Neon Sends Na Hong-jin's 'Hope' to 1,500 U.S. Theaters — the Widest Korean-Language Release Since 'Parasite'

Neon will open Na Hong-jin's creature thriller Hope in roughly 1,500 U.S. theaters on September 9, giving a Korean-language film its widest domestic theatrical footprint since the distributor's own Parasite in 2019. Early-access screenings on September 7 will play across premium large-format venues — Dolby, 4DX, ScreenX, Barco HDR, D-BOX and Dolby Atmos — with several already sold out and strong presales reported in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin and San Francisco. (Variety)

Hope marks Na Hong-jin's return to feature directing after a ten-year hiatus; his previous films The Wailing (2016) and The Chaser (2008) established him as one of South Korea's most watched genre film-makers. The new film is set in Hope Harbor, an isolated coastal town terrorised by a mysterious creature, and it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival before going on to become one of South Korea's highest-grossing releases of the year. (Variety)

The cast spans continents. Hoyeon, Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Taylor Russell lead an international ensemble that also includes Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. Forged Films produced, with Plus M Entertainment and Westworld as co-producers; Plus M presents and distributes in South Korea while Neon handles North American theatrical. (Variety)

For Neon, the scale of the release fits a pattern. The studio has claimed the Palme d'Or at Cannes for seven consecutive years, most recently for Fjord, and earned 18 Oscar nominations this year — the second-most of any studio — with Sentimental Value winning Best International Film. Over nine years Neon has collected 57 Academy Award nominations total, including Best Picture wins for Anora and Parasite, the latter of which grossed $53.8 million in North America (domestic, meaning the United States and Canada). (Variety)

What makes the footprint notable is the gap it closes. No Korean-language film has reached this many U.S. screens since Parasite rode its 2020 Best Picture win to a $53.8 million domestic run — a benchmark that stood for seven years. Whether Hope can approach those numbers is a question for the box-office ledger, not the advance billing.

Variety's review of the film called it "featuring some of the most breathtakingly elegant action moviemaking of this or any year." (Variety) The judgement on whether it lives up to that belongs to audiences and critics once the film opens — but the early sell-outs across premium formats suggest the appetite is there.