South Korea to Premiere Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mickey 17’ Three Days Ahead of Global Release

South Korean audiences will have the privilege of experiencing Bong Joon-ho’s latest creation, “Mickey 17,” three days before the rest of the world. Scheduled for release in January 2025 to coincide with the Lunar New Year holidays, this sci-fi spectacle starring Robert Pattinson will hit Korean theaters on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, preceding its global premiere on Jan. 31.

Initially slated for a March 2024 release, the film’s launch was delayed by nine months due to production challenges stemming from Hollywood’s writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023.

Marking Bong’s directorial return since the groundbreaking success of “Parasite,” which made history as the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, “Mickey 17” promises to captivate audiences with its inventive narrative. Adapted from Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel, the film delves into a high-concept cerebral thriller reminiscent of “The Martian” and “Dark Matter.” Pattinson leads the cast as an “expendable,” a disposable worker on a mission to colonize an ice planet, who refuses to yield his place to a replacement clone. Alongside Pattinson, the ensemble includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.

Speaking on the anticipation surrounding the film, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group President of International Distribution, Andrew Cripps, expressed enthusiasm for sharing “Mickey 17” with audiences worldwide. Highlighting Director Bong’s unmatched creativity and the film’s engaging storyline, Cripps emphasized Korea’s significance as the ideal launchpad for the film, given Bong’s roots in the country.