Won [29]
Blue Dragon Film Awards 2025 Best Film My Daughter Is a Zombie Nominated [30]
Best Director Pil Gam-sung Nominated
Best Actor Jo Jung-suk Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Yoon Kyung-ho Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Lee Jung-eun Nominated
Best Music Kim Tae-seong Nominated
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film My Daughter Is a Zombie Won [31]
Chunsa Film Art Awards 2025 Best Supporting Actress Lee Jung-eun Won [32]

References

  1. ^ a b Kim, Ji-hye (July 31, 2025). 조정석, 또 해냈다 …'엑시트'→'파일럿'→'좀비딸' 3연속 여름 흥행 [Jo Jung-seok did it again… Three consecutive summer hits: "Exit," "Pilot," and "Zombie Daughter"]. SBS Entertainment News (in Korean). Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  2. ^ "My Daughter Is a Zombie (2025)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  3. ^ Lee Ji-won (May 1, 2025). 조정석, 딸이 좀비로 변했다?...영화 '좀비딸', 7월 개봉 확정 [Jo Jung-seok, Daughter Turned Into a Zombie?...Movie 'Zombie Daughter' Confirmed for Release in July]. MHN (in Korean). Retrieved June 28, 2025 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Kim Yu-jin (July 30, 2025). 좀비는 거들 뿐…능수능란 조정석, 연기 차력쇼 앙상블 [다시, 흥행의 정석①] [Zombies are just a distraction... Jo Jung-seok's skillful acting ensemble [Again, the box office classic ①]]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  5. ^ Jo Yoon-jin (July 8, 2025). "최유리, '외계+인' 김우빈 딸→'좀비딸' 조정석 딸로...스크린 첫 주연" [Choi Yuri, 'Alien+Human' Kim Woo-bin's daughter → 'Zombie Daughter' Jo Jung-suk's daughter... First leading role on screen]. MHN Sports (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  6. ^ Go, Jin-young (April 15, 2024). 네이버웹툰, 웹툰 <좀비딸> 영화로 만든다 [Naver Webtoon to Make Webtoon <Zombie Daughter> into a Movie]. The Bell (in Korean). Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  7. ^ Jang, Ye–sol (June 20, 2024). 조정석 이정은 '좀비딸'서 모자 호흡 맞출까 "긍정 검토 중" [공식입장] [Jo Jung-suk and Lee Jung-eun to work together as mother and son in 'Zombie Daughter': "Positively considering" [Official Position]]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved June 29, 2025 – via Naver.
  8. ^ Ha, Su-jeong (July 9, 2024). '좀비딸' 조정석→이정은, 원작 싱크로율 100% 캐스팅 완성 [공식] ['Zombie Daughter' Jo Jung-seok → Lee Jung-eun, Casting Complete with 100% Synchronization with the Original [Official]]. OSEN. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  9. ^ "My Daughter Is a Zombie". HanCinema. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  10. ^ Kang, Hyo-jin (August 18, 2025). "분장만 2시간"…'좀비딸', 좀비 최유리→할머니 이정은 특수분장 비하인드 ["2 hours of makeup alone"... Behind the scenes of the special makeup for "Zombie Daughter," transforming Choi Yu-ri into zombie and Lee Jung-eun into grandmother]. SPOTV News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  11. ^ Park, Won-hee (July 29, 2025). '좀비딸' 필감성 감독 "'좀비와 가족 될 수 있나'에 매료돼" [Director Pil Gam-seong of "Zombie Daughter": "I was captivated by 'Can You Become Family with a Zombie?'"] (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved July 29, 2025 – via Naver.
  12. ^ Park, Jae-hwan (June 27, 2025). 조정석 코미디 '좀비딸' 여름 개봉...."나의 딸은 좀비다. " [Jo Jung-seok's comedy 'Zombie Daughter' opens this summer... "My daughter is a zombie."]. KBS Entertainment (in Korean). Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  13. ^ Yoon, Hyun-ji (June 30, 2025). 여름 치트키 조정석, '좀비딸'로 3연타 노린다 "재미·감동 모두 있어" (엑's 현장)[종합] [Summer Cheat Key Jo Jeong-seok, Aiming for a 3-peat with 'Zombie Daughter' "It's both fun and touching" (X's site) [Comprehensive]]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  14. ^ "Panorama and Midnight X-Treme take straight aim at the nerve center of the fantastic genre fandom". Sitges Film Festival. August 27, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  15. ^ Jeong, Han-byeol (July 2, 2025). 조정석 주연 '좀비딸', 22개국 순차 개봉 확정 [Jo Jung-seok's 'Zombie Daughter' Confirmed for Sequential Release in 22 Countries]. The Korea Times (in Korean). Retrieved July 2, 2025 – via Naver.
  16. ^ Yoo, Jeong-min (September 25, 2025). 올해 최고 흥행작 '좀비딸' 안방서 본다…IPTV & VOD 서비스 시작 [Watch this year's biggest hit, "Zombie Daughter," from home... IPTV & VOD services launch.]. MBC Entertainment (in Korean). Retrieved September 25, 2025 – via Naver.
  17. ^ "Daily Box Office". KOBIS (in Korean). Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  18. ^ Kim Ji-woo (July 30, 2025). "조정석이 또…'좀비딸' 2025 최고치 경신했다" [Jo Jung-seok again... "Zombie Daughter" breaks 2025 record high]. My Daily (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  19. ^ a b "My Daughter Is a Zombie (2025) at KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) Box office: Korean films". KOFIC. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  20. ^ Seo Ji-hyun (July 31, 2025). "'좀비딸', 2025 최고 오프닝 스코어…'파묘→극한직업'도 제쳤다" ["Zombie Daughter" has the highest opening score of 2025, even beating "Extreme Job"]. Sports Seoul (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  21. ^ Lee Min-ji (August 2, 2025). "여름엔 조정석! '좀비딸' 개봉 4일만 100만 관객 돌파" [Jo Jung-seok in summer! "Zombie Daughter" surpasses 1 million viewers in just four days.]. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  22. ^ Jeong Yu-jin (August 4, 2025). "흥행 질주 '좀비딸', 개봉 6일째 만에 200만 돌파…올해 최단 기록" ["Zombie Daughter," a box office hit, surpassed 2 million viewers in just six days, setting a new record this year.]. News 1 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  23. ^ Jimin Kyung (August 9, 2025). "'좀비딸', 11일 만에 300만 돌파..조정석 '소다팝' 챌린지 본다 [공식]" ["Zombie Daughter" surpasses 3 million views in 11 days... Jo Jung-seok takes on the "Soda Pop" challenge [Official]]. OSEN (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  24. ^ Kim Won-gyeom (August 15, 2025). "'좀비딸', 관객 400만 돌파…2025년 최고 흥행작 등극" ["Zombie Daughter" surpasses 4 million viewers, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2025.]. SPOTV News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  25. ^ Ahn So-yoon (August 24, 2025). "[공식] 조정석→최유리가 만든 기적…'좀비딸', 올해 최초 500만 돌파" [[Official] Jo Jung-seok and Choi Yu-ri's Miracle... "Zombie Daughter" Surpasses 5 Million Viewers for the First Time This Year]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  26. ^ "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2025". KOFIC. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  27. ^ Dawon Lee (August 6, 2025). "'좀비딸' 손익분기점 넘었다…222만↑" ["Zombie Daughter" breaks even, with 2.22 million viewers]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  28. ^ Woo, Jae-yeon (July 25, 2025). "(Movie Review) Not average zombie flick: 'My Daughter is a Zombie' blends humor, heart, horror". Yonhap News. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  29. ^ Jang Min-su (October 3, 2025). 추창민 감독 "故이선균-송영규에 영광을"→곽선영 "데뷔 첫 수상"...45회 황금촬영상 주인공은?. MHN (in Korean). Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  30. ^ Kim Na-yeon (October 21, 2025). 46회 청룡영화상 최종 후보 공개..'어쩔수가없다' 12개 부문 노미 [The 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards final nominees have been announced. "Inevitable" wins 12 categories]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  31. ^ Park Ha-na (November 20, 2025). '좀비딸', '하얼빈' 제치고 '46회 청룡영화상' 최다관객상 [RE:TV] ["Zombie Daughter" Beats "Harbin" to Win Audience Award at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards [RE:TV]]. News 1 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  32. ^ Choi Ji-hye (December 25, 2025). 제29회 춘사국제영화제, 이병헌·임윤아 주연상 영예… 다현 '뉴스타상'으로 스크린 눈도장 [The 29th Chunsa International Film Festival honors Lee Byung-hun and Im Yoon-ah for Best Actor and Actress, and Dahyun impresses with the 'New Star' award]. Open News (in Korean). Retrieved December 25, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.