The film First Ride, which opened on Wed., Oct. 29 (directed by Nam Dae-jung, distributed by ㈜SHOWBOX, produced by Brainshower and TH Story), sparked explosive word-of-mouth upon release and surged to the top of the overall movie box office.
First Ride drew 82,687 admissions on its opening day, Wed., Oct. 29 (cumulative attendance 103,928), and overtook the theatrical release Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc to claim the overwhelming No. 1 box office spot. This figure surpassed the opening score of the 3.85 million-grossing film Firefighter, which was 81,673. It also follows the opening score of 85,705 for YADANG: The Snitch, Kang Ha-neul's previous film that drew 3.37 million and ranks as the second-highest-grossing Korean film of 2025, raising anticipation for the upcoming lively word-of-mouth race.
First Ride, marking the reunion of director Nam Dae-jung and Kang Ha-neul, generated expectations as a comedy audiences can trust to laugh at even before release. In addition to Kang Ha-neul, Kim Young-kwang, Cha Eun-woo, Kang Young-seok, and Han Sun-hwa, as well as Choi Gwi-hwa, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Go Gyu-pil, the fresh and highly comedic cast combination is appealing to viewers.
Audience members who watched First Ride left fresh praise that has driven word-of-mouth, saying, "I loved the atmosphere of everyone laughing together in the theater," "It was the funniest movie I saw this year. It's so innocently funny," and "A lifelong friendship, a lifetime of laughter."
First Ride is a comedy about 24-year friends who are even funnier together—Tae-jung (Kang Ha-neul), the one who sees things through; Do-jin (Kim Young-kwang), the cheerful one; Yeon-min (Cha Eun-woo), the handsome one; Geum-bok (Kang Young-seok), the one who sleeps with his eyes open; and Ok-sim (Han Sun-hwa)—setting off on their first trip abroad.
[Photo] Film poster, Korea Film Council (KOFIC) integrated ticketing system
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