Train to Busan director’s new horror scares up a Rotten Tomatoes record.

Ten years after directing the worldwide horror sensation, Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho returns to the subgenre with a new zombie movie, Colony. Set in a building, the story follows quarantined survivors who must fend off the infected following an outbreak. After the horror made an excellent $50 million since its release in May, Colony finally landed in the United States this week, which coincides with Train to Busan‘s 10th-anniversary 4K re-release.

When it premiered at Cannes earlier this year, Yeon’s new movie was showered with critical praise and earned a solid 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, moviegoers are equally receptive to Colony, with the audience score debuting at a stellar 93%. However, it will likely fluctuate since there are just over 50 verified ratings.

Nevertheless, if the movie maintains that scoreline, it’s currently Yeon’s highest-rated audience score in his career, breaking the 10-year record held by Train to Busan‘s 90%. Colony would also mark a career bounce-back after his last few projects, like Revelations, The Ugly, and Jung_E, received mixed reactions.

Reviews for Colony emphasized the zombie horror as Yeon’s return to form by echoing Train to Busan‘s intense, claustrophobic setting, but in a corporate building. Alongside praise for technical areas like cinematography and production, the story’s high concept, zombie choreography, and grounded performances from Jun Ji-hyun and Ji Chang-wook were also highlights.

With an estimated $12 million budget, Colony has already become a box office hit, particularly in its home country, South Korea, where it made roughly $43 million (via Box Office Mojo). Currently, the zombie feature faces off against new releases like Buddy, The Dog Stars, and Coyote vs Acme, but it’s unclear what the opening weekend will look like in North America. In comparison, Train to Busan earned $2.1 million during its original U.S./Canada release and has made over $94 million, including re-releases.

In the last decade, Train to Busan has spawned a movie franchise with mixed results. That began with Seoul Station just a few months later, but the reactions were polarizing. Although critics gave favorable reviews, which resulted in a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score was less than pleasing at 39%, a huge step down from Train to Busan‘s glowing 89%.

Four years later, Yeon’s next attempt was the standalone sequel Peninsula. However, critics and audiences were again split, given scores of 55% and 76%, respectively. The shift from horror to action hurt the movie’s potential, with issues including poor CGI, lackluster characters, and a loss of zombie intensity. Although Yeon promised that the third installment would return to the original’s premise and atmosphere, there hasn’t been much movement since 2020.

An American version has been in the works since 2018, called The Last Train to New York, with Timo Tjahjanto and Gary Dauberman as the director and writer, respectively. While the project’s production status is still in limbo, producer James Wan assured that the movie is happening. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly last summer, he clarified that The Last Train to New York is not an American remake but a continuation of the past installments.

While Train to Busan remains one of the best zombie flicks, Yeon offers a different story, Colony, which is already winning over audiences. His next project is the South Korean psychological thriller, Paradise Lost, based on Oh Seong-eun’s Black Inferno. Starring Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyun-sun, the upcoming adaptation will premiere at TIFF this coming September.

Yeon wrote the Colony story with Choi Gyu-seok, while Yoomin Hailey Yang served as the producer. The cast features Jun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji, Kim Shin-rok, Shin Hyun-been, and Go Soo.

Colony is now playing in theaters.