Ha Jung-woo’s fourth directorial feature, "The People Upstairs", is punching above its weight at the box office despite its adults-only rating.
According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated box office tracker, the film drew 129,650 moviegoers nationwide from the 5th to the 7th, lifting its cumulative tally to 185,843.
Opening on the 3rd, "The People Upstairs" started at No. 3 and climbed to No. 2 by its first weekend. That’s a standout result considering it’s up against Disney’s "Zootopia 2", which commands roughly seven times the showtimes and more than nine times the available seats. It’s also the only R-rated title in the current top 10.
The film follows an upstairs couple (Ha Jung-woo and Lee Hanee) and the downstairs pair (Kong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook) whose suggestive late-night noise sparks a dinner that spirals into unpredictable territory―setting off sharp, candid exchanges about love, desire, and everything in between.
Critics and audiences alike are calling out the movie’s signature twist―R-rated banter with PG-level visuals―for upending the “sex comedy” label and delivering frank, layered conversations about relationships. Word of mouth credits Ha’s snappy dialogue and the four leads’ crackling ensemble chemistry.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)