After the pandemic, domestic demand weakened and new outlets became necessary.
The spread of streaming platforms and more co-productions are opening doors.
At the same time, policy shifts and infrastructure investment remain practical challenges.
Choice or Inevitable Step: Korean Films Head to North America
Numbers tell the story.
Since the 2010s, Korean films have moved steadily into North America.
At first, that meant direct distribution and more local screenings.
For example, CJ Entertainment began distributing its films in North America in the 2010s, and CGV (a South Korean multiplex chain) opened a theater in Los Angeles' Koreatown, creating an initial footprint.
Meanwhile, films like Parasite and Snowpiercer proved that Korean stories could record notable success in the region.
In the 2020s, streaming platforms changed the landscape again.
Services such as Netflix lowered the language barrier with subtitles and dubbing.
At the same time, more co-productions and English-language projects increased access to both capital and audiences.
Underlying context.
The structural shift at home is a core cause.
Audience behavior changed after the pandemic and box office revenue fell to a 17-year low.
As a result, the industry is searching for revenue diversification and new viewers.
In that search, North America stands out as one of the most attractive alternatives.
However, expanding into North America is not just about booking more screens.
Distribution, marketing, localization, and financing must align to produce results.
Therefore, policy support and private strategic investment should go hand in hand.
Arguments in favor.
The size of the North American market is an opportunity.
Historically, only a few Korean films made a mark there, but signs show that exceptions are becoming more common.
For instance, King of Kings earned about $60 million in North America, surpassing Parasite's record, and that figure signals more than box office—it points to the global competitiveness of certain Korean titles.
Meanwhile, streaming and on-demand services diversify entry strategies.
Rather than rely solely on theatrical runs, subtitles and dubbing on platforms improve audience reach.
Co-productions share costs and risks and allow stories to be adapted for local tastes.
From an economic view, North American success helps recoup investment and create additional revenue streams.
A production with a 36 billion won budget (about $30 million) that earns well overseas can change the whole business model.
That success, in turn, encourages more investment and creates opportunities for technicians and creatives to work internationally.
Finally, cultural influence grows when films succeed abroad.
High-profile hits increase interest in other Korean cultural exports—music, TV dramas, and games.
Thus, film success can have a multiplier effect across industries.
Voices of caution.
Foreign-language films rarely find easy entry into the North American market.
Except for a few exceptions, sustained results have been hard to achieve.
American audiences are diverse and competition is fierce.
Therefore, it is risky to generalize from one or two successes.
There is also pressure to change culturally.
English-language co-productions or localization processes can dilute a film's Korean identity.
Strategies to broaden audiences may unintentionally weaken creative distinctiveness.
That trade-off raises questions about artistic freedom and cultural preservation.
Financial risk must not be ignored.
If a big-budget film fails to find a domestic foothold, the whole portfolio can suffer.
Co-productions can complicate rights and revenue splits, affecting long-term profitability.
Finally, infrastructure limits are real.
Without established local distribution networks and marketing resources, it is hard to gain quick traction.
Policy recommendations exist, but implementation tends to be slow.
Thus, North American expansion requires deliberate, phased preparation rather than ad-hoc enthusiasm.
Cases and comparisons.
Successful films share careful local strategies.
Parasite combined universal social themes with tight storytelling to reach broad audiences.
King of Kings paired strong VFX capability with global marketing to achieve high North American returns.
These examples show content quality plus sophisticated distribution and publicity are both necessary.
By contrast, failed or limited-release titles often share weak localization or poor marketing.
Some co-productions also ended up with unfavorable terms on rights and revenue sharing.
Learning from those errors is essential for future planning.
Conditions for execution.
First, policy support must shift from short-term subsidies to long-term infrastructure investments.
Research from the Korea Film Council calls for a major policy pivot, but turning study into action takes time.
Second, private investment and distribution networks must expand.
Major investors should commit to long-term strategies tuned to North American market dynamics.
Distributors need to build structural partnerships with local players.
Third, localizing talent and technology matters.
Korean VFX and post-production teams are a growing strength.
However, more specialists with North American marketing and distribution experience are needed.
Fourth, balance identity and marketability.
Maintaining a distinct Korean voice while crafting stories with universal appeal is the main challenge.
Importantly, preserving identity and pursuing globalization are not mutually exclusive but should be designed together.
Policy recommendations.
Policy makers should design long-term infrastructure investments, not only short grants.
Specifically, build North American distribution infrastructure, create co-production funds, and set up local marketing support systems.
Also expand technical exchange programs and staff secondments between studios.
The private sector must create new risk-sharing models.
We need integrated business models that link investment, distribution, and production.
Strategic partnerships with OTT platforms can lower initial market-entry costs and provide valuable audience data.
Finally, the industry should standardize co-production contracts based on lessons from successful projects.
Clear rules on rights and revenue sharing are the foundation of long-term partnerships.
Only with those institutional tools in place will North American expansion become sustainable.
Conclusion and questions.
North American expansion is a plausible way to offset the domestic downturn.
However, success is not determined by a single factor.
Policy, investment, distribution, people, and creative identity must find balance for progress to happen.
Therefore, urgent, staged, and practical strategies are needed.
Scale up successes while institutionalizing lessons from failures.
Now is both the time to choose and the time to prepare.
Do you think Korean films should pursue a more aggressive strategy to enter the North American market?
