Table of Contents
Two Korean Blockbusters to Premiere Simultaneously on September 23
The mystery thriller Assassins, starring Yoo Hae-jin, and the crime film Tazza: Song of Beelzebub, starring Byun Yo-han, are set to hit Korean theaters on the exact same day: September 23, 2026. With these two highly anticipated tentpoles targeting the Chuseok holiday crowd simultaneously, the central box office rivalry for this year’s festive season has been locked in early on.
The two films appeal to audiences with entirely different subject matters and genres. Assassins draws inspiration from a real-life event in modern Korean history, following a tense pursuit to uncover suspicions and the masterminds behind the scenes. On the other hand, Tazza: Song of Beelzebub is the fourth and final installment of the cinematic adaptation of Huh Young-man’s original comic, carrying the weight and nostalgia of being the grand finale to a beloved franchise.
Chuseok is traditionally a peak season for the Korean film market, driven by family audiences and a spike in holiday leisure activities. It’s a prime window when studios strategically roll out their biggest projects to vie for moviegoers’ attention. With a historical mystery thriller and the culmination of a 20-year-old crime franchise sharing the same release date, two films with starkly different tones will be battling it out for the holiday box office crown.
Assassins: Stemming from the 1974 Assassination Attempt
Assassins takes its motive from the attempted assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-soo during the National Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974. Rather than a documentary strictly recreating the facts, it is a mystery thriller that weaves cinematic imagination into the lives of characters chasing down the surrounding suspicions and hidden string-pullers of the time. For audiences less familiar with modern Korean history, distinguishing between the historical facts and the creative narrative will be a compelling part of the viewing experience.
Yoo Hae-jin plays Cheol-gu, a police officer who witnesses the assassination attempt firsthand and goes after the mastermind. Park Hae-il takes on the role of Jae-hwan, a newspaper’s city desk editor who digs into the lingering questions of the investigation, while Lee Min-ho plays Young-il, a rookie reporter who dives headfirst into the case. As characters from different vantage points—law enforcement and the press—close in on a single incident, the story unfolds by crossing official investigations with journalistic pursuits.
The film is directed by Hur Jin-ho, known for One Fine Spring Day and The Last Princess, with production and distribution handled by Hive Media Corp, the powerhouse behind 12.12: The Day. It’s a compelling collaboration between a production company known for blending real history with cinematic flair and a director experienced in portraying historical figures. How effectively the film translates the mysteries of the event into a tension-filled thriller is expected to be a major factor in its box office success.
The Final Showdown of the 20-Year-Old Tazza Franchise
Opening on the same day, Tazza: Song of Beelzebub is the fourth entry in the Tazza film series, which first debuted in 2006. Based on Huh Young-man’s original comic, the film franchise is delivering its final chapter 20 years after its inception. Since the previous installments have traditionally greeted audiences during the Chuseok holiday, the finale is also hitting theaters at the same time, tapping into the seasonal brand awareness the series has cultivated over the decades.
Byun Yo-han stars as Jang Tae-young, a man who found success in the online casino business. After losing everything to a friend who shares his first name, Park Tae-young, he reunites with him in the global gambling arena for a high-stakes match of revenge. Noh Jae-won plays Park Tae-young, and the complex relationship and clash between the two friends form the core of this narrative. While maintaining the franchise’s signature themes of gambling and ambition, it introduces the potent clash between vengeance and friendship.
Director Choi Kook-hee, known for Default, took the helm for the series’ swan song. Being the fourth film offers a sense of familiarity to returning audiences, but it also brings the heavy burden of inevitable comparisons to its predecessors. While being billed as the final movie will certainly draw in longtime fans, a crucial factor will be whether it can stand on its own as an engaging, independent story for newcomers to the series.
A Historical Thriller and a Crime Franchise Divide the Chuseok Audience
The simultaneous release of these two films feels less like a clash between identical blockbusters and more like a matchup between works with completely different appeals. Assassins targets moviegoers interested in modern history, mystery, and the compelling investigative narrative led by Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho. Tazza: Song of Beelzebub, on the other hand, speaks directly to fans who fondly remember the original comics and earlier films, as well as those who love a good crime flick packed with gambling and revenge.
The Chuseok box office has traditionally been a battleground for multiple Korean films vying for the holiday crowd. This year is particularly notable as a fresh historical piece from a proven production company and the grand finale of a 20-year franchise stand at the exact same starting line. Early audience reviews, word of mouth, and the number of screens secured will likely dictate the box office flow for the entire holiday. Whether they will expand the market by drawing in diverse audiences together, or if attention will ultimately skew toward one winner, is the key thing to watch in theaters this September.
Source: SBS Entertainment News, August 21, 2026; Maeil Economy Star Today, August 17, 2026; Xports News, August 21, 2026.
