Peninsula (film)
Peninsula (; marketed in North America, British Isles and India as Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula) is a 2020 South Korean action horror heist film directed by Yeon Sang-ho. It is a standalone sequel to the 2016 film "Train to Busan" and follows a former soldier who is sent along with a team to retrieve a truck full of money from the wastelands of the Korean peninsula now inhabited by zombies, rogue militia, and a family. "Peninsula" was chosen to be shown in the Official Selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, which was cancelled due to the  COVID-19 pandemic. The film was shown in the Panorama section of 25th Busan International Film Festival on October 21, 2020. The film was released in South Korea on 15 July 2020. It has grossed $42.7 million worldwide, but received generally mixed reviews from critics, who found it inferior to the first film. Plot. A zombie outbreak occurs in South Korea, where the government is overwhelmed in a day. Korea Marine Captain Jung-seok drives his family members to a ship. On the way, he encounters a couple with a young daughter, but he ignores their pleas for help as  the man is bleeding. Jung-seok's family board a ship where an infected man turns into a zombie and infects several people in a cabin, including Jung-seok's nephew Dong-hwan. Jung-seok's sister refuses to leave Dong-hwan, so Jung-seok closes off the cabin while zombies bite her. Jung-seok stops his brother-in-law Chul-min from entering as armed soldiers arrive. Other nations contain the outbreak by quarantining South Korea. Four years later in Hong Kong, a guilt-ridden Jung-seok and Chul-min are recruited by Chinese mobsters for a mission with  two other Koreans to return to South Korea and retrieve a truck containing US$20 million; if successful, they will supposedly receive half of the money. The team arrives at the peninsula at night by boat and finds the truck. The team fends off and kills the zombie truck driver, making noises that attract more zombies. Jung-seok shoots several, and the team escapes. On the way back to Incheon Port, the team is ambushed by a rogue militia, Unit 631, which uses light to attract more zombies, leading to the team crashing their vehicles. Jung-seok is thrown out  of the truck while Chul-min hides in it. The other members of the team are killed, one due to the crash, and one by Unit 631 leader Sergeant Hwang. Jung-seok is rescued by two sisters in a car: Joon, a skilled driver who is adept at manipulating and killing zombies, and young Yu-jin. They return to their hideout, joining their grandfather Elder Kim and mother Min-jung. Jung-Seok realizes Min-jung and Yu-jin were part of the family he refused to help four years ago. Meanwhile, Unit 631 take the truck to their compound. They  imprison Chul-min, forcing him to take part in two-minute survival games between unarmed prisoners and the zombies. Private Kim discovers the truck's cash and informs Captain Seo, who contacts the mobsters and hatches a plan to escape the peninsula with the truck, keeping the plan a secret from the rest of Unit 631. Meanwhile, Min-jung learns from Jung-seok that the mobsters' ship is at Incheon Port waiting to extract him and the truck. She decides to steal the truck to escape with her family and Jung-seok. The following evening, Jung-seok and Min-jung  attempt to steal the truck. While holding Private Kim at gunpoint, Jung-seok learns that Chul-min is alive, and interrupts a survival game to rescue him, killing several zombies and Unit 631 soldiers. Chul-min saves Jung-seok from being bitten, then Sergeant Hwang kills Chul-min. Min-jung fends off Captain Seo and saves Jung-seok from Unit 631. Min-jung and Jung-seok escape the compound in the truck, but are blocked by zombies. In their car, Joon, Yu-jin and Elder Kim distract the zombies to free the truck. Using their vehicles, Unit 631 gives chase , while zombies attack the humans. The family and Jung-seok successfully disable the pursuing vehicles, causing Sergeant Hwang to be overwhelmed by zombies. Captain Seo, who had killed Private Kim, ambushes the family at Incheon Port and holds Joon hostage. Yu-jin distracts Seo to free Joon. Elder Kim protects Yu-jin; but Seo mortally shoots him, wounds Min-jung in the leg and escapes with the truck to the ship. The mobsters betray Seo and shoot him. As he dies, Seo reverses the truck to keep the ship's cargo hold open, allowing the zombies outside to enter and  kill the mobsters. The family signals a passing United Nations Chinook helicopter. The injured Min-jung stays behind to clear a path for Jung-seok, Joon and Yu-jin to escape the zombies. They safely reach the helicopter, where U.N. troops refuse to help Min-jung. Surrounded by zombies, Min-jung prepares to kill herself. Jung-seok remembers Chul-min saying that Jung-seok did not do his best to save their family, and is spurred to help Min-jung. Min-jung decides to live, and she escapes the zombies with Jung-seok's assistance. The family, Jung-seok, and  the U.N. troops leave the peninsula in the helicopter. Release. "Peninsula" was selected to be shown at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.However, the festival was eventually cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It was theatrically released in South Korea on 15 July 2020, and in the United States on 21 August 2020. It was released in India on 27 November, 2020. Reception. Box office. , "Peninsula" has grossed $1.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $41.5 million in other territories (including $28.7 million from South Korea), for a worldwide total of $42.7 million . In South Korea, the film made $2.4 million from 2,338 screens on its opening day, the best total of 2020, and $4 million through its first two days of release. It also opened in Taiwan and Singapore, making a combined $905,000 on its first day. The film went on to debut to $13.2 million over its first five days in South Korea, and a total $20.8 million (including $750,000 from 45 IMAX screens) worldwide. It was the first time since mid-March that the global box office totaled over $1 million. After ten  days of release, the film had totaled $19.3 million in South Korea. In its second weekend the film also made another $265,000 from 51 IMAX screens in six countries, becoming the highest grossing local-language title ever for IMAX in Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam with $1 million. By August 7, the film had grossed nearly $27 million in South Korea. The film made around $100,000 from 47 theaters from its Canadian debut, and $213,415 from 151 theaters the following weekend from its United States opening. Home media. In the United Kingdom, it was 2020 's fourth best-selling foreign language film on physical home video formats (below "Parasite", "Weathering with You", and ""). Critical response. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of with an average rating of , based on reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "Although a disappointing sense of familiarity threatens to derail "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula", fans of the original may find it a thrilling enough ride." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Rob Hunter of "Film School Rejects  said the film forgoes much of what makes "Train to Busan" so intensely affecting in favor of a somewhat more generic setting" but said "it’s a fantastic idea blending a zombie movie with a heist film, and Yeon has fun with the concept."