Na Hong-jin’s Hope clears 2 million admissions in five days in Korea
The Cannes competition title opened at speed over Korea’s Constitution Day holiday weekend, according to Korean Film Council data.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Na Hong-jin’s Hope has blasted past 2 million admissions in Korea in its first five days, giving the Cannes competition title the fastest start of any film released in the country so far this year, according to data from the Korean Film Council.
The Plus M Entertainment release opened July 15, just ahead of the three-day Constitution Day holiday weekend. KOFIC data showed the film crossed the 2 million-admissions mark during the day on Sunday.
That pace put Hope ahead of The King’s Warden, which later sold 16.9 million tickets and became the highest-grossing Korean film of all time, according to the reported box office data. It also beat the early pace of Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony, a Cannes Special Screenings title that reached 2 million admissions on the evening of its fifth day.
A holiday boost and cheaper tickets
The opening landed with help from a fresh round of Korean government cinema discount coupons. The program offered KRW6,000, about $3.90, off a movie ticket and was issued one week before Hope reached theaters, according to reporting on the release.
Hope is distributed by Plus M Entertainment and brings together a heavyweight cast: Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. The story centers on a small Korean town facing an invasion by powerful extraterrestrial beings.
The film arrived in Korea after premiering in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, giving Na another high-profile genre title after his 2016 occult thriller The Wailing. That earlier film divided viewers but still drew close to 7 million admissions.
Audience split over Na’s alien invasion
Early viewer reaction to Hope has been sharply mixed. On Naver, 53% of viewers gave the film a 9 or 10 rating, while around a quarter of respondents objected to issues including limited world-building, heavy profanity and an ambiguous ending.
Korean press reports have described Hope as the most expensive Korean film ever made. Those reports say it would need to sell around 20 million tickets to break even from theatrical revenue alone.
The film has some protection beyond the domestic box office. It has secured presales in around 200 overseas territories, according to reporting on its rollout.
Its performance also matters for Plus M Entertainment. The company is part of a group under JoongAng Group, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection.
Other weekend openers
Hope easily led the Korean box office over the weekend. Minions & Monsters placed second with 308,576 admissions, according to the reported weekend figures.
The live-action Moana followed with 173,555 admissions in its second weekend. Toy Story 5, which opened June 17, added 114,718 admissions.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.