# Heartman: Rock and Love (하트맨)
**Heartman: Rock and Love** (하트맨) is a 2026 South Korean romantic comedy directed by Choi Won-sub, starring [Kwon Sang-woo](https://www.edgepedia.org/kwon-sang-woo) as a single father who hides the existence of his daughter when he reunites with his first love, a photographer who prefers a life without children. It is a remake of the 2015 Argentine film *No Kids* (*Sin hijos*) by Ariel Winograd and was released in South Korea on January 14, 2026 by Lotte Entertainment.[1](https://asianwiki.com/Heartman%3A_Rock_and_Love) • [2](https://en.asiatoday.co.kr/view.php?key=20260108001919511)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 하트맨 (Heartman); English title Heartman: Rock and Love[1](https://asianwiki.com/Heartman%3A_Rock_and_Love) |
| Release | January 14, 2026, South Korea; rated 12 and over; distributed by Lotte Entertainment[1](https://asianwiki.com/Heartman%3A_Rock_and_Love) |
| Source | Remake of Ariel Winograd's 2015 Argentine film *No Kids* (*Sin hijos*)[2](https://en.asiatoday.co.kr/view.php?key=20260108001919511) |
| Cast | Kwon Sang-woo (Seung-min), Moon Chae-won (Bo-na), Kim Seo-heon (So-young), Park Ji-hwan (Won-dae), Pyo Ji-hoon (Seung-ho)[3](https://m.kinolights.com/season/102297/crew) |
| Opening | Third place on its first day with 26,689 admissions nationwide[4](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010311484) |
| Final admissions | About 235,000 to 248,000, against a breakeven point of roughly 1.5 million[5](https://www.ambitstock.com/film/heartman-rock-and-love-2026/) • [6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%ED%95%98%ED%8A%B8%EB%A7%A8) |
| Production | Movierock and Like M Company; filmed July 19 to October 2021, released about five years later[6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%ED%95%98%ED%8A%B8%EB%A7%A8) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Seung-min (Kwon Sang-woo) was once the vocalist of the college rock band [Ambulance](https://www.edgepedia.org/ambulance) and now runs a small instrument shop as a divorced single father raising his daughter So-young (Kim Seo-heon). Fifteen years after she left without ever hearing his confession, his first love Bo-na ([Moon Chae-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/moon-chae-won)) unexpectedly walks back into his life. Bo-na is a successful photographer who firmly prefers a "no-kids" lifestyle, so Seung-min, desperate not to lose her a second time, decides to hide his daughter's existence. The concealment traps him in a double life and a series of comedic misunderstandings.[7](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/heartman-rock-and-love/umc.cmc.34fm876g5y2kh4u82g0z0x7as) • [8](https://www.cinematheque.co.kr/cinema/20250188)
The supporting cast fills out the comic ensemble: Park Ji-hwan plays Won-dae, Seung-min's former bandmate, and Pyo Ji-hoon, the [Block B](https://www.edgepedia.org/block-b) rapper known as P.O, plays Seung-ho.[3](https://m.kinolights.com/season/102297/crew) • [8](https://www.cinematheque.co.kr/cinema/20250188)
## Production and release
**A long-shelved film.** Shooting ran from July 19 to October 2021, but the film sat unreleased for about five years before opening on January 14, 2026, making it what Korean commentary calls a "warehouse movie" (창고 영화), a completed film held back from release.[6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%ED%95%98%ED%8A%B8%EB%A7%A8) • [9](https://moneyphd.tistory.com/802) The title was reportedly chosen to recall the Hitman (히트맨) series, the director's previous comedies with Kwon Sang-woo.[9](https://moneyphd.tistory.com/802)
It was the third pairing of director Choi Won-sub and Kwon Sang-woo after *Hitman* (2019) and *Hitman 2* (2023), comedies that each drew over 2 million admissions in the pandemic-era market, so expectations were high before release.[10](https://www.hankookilbo.com/news/article/A2026020215520001026) The screenplay is by Lee Su-a, with adaptation credit to Choi Won-sub and Lee Seung-yeong; the original screenwriters of *No Kids*, Mariano Vera and Pablo Solarz, are credited as original writers.[11](https://letterboxd.com/film/heartman-rock-and-love/) The score was a collaboration between music directors Kim Ji-hye and the late Bang Jun-seok, with band music treated as a narrative thread carrying the characters' emotions rather than background accompaniment.[12](https://koreafilm.co.kr/movie/heartman/heartman_2-1.htm) Kwon said the film's opening song, "Lover," was one he often sang at karaoke in college and recommended to the director himself.[2](https://en.asiatoday.co.kr/view.php?key=20260108001919511)
Sources differ slightly on the running time: Cine21 lists 99 minutes while AsianWiki and the Korean Cinematheque list 100 minutes.[13](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=62849) • [1](https://asianwiki.com/Heartman%3A_Rock_and_Love) • [8](https://www.cinematheque.co.kr/cinema/20250188)
## Box office and reception
The film opened third at the Korean box office on January 14, 2026 with 26,689 admissions, behind *If We* (52,687 admissions that day) and *Avatar: Fire and Ash* (28,347).[4](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010311484) It had led advance ticket sales among films opening the same day, but the start was described as disappointing.[14](https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2026/01/14/JQVYRDBL7JAU3BXJHD5S3LT72A/) • [4](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010311484)
**Commercial failure.** The film never escaped the long-running run of *If We* and fell out of the box office top ten; cumulative admissions reached about 235,000 by one tally and 247,653 as of February 20, 2026 by another, far below the breakeven point of roughly 1.5 million admissions.[10](https://www.hankookilbo.com/news/article/A2026020215520001026) • [5](https://www.ambitstock.com/film/heartman-rock-and-love-2026/) • [6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%ED%95%98%ED%8A%B8%EB%A7%A8) The Hankook Ilbo attributed the failure to a familiar romantic-comedy formula and one-dimensional humor that did not build on the Hitman brand's audience goodwill.[10](https://www.hankookilbo.com/news/article/A2026020215520001026)
Critical and audience scores were mixed. Cine21 recorded an expert score of 6.00 from one critic and an audience score of 3.50.[13](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=62849) Korean commentary praised the child actors' performances, the gags, and the soundtrack, while criticism targeted the premise of a father erasing his daughter for romance and some scenes viewers found unsuitable for the film's 12-and-over rating.[6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%ED%95%98%ED%8A%B8%EB%A7%A8) On Letterboxd, viewer reviews were warmer, frequently praising Moon Chae-won's performance and the father-daughter relationship.[15](https://letterboxd.com/film/heartman-rock-and-love/reviews/)
## References
1. [Heartman: Rock and Love, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Heartman%3A_Rock_and_Love)
2. [Music-driven romance sets Heartman's tempo, Asia Today](https://en.asiatoday.co.kr/view.php?key=20260108001919511)
3. [하트맨 출연진/제작진, 키노라이츠](https://m.kinolights.com/season/102297/crew)
4. [권상우 '하트맨', 박스오피스 3위 데뷔, SBS 연예뉴스](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010311484)
5. [하트맨 (2026) 평점 관객수 출연진, R의 필름공장](https://www.ambitstock.com/film/heartman-rock-and-love-2026/)
6. [하트맨, 나무위키](https://www.namu.moe/w/%ED%95%98%ED%8A%B8%EB%A7%A8)
7. [Heartman: Rock and Love, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/heartman-rock-and-love/umc.cmc.34fm876g5y2kh4u82g0z0x7as)
8. [하트맨, Korean Cinematheque](https://www.cinematheque.co.kr/cinema/20250188)
9. [하트맨 다시보기 총정리, moneyphd blog](https://moneyphd.tistory.com/802)
10. ['하트맨'·'프로젝트Y' 잇따른 흥행 참패, 한국일보](https://www.hankookilbo.com/news/article/A2026020215520001026)
11. [Heartman: Rock and Love, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/heartman-rock-and-love/)
12. [하트맨 프로덕션 노트, KoreaFilm](https://koreafilm.co.kr/movie/heartman/heartman_2-1.htm)
13. [하트맨 상세정보, 씨네21](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=62849)
14. [Kwon Sang-woo's 'Heartman' Tops Advance Sales, Chosun English](https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2026/01/14/JQVYRDBL7JAU3BXJHD5S3LT72A/)
15. [Reviews of Heartman: Rock and Love, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/heartman-rock-and-love/reviews/)
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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 › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2026 and later › Titles symbols to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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