Korean Movies Releasing in October 2025: As much as we have a constant flow of K-dramas to keep us going week in and week out, Korean cinema thrives on big seasonal releases specifically around Chuseok and year-end celebrations when cinemas are sold out. October 2025 is shaping up to be among those months when the lineup is an unusually diverse lot of films: from fast action gangster farces to tear-jerking love life dramas to spine-tingling supernatural suspense stories to black comedy disaster films adapted from true-to-life events.
The festival circuit has already generated buzz about some of these films—Boss caused a ruckus at Busan and Good News caused worldwide headlines when it premiered in Toronto—but their ultimate proving ground will come when they reach theatres or screens this month. October is distinctive because of its genre range. From A-list cast lineups to risk-taking directorial statements, these films demonstrate why Korean films dominate domestically and internationally. Take a closer look now at the Korean films set for release in October 2025.
Korean Movies Releasing in October 2025
Boss
If you’ve been yearning to have a good ol’ gangster farce, Boss could just be that film to fill it. Set to hit theatres on October 3, just in time to fill in those Chuseok holidays, this is a helter-skelter of gangster violence and slapstick humour. Directed by Ra Hee-chan, it has a powerhouse cast top-billed by no less than Jo Woo-jin, Jung Kyung-ho, and Park Ji-hwan. Three guys clash to fill their crime family boss chair: Soon-tae, who would much rather expand his Chinese eatery rather than run a crime syndicate, Kang-pyo, a character smitten by tangos and having a lot of clout, and Pan-ho, alone desiring to have that moniker but whom no one is seriously considering.
The action will become even more volatile as an undercover cop posing as a deliveryman enters Soon-tae’s restaurant. With action regulars like Oh Dal-su, Lee Kyu-hyung, Hwang Woo-seul-hye, and Ko Chang-seok joining the cast, Boss will bring a rowdy, fast-paced extravaganza that will divide action and laughter in half. After its warm reception during its 30th Busan International Film Festival run, viewers will be eager to see how this gang showdown will play out on cinema screens.
Love Barista
Fans of romantic movies will have their fill come the beginning of the month when Love Barista is released on October 3. Starring Lee Kwang-soo as Kang Joon-woo, an incredibly famous Korean lead who wants to make it big overseas at Cannes but finds himself in Vietnam when an incident leaves him penniless, this film is directed by Kim Sung-hoon.
There, he crosses paths with Thao, a Vietnamese woman played by Hoang Ha, whose dream is to become a barista. Their unexpected connection gradually develops into something more, as Joon-woo begins to discover a simpler, more genuine way of life far removed from the trappings of celebrity. With Eum Moon-suk also in the cast, Love Barista promises to be a sweet and lighthearted love story with cross-cultural appeal.
Also Read: 5 Korean Movies Similar to Love Untangled That Bring Back the Sweetness of First Love
Run to the West
One of this month’s most ambitious films is Run to the West, will premiere on October 15 in cinemas. Directed by Kang Yoon-sung of Big Bet and The Outlaws fame, it delves into a surreal and scary world that is in a state of life and death.
It is headed by Byun Yo-han, Kim Kang-woo, Bang Hyo-rin, Yang Se-jong, and Lee Moo-saeng, among a cast of people trapped in this in-between space wherein monstrous creatures follow them about as a grim reaper chases after their souls. Apocalyptic incidents were hinted at in its teaser trailer, like a fiery storm that ravages Gwanghwamun Square and ominous pronouncements like “We’re all dead.” Everything is leading up to a spectacular supernatural thriller.
In its combination of horror, fantasy, and action, Run to the West is developing as that rare but risk-all cinematic bet that will either unnerve viewers or leave them in awed admiration of its sheer audacity.
Good News
Good News from Byun Sung-hyun does something entirely different, blending historical tragedy and sarcastic black humour. An absolutely true story of an actual 1970 hijacking of a Japanese passenger airliner, it opens as part of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and hits Netflix worldwide on October 17.
Starring Sul Kyung-gu, Hong Kyung, and Ryu Seung-beom, the movie reimagines the chaos that ensued when armed members of the Japanese Red Army forced a Tokyo flight to attempt a landing in Pyongyang. With international authorities scrambling, a shadowy fixer known only as “Nobody” is brought in to engineer a solution that is as reckless as it is brilliant. Governments collide, military tactics spiral out of control, and the tension aboard the plane keeps escalating.
The First Ride
Brightening up later in the month is Nam Dae-joong’s directed film, The First Ride, which is to hit theatres on October 29. It stars Kang Ha-neul, Kim Young-kwang, Cha Eun-woo, Kang Young-seok, and Han Sun-hwa as a group of friends from their youth finally embarking on that long-imagined trip abroad, which has eluded them for twenty-four years.
The long-awaited trip is quickly derailed by an unexpected tag-along from an outsider named Ok-shim. An otherwise nostalgic and uneventful holiday becomes a wild ride of unexpected twists. With its buddy comedy and moments of poignancy revolving around friendship and maturing, The First Ride provides a pleasant foil to darker films opening earlier in October.
Let us know in the comments which one of these movies you guys are excited about and are planning to watch.
Also Read: Kdramas Releasing in October 2025: Genie Make a Wish, Would You Marry Me, Moon River And More
