'Assassination' and 'Taxi Driver' Hits... CEO Kim Dosu at the Center of Showbox's Success

"I Want to Be a Warm Partner Filling the Gaps for Creators"

Kim Dosu, CEO of Showbox, is being interviewed on the 30th at Showbox headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Kim Dosu, CEO of Showbox, entered the film industry in 2006 at I’m Pictures. The following year, he joined Showbox, serving as head of the Korean film team before becoming head of the Film Production Investment Division in 2014. Demonstrating outstanding planning capabilities across marketing, investment, and production, he was appointed CEO in 2018.

Kim is recognized for playing a pivotal role in Showbox’s growth. Notable achievements include director Choi Dong-hoon’s Assassination (2015, 12,705,700 viewers) and director Jang Hoon’s Taxi Driver (2017, 12,186,684 viewers). His excellent insight and timing coordination led to record-breaking box office success. Other significant hits contributing to Kim’s rapid promotion include director Lee Il-hyung’s Inside Men (2015, 9,707,158 viewers), director Woo Min-ho’s The Insider (2015, 7,072,021 viewers) and Secret Zoo (2020, 4,751,040 viewers), director Lee Joon-ik’s The Throne (2015, 6,246,849 viewers), and director Lee Gye-byeok’s Luck-Key (2016, 6,975,290 viewers).

Kim values strategic choices as much as the completeness of a work. He believes that each film’s essential value is ideally realized at a specific time according to its unique character. Indeed, from 2015, when Kim served as head of the Film Production Investment Division, Showbox recorded profits exceeding 10 billion won for three consecutive years. Among the four major Korean film distributors (CJ ENM, Lotte Cultureworks, Showbox, NEW), Showbox ranked first four times in average audience per film.

Recently, Kim has focused on solid investment and planning across various content, including films and dramas. He has reorganized the company into a content studio, introduced a producer system, and strengthened collaboration with creators. He said, "If you pursue something new with a strong personality, you can succeed even if the story is somewhat lacking. I want to be a warm partner who fills in the gaps with a shared purpose."