# Ballerina (발레리나) (2023 film)
**Ballerina** (발레리나) is a 2023 South Korean action revenge thriller directed and written by [Lee Chung-hyun](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-chung-hyun), in which a former bodyguard named Ok-ju hunts down the man responsible for the suicide of her best friend, a ballerina. It was released worldwide on Netflix on October 6, 2023, after a world premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival, and stars [Jeon Jong-seo](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeon-jong-seo), Kim Ji-hoon, and Park Yu-rim.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/ballerina-october-6-trailer-poster) • [2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/merciless-and-ruthless-ballerina-world-is-buzzing-for-busan-premiere) It is unrelated to the 2025 American film *From the World of John Wick: Ballerina*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Lee Chung-hyun, in his second feature film, following *The Call*[3](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ballerina-trailer-release-date-cast-news) |
| Cast | Jeon Jong-seo as Ok-ju, Kim Ji-hoon as Choi, Park Yu-rim as Min-hee[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/ballerina-october-6-trailer-poster) |
| Release | Netflix, October 6, 2023; world premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/ballerina-october-6-trailer-poster) • [2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/merciless-and-ruthless-ballerina-world-is-buzzing-for-busan-premiere) |
| Runtime | 93 minutes[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballerina_2023) |
| Production | Climax Studio; distributed by Netflix; original score by the rapper and producer GRAY[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/ballerina-october-6-trailer-poster) • [3](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ballerina-trailer-release-date-cast-news) |
| Reception | 91% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 11 reviews; 73% audience score[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballerina_2023) |
| Streaming performance | Ranked #1 globally on Netflix in the Non-English Film section for 3 consecutive weeks[5](https://www.k-contentpavilion.id/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SLL-Company-Brochure_2024_EN-SLL-Joongang.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Ok-ju (Jeon Jong-seo) is an elite personal bodyguard to VIP clients who is on a break from her isolating job. After years apart, she runs into her former classmate Min-hee (Park Yu-rim), now a professional ballerina working part-time at a bakery, and the two quickly become close friends again. Ok-ju then discovers Min-hee dead, having taken her own life while being blackmailed and threatened by criminals who drugged and raped women. Min-hee leaves behind a note with a clue and a plea: "Please get revenge for me!" Drawing on her investigative and combat skills, Ok-ju sets out alone to track down the sadistic man she holds responsible, Choi (Kim Ji-hoon), taking on a gang-run underworld of drugs and violent crimes against women.[3](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ballerina-trailer-release-date-cast-news) • [6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/ballerina-2023)
The fight scenes use hand-to-hand combat, guns, knives, and flamethrowers, and the film's marketing paired Ok-ju's forceful presence with Min-hee's ballet in a neon color palette; the main poster shows Ok-ju in Min-hee's ballet attire with a gun in hand, captioned "Cruel and Merciless to the Very End of Hell."[3](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ballerina-trailer-release-date-cast-news) • [1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/ballerina-october-6-trailer-poster)
## Production and release
**Casting and crew.** The film reunites Jeon Jong-seo, who won Best Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards for her performance in Lee Chung-hyun's debut *[The Call](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-call-2020-south-korean-film)*, with the director for his second feature. Park Yu-rim, of the Oscar-winning *Drive My Car*, plays the ballerina of the title, and GRAY composed the original score.[3](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ballerina-trailer-release-date-cast-news) The film was produced by Climax Studio.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/ballerina-october-6-trailer-poster)
**Festival and streaming debut.** *Ballerina* premiered in the "Korean Cinema Today: Special Premiere" section of the 28th Busan International Film Festival before its Netflix release on October 6, 2023.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/merciless-and-ruthless-ballerina-world-is-buzzing-for-busan-premiere) Netflix Korea released the official trailer on September 19, 2023.[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2HpU8X2dLM) The film is one of a series of Netflix Korean originals, alongside *Kill Boksoon* and *Jung_E* (both 2023), that the Korean Film Council cites as examples of how the platform has given Korean filmmakers larger audiences and greater production opportunities.[8](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/ko_pick.jsp?blbdComCd=601029&mode=VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=168)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 91% Tomatometer from 11 critic reviews and a 73% audience score from more than 250 ratings.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballerina_2023) Critics singled out Jeon Jong-seo's restrained lead performance and the film's neon-lit visual style. James Marsh of the *South China Morning Post* called it "a lean and unflinching exercise in neon and blood-drenched action," while a review in *Asian Movie Pulse* judged that the action takes too long to begin and the film lacks memorable distinction.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballerina_2023) Common Sense Media described it as a taut, singularly focused revenge thriller whose moody, darkly lit staging is grounded by Jeon's portrayal of a compelling but distant avenger.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/ballerina-2023) Aggregated user scores include 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb and 6.9 out of 10 on Douban.[9](https://moviesranking.com/film/tt26350277-ballerina-2023)
**Commercial performance.** According to a company brochure from SLL, the film ranked #1 globally on Netflix in the Non-English Film section for 3 consecutive weeks.[5](https://www.k-contentpavilion.id/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SLL-Company-Brochure_2024_EN-SLL-Joongang.pdf)
## Distinction from the 2025 film
A different film titled *[Ballerina](https://www.edgepedia.org/ballerina-2024-film)*, marketed as *From the World of John Wick: Ballerina*, was released theatrically in June 2025, starring [Ana de Armas](https://www.edgepedia.org/ana-de-armas) as the dancer-assassin Eve Macarro in the [John Wick](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-wick) franchise. The two films share a revenge premise and a title but have no connection in cast, crew, or story.[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/06/ballerina-john-wick-spin-off-review/683099/)
## References
1. [‘Ballerina’: High-Octane Dance of Vengeance, About Netflix (20 September 2023)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/ballerina-october-6-trailer-poster)
2. [Merciless and Ruthless ‘Ballerina’: Why the World is Buzzing for Its Busan Premiere, About Netflix (27 September 2023)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/merciless-and-ruthless-ballerina-world-is-buzzing-for-busan-premiere)
3. [‘Ballerina’: What to Know About the Female-Led Korean Revenge Thriller, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ballerina-trailer-release-date-cast-news)
4. [Ballerina (2023), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballerina_2023)
5. [SLL Company Brochure (2024)](https://www.k-contentpavilion.id/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SLL-Company-Brochure_2024_EN-SLL-Joongang.pdf)
6. [Ballerina (2023) – Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/ballerina-2023)
7. [발레리나 | 공식 예고편 | 넷플릭스, Netflix Korea YouTube (19 September 2023)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2HpU8X2dLM)
8. [Korean Cinema and the Influence of Streaming Platforms, Korean Film Council](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/ko_pick.jsp?blbdComCd=601029&mode=VIEW&pageRowSize=10&seq=168)
9. [Ballerina (2023), The Film Index](https://moviesranking.com/film/tt26350277-ballerina-2023)
10. [The Trap of the Cinematic Side Quest, The Atlantic (June 2025)](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/06/ballerina-john-wick-spin-off-review/683099/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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