Concrete Utopia: South Korea’s Official Oscar Entry Lands US Release Date

According to Deadline, 815 Pictures and Seismic Releasing have finally set the U.S. theatrical release date for their disaster thriller movie Concrete Utopia, which was selected to be South Korea’s official Oscar entry for the Best International Feature Film category.

The film will arrive in select theaters in NY and LA starting on December 8. It will then be followed by a wide release on December 15. Concrete Utopia was previously screened over two months ago at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

What is Concrete Utopia?

Concrete Utopia is directed by Um Tae-hwa, who co-wrote the screenplay with Lee Shin-ji based on the second part of the Cheerful Outcast webtoon. The film is led by South Korea’s top actors including Park Bo-young (Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon), Lee Byung-hun (Squid Games), Park Seo-joon (The Marvels), Park Sun-young (Reply 1988), and Park Ji-hu (All of Us Are Dead).

“An earthquake renders much of Seoul a smouldering ruin in the opening minutes of this riveting post-apocalyptic epic from director Um Tae-hwa. But as survivors begin efforts to restore order, it seems the real calamity has only just begun,” reads the synopsis (via TIFF). “From their balcony at the Hwang Gung apartment complex, Min-seong and Myeong-hwa look out on nothing but corpses and rubble. It seems a miracle their building remains standing when all the others are destroyed. A stranger and her small child soon arrive at Min-seong and Myeong-hwa’s door begging to be let in, followed by dozens of others from the surrounding area desperately seeking food and shelter.

“As days pass and no rescue teams turn up, the tenants assemble, survey their limited resources, and vote to evict the ‘outsiders.’ When Yeong-tak, the tenants’ elected leader, announces that the outsiders must leave Hwang Gung, all hell breaks loose. From this point on, tenants must be prepared to protect their property by any means necessary.”