Park Chan-wook just dominated Korea’s box office with No Other Choice, and honestly, it’s about time. The Oldboy director’s latest dark comedy thriller earned $4.6 million during its opening weekend, proving that Korean audiences still crave his signature brand of stylized violence.
Unemployment Gone Wrong
No Other Choice stars Lee Byung-hun as Man-su, a paper manufacturing expert who gets fired after 25 years and decides the best career strategy is murdering his job competition. It’s basically Office Space meets Saw, which sounds insane but works perfectly in Park Chan-wook’s twisted universe.
The film adapts Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel “The Ax,” previously made into a French film in 2005. But Park’s version adds layers of Korean social commentary about job insecurity and economic desperation that feel painfully relevant.
Byung-hun’s Method Acting
Lee Byung-hun praised Park’s obsessive attention to detail during production. “The director places a lot of importance on mise-en-scene, and he pays close attention to everything from distant props to costume patterns to lighting,” the actor revealed.
Byung-hun described one particularly complex scene: “There’s a scene where I’m interviewing for the first time. That line was really long. While saying it, I was conscious of the sunlight reflecting off the building in front of me, trying to avoid it. My teeth were rotting, and I felt a sharp pain”. The guy basically Method acted unemployment anxiety, which is commitment.
Critical Domination
No Other Choice earned a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from 46 critics and received a standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival. The film garnered rave reviews globally, with critics calling it “one of Park’s most humane and mordantly funny works to date”.
Time Out gave it 5 out of 5 stars, calling it “a masterful work of cinema which might well be Chan-wook’s masterpiece”. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw rated it 4 out of 5, writing “It may not be Park’s masterpiece but it is the best film in the Venice competition so far”.
Box Office
The film’s opening surpassed Park’s previous work significantly. No Other Choice earned more than double what Decision to Leave made during its 2022 opening weekend. It achieved the highest opening of all time for a Park Chan-wook film, surpassing both Decision to Leave and The Handmaiden.
Son Ye-jin returns to screens after seven years, playing Man-su’s wife Mi-ri. The supporting cast includes Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, and Yeom Hye-ran.
CJ Entertainment distributed the film domestically, while Neon handles North American distribution. The film also earned South Korea’s entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
Release: September 24, 2025 (Korea), TBA (North America)
Also Read: Garfield Ditches Facebook Drama – The Social Network sequel