Train To Busan Director's New Sci-Fi Thriller Breaks Rotten Tomatoes Record

Published Nov 14, 2026, 11:19 AM EST

Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor. 

During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show. 

Train to Busan director's comeback was ephemeral.

To date, Train to Busan remains one of the most renowned zombie movies in the 21st century. That success spawned a franchise and put director Yeon Sang-ho on the map. However, he's yet to replicate that triumph in over a decade, though he's made a few close attempts. In fact, 2026 became a busy year for him, with two major releases. While Colony recaptured some of the zombie essence of Train to Busan, his new sci-fi thriller, Paradise Lost, has had the opposite outcome.

With 16 reviews, Paradise Lost unfortunately sets the record for the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score in Yeon's filmography, earning a disappointing 38%. Previously, Jung_E held that lowest rating with 52%, but now his new sci-fi thriller is even more polarizing.

Paradise Lost follows a boy who disappears and suddenly reappears nine years later, creating a complicated mother-and-son relationship. Written and directed by Yeon, the thriller is based on Oh Sung-eun's novel Black Inferno.

Yeon Sang-ho's Movies	Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score	Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
The King of Pigs (2012)	74%	57%
Train to Busan (2016)	95%	90%
Seoul Station (2016)	100%	39%
Psychokinesis (2018)	80%	60%
Peninsula (2020)	55%	76%
Jung_E (2023)	52%	51%
The Ugly (2024)	56%	N/A
Revelations (2025)	68%	62%
Colony (2026)	81%	93%
Paradise Lost (2026)	38%	N/A

Unfortunately, the reception to Paradise Lost is different from Colony, which earned positive reviews from critics and audiences. His latest zombie feature, which was released in August, was praised as a directorial comeback for its intense action, high-concept infected plot, and fast-paced survival story in a claustrophobic environment. Additionally, Colony set a triumphant record with the highest audience score of his career, landing a 93%.

Sadly, what seemed like a major rebound for Yeon was short-lived, lasting only months. Following its premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, reviews of Paradise Lost were polarizing, citing an illogical narrative, unsatisfying ending, and lackluster visuals. However, Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyun-sung's performances stood out as one of the few positive areas.

Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order.

Meanwhile, ScreenRant's George Bates was one of the few who enjoyed the thriller, calling it "a riveting psychological thriller that uses mystery, grief, and artificial intelligence to ask what happens when the person we desperately want back is not the one who returns." Although "the resolution doesn't quite land," the difficult dilemma "proves most compelling," earning it 7 out of 10 stars.

Since the success of Train to Busan, Yeon's career has seen inconsistent results, with some highs and some lows. The zombie hit became a franchise, but the follow-ups failed to recapture the horror glory. Nevertheless, there have been attempts to expand the Train to Busan universe, including an American remake called Last Train to New York, produced by James Wan.

Meanwhile, Yeon also wants to make a third Train to Busan movie that follows the formula of the original 2016 hit. However, there have been no major movements on either installment. Yeon has a few projects in the works, including Yeto, which is scheduled for a 2027 release.

Paradise Lost was released in its home country, South Korea, this past October, and in North America on November 6. The thriller grossed $1.12 million worldwide. Well Go USA Entertainment acquired the rights to the North American distribution. The distributor also handled the North American release of Colony this past summer. Paradise Lost has yet to have any details about its streaming release.

Paradise Lost is now playing in select theaters.

Cast

• 

  Kim Hyun-joo

  Ryu So-young

• Bae Hyeon-seong

  Ryu Sun-woo

• Lee Yoo-joo

  Yeon-doo

• Yu Ji-wan

  Young Ryu Sun-woo