Changing the Ending Was a Masterstroke... 'Zombie Daughter' Becomes a Model for Webtoon Adaptations

Time of India

6 days ago

Zombie Daughter and the original webtoon
A Zombie Comedy with an Unexpectedly Warm Heart
Released on July 30,
Zombie Daughter
sprinted past the 3 million audience mark in just 11 days - the fastest pace of any 2025 film. According to the
Korean Film Council
, it beat out big-ticket blockbusters like Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning (23 days), Yadang (27 days), F1 The Movie (40 days), and Mickey 17 (39 days). With this momentum, industry tracking suggests it could pass 5 million viewers - a figure that would crown it as Korea's biggest domestic film of the year.
The real twist here isn't just in the box office numbers, but in the story itself. While the original webtoon had a tragic ending, the film opts for an open, hopeful finale. Director Pil Gam-seong, production studio N, and webtoon creator Lee Yoon-chang agreed early on to change the final scene. This wasn't random - the distributor, NEW, learned from its 2018 release Swing Kids, where a sad ending capped audiences at 1.47 million. The takeaway? In a family-oriented tentpole, leaving viewers with optimism is a far better formula for repeat visits.
Laughter, Tears, and Just the Right Amount of Zombie
The plot follows Jung-hwan (Jo Jung-suk), a warmhearted wild animal trainer, as he takes his daughter Soo-ah (Choi Yu-ri) - who happens to be the last zombie on earth - into secluded training to hide her identity from the world. The film's humor peaks in moments like Soo-ah's grandmother (Lee Jung-eun) smacking her with a wooden massage stick every time she lunges.
According to CGV's audience breakdown, roughly 23% of viewers are in their 20s, another 23% in their 30s, and the largest slice - 33% - are in their 40s. This means plenty of family audiences coming in groups, sometimes across three generations. Think of a Bollywood crowd for 3 Idiots - diverse in age, united in laughter. Ticket sales so far showing its commercial heft.
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Respecting the Source While Making It Shine
Many
webtoon adaptations
flop because they cut or change too much of what made the original appealing. Zombie Daughter avoids that trap by preserving its emotional core: acceptance and love for someone who has changed beyond recognition. Critic Yoon Sung-eun has even hailed it as "a model case for webtoon film adaptations."
Jo Jung-suk's performance is key here. Director Pil confessed he wrote the role with Jo in mind, and as a father himself, Jo channels a balance of goofy dad warmth and fierce protectiveness. His shifts from humor to heartfelt moments mirror his track record in summer blockbusters like Exit (2019, 9.42 million viewers) and Pilot (2024, 4.71 million viewers).
Another unexpected spark? The use of BoA's early 2000s hit "Number One" as a thematic anchor - it's the song Soo-ah trains to, and it bookends the film. For older audiences, it's nostalgia; for younger ones, it's an earworm.
More Than Just Popcorn Entertainment
Beneath the laughs, the film carries a clear message. Soo-ah's zombie condition doubles as a metaphor for rebellious teens, marginalized outsiders, or anyone society labels as "different." Jung-hwan's patience and persistence speak to a universal desire for empathy and inclusion in a time of deep social divides.
And then there's the scene-stealing cat, Aeyongi (real name Geum-dong), who was cast via audition. The feline's natural charm meant nearly no CGI was used, and its bond with Soo-ah became a quiet emotional anchor for many viewers.
With humor, multi-generational appeal, a nostalgic soundtrack, and a hopeful reimagining of its source material, Zombie Daughter stands as proof that sometimes... changing the ending can change the entire fate of a film.