# Victory (2024 film)
**Victory** (빅토리) is a 2024 South Korean coming-of-age comedy-drama directed by Park Bum-su, set in 1999 in the southern coastal city of Geoje and centered on a high school cheerleading club called the Millennium Girls.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042) • [2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&pageIndex=1&seq=582) It stars [Lee Hye-ri](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-hye-ri), better known as Hyeri of the former girl group [Girl's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/girls-day), alongside Park Se-wan, Jo A-ram, and Lee Jung-ha.[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/films/20240605/hyeris-new-film-victory-to-hit-theaters-in-august) The film premiered as the opening film of the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival on July 12, 2024, and was released in South Korean theaters on August 14, 2024.[4](https://www.nyaff.org/nyaff24/films/victory) • [1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Park Bum-su; screenwriters Park Bum-su and Park Sung-hoon[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/victory_2024) |
| Setting | Geoje, 1999; a nine-member high school cheerleading club, the Millennium Girls[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&pageIndex=1&seq=582) |
| Basis | Inspired by the first female high school cheerleading team, Saebites, formed at Geoje High School in 1984[6](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/movies/11086031) |
| Release | World premiere July 12, 2024 (New York Asian Film Festival, opening film); South Korean theatrical release August 14, 2024[4](https://www.nyaff.org/nyaff24/films/victory) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29419864/releaseinfo/) |
| Runtime / rating | 119 minutes; rated 12 and over in South Korea[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042) |
| Box office | 508,840 admissions and $3,324,784 total gross on 789 screens (KOFIC, as of September 16, 2026)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042) |
| Production | Annapurna Films (producer Lee Anna), presented by Mindmark, a content IP company under the Shinsegae Group[8](https://www.screendaily.com/news/korean-cheerleading-film-victory-set-for-north-america-asia-releases/5196164.article) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Pil-sun (Lee Hye-ri) is a high school student in Geoje who loves dancing but cannot secure a designated dance practice space at school unless she belongs to a club. With her best friend Mi-na (Park Se-wan), she decides to start a cheerleading club, recruiting as their first member Se-hyun (Jo A-ram), a transfer student from Seoul who cheered at her previous school. Enough girls join to form a nine-member team, named the Millennium Girls to mark the turn of the century.[9](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/victory/umc.cmc.44iqltz987yf8jv3a0u9ewn6h?ctx_agid=91f1319e)
The club's original purpose is a cover for the dance practice, but the team ends up cheering in earnest for the perpetually last-place Geoje Commercial High School soccer team, led by goalie Chi-hyung (Lee Jung-ha), and then for the wider community, including the market, a hospital, and a strike by the girls' shipyard-worker fathers.[9](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/victory/umc.cmc.44iqltz987yf8jv3a0u9ewn6h?ctx_agid=91f1319e) • [10](https://cine21.com/movie/point/view/?movie_id=61559) The club's slogan is "I Cheer for Myself."[11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240809004100315) The story takes a turn when Pil-sun is disciplined after core members of the squad are involved in a fight; determined to become a dancer, she decides to leave school for Seoul, and a father-daughter confrontation becomes a pivotal scene.[11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240809004100315)
### Cast and characters
Lee Hye-ri plays Pil-sun, a dance-passionate high schooler who founds the club; Park Se-wan plays her best friend Mi-na; Jo A-ram plays Se-hyun, the Seoul transfer student with cheerleading experience; and Lee Jung-ha, known for the Disney+ series *[Moving](https://www.edgepedia.org/moving-south-korean-tv-series)*, plays goalkeeper Chi-hyung.[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/films/20240605/hyeris-new-film-victory-to-hit-theaters-in-august) • [8](https://www.screendaily.com/news/korean-cheerleading-film-victory-set-for-north-america-asia-releases/5196164.article) The remaining Millennium Girls are So-hee (Choi Ji-su), Soon-jung (Baek Hi), Yong-soon (Kwon Yu-na), Sang-mi (Yeom Ji-young), Yu-ri (Lee Han-joo), and Ji-hye (Park Hyo-eun), with Lee Chan-hyeong as soccer ace Dong-hyun.[6](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/movies/11086031) • [12](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/11/09/victory/) [Hyun Bong-sik](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyun-bong-sik) and Lee Mi-do appear in supporting roles.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042)
## Production
Filming began on March 4, 2023 and finished in July 2023.[13](https://asianwiki.com/Victory_%28Korean_Movie%29) The film was produced by Seoul-based Annapurna Films, headed by Lee Anna, the producer behind *Sunny* and *Scandal Makers*, and presented by Mindmark, a content IP company owned by the Shinsegae Group.[8](https://www.screendaily.com/news/korean-cheerleading-film-victory-set-for-north-america-asia-releases/5196164.article) Director Park Bum-su, whose earlier features include *Red Carpet* (2014) and *[Single in Seoul](https://www.edgepedia.org/single-in-seoul)* (2023), said at a press event that he preferred stories with multiple below-average characters growing together rather than a single top protagonist, and that he wrote with affection for each character.[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/films/20240605/hyeris-new-film-victory-to-hit-theaters-in-august) • [14](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6125)
The film is based on the true story of the first high school cheerleading team founded in Geoje; the Maeil Business Newspaper account identifies the real team as Saebites, formed at Geoje High School in 1984, with the film shifting the setting to 1999.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&pageIndex=1&seq=582) • [6](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/movies/11086031) To evoke the period, the film incorporates songs by top Korean artists of the late 1990s and maintains a faded pastel visual tone.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&pageIndex=1&seq=582) The soundtrack includes Kim Won-joon's "Show" and [Seo Taiji and Boys](https://www.edgepedia.org/seo-taiji-and-boys)' "Hayeoga," along with period-specific fashion and trends.[11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240809004100315)
## Release and reception
Victory received its world premiere as the opening film of the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival at Film at [Lincoln Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-center) on July 12, 2024, where Lee Hye-ri received the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award.[4](https://www.nyaff.org/nyaff24/films/victory) • [8](https://www.screendaily.com/news/korean-cheerleading-film-victory-set-for-north-america-asia-releases/5196164.article) It also opened the London Korean Film Festival in 2024 and screened in the Asia Pop! section of the 2024 San Diego Asian Film Festival.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042) Sales agent Finecut pre-sold the film to 815 Pictures for a North American theatrical run and to distributors in Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia.[15](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/korean-cheerleading-drama-victory-north-025212520.html)
In South Korean theaters the film drew 508,840 admissions and a total gross of $3,324,784 on 789 screens, according to the Korean Film Council database as of September 16, 2026.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) reports a worldwide gross of $3,293,889, with $3,287,044 from South Korea and $6,845 from Vietnam,[16](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt29419864/) while The Numbers lists $3,101,441 for South Korea; the trackers differ in their totals.[17](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Victory-%282024-South-Korea%29) On IMDb the film holds a weighted rating of 6.5/10 from about 504 votes.[18](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29419864/ratings/) At the 2024 Blue Dragon Film Awards it received three nominations, including Best New Actress and Best New Actor.[19](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film662211.html) • [20](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/victory/2030571047/)
Critics generally treated the film as a familiar underdog story elevated by its ensemble. The Yonhap review wrote that the film "can shine brightly even with a simple story, provided it is supported by the strength of its characters," and noted Hyeri's convincing use of the South Gyeongsang Province dialect.[11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240809004100315) NME found the characters and story stock but concluded that viewers would not leave without a smile,[21](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/victory-2024/) while a HanCinema review criticized the drama as comparatively contrived, citing a mostly pointless love triangle.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/victory_2024) The Asian Cinema Critic highlighted the subplot about Pil-sun's father, a middle manager at a shipbuilding company who joins his coworkers in protesting for better working conditions, as the element that distinguishes the film from a standard sports-movie formula.[12](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/11/09/victory/) • [11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240809004100315)
## References
1. [Victory (2024), Korean Film Council (KOFIC) film database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20231042)
2. [Victory, KoBiz New Films database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&pageIndex=1&seq=582)
3. [Hyeri's new film 'Victory' to hit theaters in August, The Korea Times](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/films/20240605/hyeris-new-film-victory-to-hit-theaters-in-august)
4. [Victory, 23rd New York Asian Film Festival](https://www.nyaff.org/nyaff24/films/victory)
5. [Victory (2024), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/victory_2024)
6. [There is power in cheering... "Victory", Maeil Business Newspaper (MK)](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/movies/11086031)
7. [Victory (2024) release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29419864/releaseinfo/)
8. [Korean cheerleading film 'Victory' set for North America, Asia releases, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/news/korean-cheerleading-film-victory-set-for-north-america-asia-releases/5196164.article)
9. [Victory, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/victory/umc.cmc.44iqltz987yf8jv3a0u9ewn6h?ctx_agid=91f1319e)
10. [빅토리 (Victory) 상세정보, 씨네21](https://cine21.com/movie/point/view/?movie_id=61559)
11. [(Movie Review) 'I cheer for myself': 'Victory' brings '90s high school spirit to life, Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240809004100315)
12. [Victory (2024), The Asian Cinema Critic](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/11/09/victory/)
13. [Victory (Korean Movie), AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Victory_%28Korean_Movie%29)
14. ["Victory" brings 90's nostalgia and youthful dreams to big screen, KoBiz News (Yonhap)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6125)
15. [Korean Cheerleading Drama 'Victory' to Get North American Release, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/korean-cheerleading-drama-victory-north-025212520.html)
16. [Victory (2024), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt29419864/)
17. [Victory (빅토리) (2024), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Victory-%282024-South-Korea%29)
18. [Victory (2024) ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29419864/ratings/)
19. [Victory (2024), Filmaffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film662211.html)
20. [Victory, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/victory/2030571047/)
21. [Victory Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/victory-2024/)
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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 › Musical and music films (individual works) › Musical films of the 2010s and 2020s › Released 2021 to 2026*
*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*
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