RYOO Seung-wan’s slave labor war film, The Battleship Island will debut in the United States on August 4th after its domestic release on July 26th. After the film’s American premiere, it will be released in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and more territories in August and in the Philippines in September. 

The film was pre-sold to 113 regions around the world after its promotional three-minute trailer was shown at the European Film Market (EFM) in February earlier this year. Most of the Asian buyers have paid the highest prices ever for a Korean movie, according to CJ Entertainment. 

Set during the Japanese occupation of Korea in 1945, The Battleship Island tells the story of Koreans who were conscripted into slave labor on the island and risked their lives to escape. The film has drawn attention for its star-studded cast; TV series Descendants of the Sun (2016) star SONG Joong-ki plays an independence fighter who gets inside the island, SO Ji-sub of Rough Cut (2008) and The Throne (2015) portrays a gangster who comes to the island from Seoul to make money, HWANG Jung-min of Veteran (2015) and KIM Su-an of TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) play a musician father and daughter duo, and LEE Jung-hyun of Alice In Earnestland (2015) performs in the role of a Korean woman brought to the island by force. The Battleship Island is directed by RYOO Seung-wan who is also known for his previous action comedy, Veteran, which topped the local box office in 2015 and is number three all-time at the Korean box office attracting 13 million moviegoers.