Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- "Peninsula," the sequel of South Korean zombie action blockbuster film "Train to Busan" directed by Yeon Sang-ho, attracted more than 350,000 moviegoers on its release day despite the nationwide social distancing campaign that hindered people from visiting facilities such as cinemas with a high risk of COVID-19 infection.

NEW, the zombie action film's distributor, said in a statement on Thursday that a total of 352,926 moviegoers watched Peninsula on July 15. Peninsula overtook the opening-day score of "The Man Standing Next" that attracted some 252,000 on its release day on January 22.

The film's prequel, Train to Busan released in 2016, received unprecedented attention in South Korean where zombie films were treated as B-grade low-budget content. Train to Busan also attracted foreign movie fans by depicting Seoul devastated by hoards of sprinting zombies.

The sequel film depicts a story about a group of people striving to survive in South Korea, four years after the zombie outbreak depicted in Train to Busan. Peninsula will star Kang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun and Kwan Hae-hyo.

The much-awaited zombie blockbuster sequel joined the lineup of 56 films selected by the annual Cannes Film Festival in early June. Having a film included in the list of Official Selection announced by the prestigious international film festival is seen as receiving a badge of honor. This year's prestigious annual film festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.