Why You Can’t Miss the Re-release of ‘Rebound’: 5 Reasons to Experience This Touching Sports Film Again

Daniel Kim 2026.03.16 Views

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Photo=Barunson E&A

[Sports Today reporter Jeong Ye-won] Director Jang Hang-jun’s Rebound, a film that promises to bring stirring emotion back to theaters this spring, will be re-released to mark its third anniversary. The team also unveiled posters that capture the film’s rush of youthful intensity.

Jang Hang-jun—who recently drew 10 million moviegoers with King and the Man Who Lives with the King—has revived one of his most personal projects with Rebound. Based on the true story of Busan Jungang High School’s run at the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament, the film follows a newly appointed coach and six players from the tournament’s weakest-seeded team through eight extraordinary days. The film is set to return to theaters on April 3.

Like a basketball rebound—when a player fights to claim the ball again—Jang has staged his own comeback. Rebound dramatizes the relentless drive of youth and delivers the rush typical of sports films. Critics and audiences responded strongly: Ahn Jae-hong convincingly inhabits the role of a well-meaning but awkward coach, while rookies Lee Shin-young, Jung Jin-woon, Kim Taek, Jung Gun-joo, Kim Min and Ahn Ji-ho generate a refreshing, sweat-soaked chemistry. Upon release, the film earned unprecedented praise—98% on CGV’s Golden Egg index, 9.5 on Lotte Cinema and 9.0 on Megabox—and sparked a wave of repeat viewings. Rebound also won the Silver Mulberry at the 25th Udine Far East Film Festival, underscoring both its critical and popular appeal.

The two newly released posters revive the team’s heated moments under a clear sky and quicken the viewer’s pulse. A slogan on the poster—“If you give up, it becomes a conceded point; if you grab it back, it’s a rebound”—underscores the film’s message about youths who refuse to quit. The image of the coach walking shoulder to shoulder with his players projects a bold team spirit: together, no opponent seems insurmountable. Once written off as the weakest squad, they turned their unplanned struggle into triumph—mirroring the poster’s rallying cry to “Fight to grab it back!”—a story that is sure to move audiences again.

The newly released trailer brings the team’s on-court moments to life. Facing the threat of the club’s disbandment, Busan Jungang High entered the tournament with just six players and no substitutes. The unlikely underdogs grow through tight teamwork, naturally drawing viewers’ support. Lines like “Rebound back to the highest place. We won’t give up.” capture the players’ stubborn grit. Even when they fall, they bounce back—an image that lingers long after the credits roll. For viewers who missed Rebound in theaters and for those curious about Jang’s earlier work, this re-release will be welcome news.

Rebound, which chronicles the fiery passion and resonant spirit of youth who rise again after every fall, returns to theaters on April 3.