Train To Busan Director's New Zombie Thriller Colony Debuts To A Solid Rotten Tomatoes Score

Train to Busan director returns to the zombie genre with his new movie.

In 2016, Yeon Sang-ho directed the critically acclaimed horror movie Train to Busan, starring Gong Yoo, Don Lee, Jun Yu-mi, and Kim Su-an. The film elevated the concept of a zombie apocalypse by balancing the high-stakes nature in a tight train with brutal zombie action and emotional human arcs, including a father protecting his daughter. Train to Busan is considered one of the best zombie flicks ever and has spawned spinoffs. Now, Yeon takes another shot at the zombie genre with a new thriller.

Yeon helmed and directed a new horror thriller, Colony, starring Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, Shin Hyun-been, and Go Soo. The film had its premiere at Cannes 2026, and the first reviews are trickling in ahead of its release in South Korea. With ten reviews, Colony has debuted with a 70% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although it’s far from the reception of Train to Busan‘s 95%, the horror ranks in Yeon’s top 5-rated movies of all time.

Reviews note that Colony is a fun, action-packed apocalyptic movie, but doesn’t quite reach the quality of Train to Busan. Some critics noted that the zombie flick lacks the layered human narrative and style of the 2016 hit, while others still expressed that it’s a clever, enjoyable movie due to the zombie action. In Colony, a biotechnology professor gets caught up in a virus outbreak at a conference. She and other survivors are contained and trapped at the facility as they face the threat of the infected.

The professor is looking worried in Colony

Since 2016, there have been attempts to replicate Train to Busan‘s success, particularly with a franchise. The first project, Seoul Station, was released a few months after the zombie hit. It earned a 100% score on the site, but audiences were far more mixed, with 40%. This is a stark contrast to Train to Brain, which earned an 89% audience score.

Four years later, Yeon returned with a standalone sequel, Peninsula, but it was met with a mixed reception from critics (55%) and audiences (76%). Criticisms of the Train to Busan sequel include the genre shift to action, poor CGI, weak characters, and a lack of zombie tension.

Although the filmmaker has been working on a third installment that would be more similar to the first, there has yet to be any progress. Meanwhile, during those five years, Yeon has worked on projects outside the franchise, including Netflix’s Revelations, The Ugly, and Jung_E.

While Train to Busan has helped put Korean cinema on the market, an American version has been in development since 2018. The Last Train to New York is helmed by Timo Tjahjanto, while Gary Dauberman is responsible for the script. Despite over four years of development, James Wan, who is one of the producers, has stated that the movie is still happening. He clarified that The Last Train to New York is not a remake but rather a continuation of the previous projects.

While the fate of the Train to Busan franchise is still in limbo, Yeon offers a different take on the zombie concept. Colony is scheduled to release in the United States on August 28, 2026.