Classic Korean romance film, MY SASSY GIRL (2001), directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Jun Jihyun and Cha Taehyun has just got an 4K restoration upgrade celebrating it's 25th anniversary. The new digital restoration will be available via VOD and all leading digital outlets on November 20, 2026. 

Ignited by what may be the most hilariously disastrous meet-cute in cinema history, MY SASSY GIRL reinvented the romcom with wild aplomb. An unassuming young man’s whole world is turned upside down when a beautiful and ferocious female force of nature takes his life by storm. Their ensuing tumultuous relationship both scales the heights of blockbuster movie fantasies and descends the poignant depths of heartache in this outrageous and uplifting ode to true love.

Based on a South Korean netizen’s blog of reportedly true stories about his girlfriend, the film proved a massive sleeper hit and one of the most influential Asian films of the 21st century. A phenomenon upon its 2001 release, grossing $26 million in South Korea alone, it became of the top five highest-grossing films in the country’s history and the highest-grossing Korean comedy of all time. 

When released across East Asia, its box office surpassed $32 million total, exceeding the local grosses of Titanic, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The film was one of the first major successes of the Hallyu wave, the export of Korean cultural properties that made South Korea one of the major cultural influencers of Asia and the film’s reach has only grown since, inspiring an American remake, a sequel, and television adaptations across Korea, Japan, Thailand, India, China and beyond.

A must-see contemporary classic, MY SASSY GIRL is an “unabashed crowd-pleaser that mixes genres with the audacious abandon that makes Korean cinema so much fun” (Film at Lincoln Center). Presented newly restored in 4K from the original negative.