Neon announced Thursday that the Korean action film Hope will receive advance large-format screenings across the United States on September 7, with a subsequent wide theatrical release scheduled for September 9.
The premium-format event will take place at 175 locations in major markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Dallas. Screenings will be offered in six formats: Dolby Cinema, 4DX, ScreenX, Barco HDR, D-Box, and Dolby Atmos, with showtimes set for 6:30 p.m. The strategy parallels Neon’s earlier release approach for The Monkey, which generated strong word-of-mouth momentum leading to a $40 million domestic total.
Directed by Na Hong-jin in his first feature in approximately a decade, Hope is a monster action film set in the fictional border town of Hope Harbor near the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min as police chief Bum-seok and Hoyeon from Squid Game in a supporting role, alongside international talent including Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. The cinematography is handled by Hong Kyung-pyo, known for work on Parasite and Burning, while the score comes from Michael Abels, composer of Get Out and Nope.
The film generated notable attention at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and has already performed strongly in its South Korean domestic release, opening July 15 and earning $35 million to become the country’s third-largest release of the year. Plus M, the film’s backer and sales agent, pre-sold the title to approximately 200 territories at Cannes—a record for a Korean film—with deals reportedly recovering nearly half of the production budget prior to theatrical release. Na has indicated Hope was conceived as the opening installment of a potential franchise, with international distributors reportedly showing commitment to the project.
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