The Unni Mukundan-starrer Marco will have its Korean premiere at the upcoming Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), the film’s makers confirmed via social media on Sunday. Directed by Haneef Adeni, the film emerged as one of the most commercially successful Malayalam films of 2024, grossing over Rs 100 crore worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing A-rated Malayalam film to date. It is a spin-off from Haneef’s 2019 action drama Mikhael and follows the rise of a brutal gangster within Kerala’s gold mafia.
Formerly known as the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan), BIFAN was launched in 1997 and has since become one of Asia’s most prominent genre film festivals. Held annually in Bucheon, South Korea, the event is dedicated to showcasing bold and imaginative works in fantasy, horror, thriller and science fiction, with an increasing focus on experimental and hybrid cinema.
Despite its box office triumph, Marco attracted sharp criticism for its excessive violence and sparse storytelling. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) denied the film a television broadcast licence and even recommended a central government intervention to prevent its OTT release. Though currently streaming on SonyLIV in a censored format, the backlash prompted producer Shareef Muhammed to state his future projects would tone down the violence.
Unni recently confirmed that the planned sequel, Marco 2, has been scrapped, citing “too much negativity” around the franchise.