Na Hong-Jin’s Cannes Competition Title ‘Hope’ Has Strong Opening At Korean Box Office
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- Hope passed 2 million admissions on its five-day opening weekend after opening July 15, faster than any film released in Korea this year, per Korean Film Council (KOFIC) data.
- Hope outpaced The King's Warden (which sold 16.9 million tickets to become the highest-grossing Korean film of all time) and Yeon Sang-ho's Colony to reach the 2 million benchmark.
- The Korean government issued $3.90 (KRW 6,000) discount coupons one week before Hope's release, bolstering the opening weekend turnout alongside the three-day Constitution Day holiday.
- Hope is billed as the most expensive Korean film ever and would need to sell roughly 20 million tickets to break even in theaters alone, though it has secured presales in around 200 overseas territories.
- Distributed by Plus M Entertainment, part of JoongAng Group, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection — putting unusually high stakes on Hope's theatrical run.
- Audiences are split: 53% gave Hope a 9 or 10 rating on Naver, while roughly a quarter criticized the lack of world-building, heavy profanity, and ambiguous ending — a pattern echoing Na's polarizing 2016 film The Wailing.
- Hope stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, and Alicia Vikander, and premiered in competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Why it matters: Plus M Entertainment's parent JoongAng Group recently filed for bankruptcy protection, and Hope needs roughly 20 million tickets to break even — so despite the fastest 2-million-admission opening of any Korean film this year, the distributor needs sustained turnout at roughly 10x what it achieved in its first five days to stay solvent.
