Noise (Korean: 노이즈) is a 2024 South Korean horror thriller film directed by Kim Soo-jin in his feature film directional debut and starring Lee Sun-bin, Kim Min-seok, Han Su-a, Ryu Kyung-soo, Jeon Ik-ryung, and Baek Joo-hee. The film follows two sisters who move into a new apartment, hoping to start fresh. But their seemingly normal life takes a horrifying twist when one of them suddenly disappears without a trace, leaving behind a deep mystery.
The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024. It was released theatrically on June 25, 2025 in South Korea.
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Synopsis
After finally achieving their dream of owning a home, sisters Joo-young and Joo-hee begin to suffer from a mysterious and unidentifiable noise coming from somewhere in their apartment. One day, Joo-young loses contact with Joo-hee. Gripped by anxiety, she rushes back from her job at a factory in the countryside and begins searching for her missing sister with the help of Joo-hee's boyfriend, Ki-hoon. Meanwhile, a man living in the unit below, also tormented by the strange noise, becomes convinced that the sisters upstairs are the source and begins threatening them with murder.
Cast
Lee Sun-bin as Joo-young
Kim Min-seok as Ki-hoon
Han Su-a as Joo-hee
Ryu Kyung-soo as Joong-sim
Jeon Ik-ryung as Jeong-in
Baek Joo-hee as Head of the Women's Association
Production
Filming took place from October 2023 to February 2024.
Release
Noise had its premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024 in the Industry Selects section. It was later screened at the 57th Sitges Film Festival in Panorama section on October 11, 2024. On March 24, 2025 it was showcased at the 23rd Florence Korea Film Fest in Florence, Italy.
It was released in South Korean theaters on June 25, 2025.
The film was also selected for competing in the 'New Flesh Competition' for the best first feature award at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival, where it was screened on July 17, 2025 for its North American Premiere.
On October 24, it was screened at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival in Cineaste Delights section.
In January 2024, Finecut acquired the international sales rights of the film.
The film has been released sequentially in the Asian countries in 2025, Indonesia on June 27, the Philippines on July 2, Mongolia on July 4. It will be released in Thailand on July 17, Vietnam on July 18, and Cambodia on August 11.
It competed in the "International Fantastic Film Competition" section of the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival on October 1, 2025.
Reception
Noise received generally positive reviews, with critics highlighting its effective blend of horror and social commentary, despite some shortcomings in the screenplay. As of July 28, 2025, it is placed at the fifth place among the Korean films released in 2025.
Panos Kotzathanasis in Asian Movie Pulse criticized the screenplay, as in his opinion the, "writing dips slightly in quality", but praised the performance of Lee Sun-bin, writing "Lee Sun-bin is compelling as Joo-young," and for Ryu Kyung-soo, Kotzathanasis wrote that "he stands out as the threatening neighbor, his eerie presence leaving a lasting impression." Overall Kotzathanasis found the film "as an engaging horror feature that offers enough social commentary to appeal to a broader audience beyond genre enthusiasts."
Box office
The film was released on June 25, 2025 on 944 screens. It opened at first place at the South Korean box office with 28,167 admissions. It surpassed 500,000 viewers on the 11th day of its release. During its second weekend of release, the film recorded an audience of 326,270 viewers, a significant increase from the 147,849 viewers registered during its opening weekend at the Korean box office. On July 12, the film surpassed 1 million viewers by accumulating 1,006,430 cumulative viewers on 18th day of its release and achieved its break even point. On 27th day of its release, on July 21, it surpassed 1.5 million cumulative viewers.
As of August 25, 2025, the film has grossed US$12,072,032 from 1,707,574 admissions.