Hong Sangsoo's 'The Day She Returns' Heads to U.S. Cinemas From December 15
Cinema Guild will bring Hong Sangsoo's black-and-white film 'The Day She Returns' to U.S. cinemas, opening on Dec. 15 at Acropolis in Los Angeles, Variety reported on 12 November 2026.
The film opens at New York's Metrograph on Dec. 18. Cinema Guild handles distribution in the United States and Canada, and it plans to widen the release across the country in January. The company will show the film as a double bill with Hong's 2011 feature 'The Day He Arrives', which is also shot in black and white.
Hong wrote, directed and produced 'The Day She Returns'. He also worked as its cinematographer, editor and composer. Song Sunmi takes the first credit in a cast that includes Cho Yunhee, Park Miso, Kim Sunjin, Kang Soyi, Oh Yunsu, Ha Seongguk and Shin Seokho. Jeonwonsa Film Co. produced the film, and Finecut handles its sales to buyers outside Korea.
The film competed in the Berlin competition, the main race at the Berlin International Film Festival. For Hong, it was his ninth invitation to that competition. Berlin is one of the big markets where sales agents and buyers meet, and many films reach cinemas a year or two after their festival debut. This film has also been selected for the Hong Kong, Shanghai and Melbourne festivals, along with the New York Film Festival, AFI Fest and the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
Hong has been a steady presence on the festival circuit. He made his debut in 1996 with 'The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well', and he has since completed 35 features. He has another 2026 title as well, 'Nowhere to Lay My Eyes'. 'The Day He Arrives' premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2011, which is why the older film is part of the pairing.
For audiences, the release gives American viewers a chance to see two films by the same director, made 15 years apart, in the same sitting. The December dates fall in the run-up to the year's end, when cinemas in major cities often add smaller titles to their schedules. The January expansion will decide how far the film travels beyond the big cities in its opening weeks.
