Neon will release Na Hong-Jin‘s “Hope” in some 1,500 U.S. theaters starting Sept. 9, marking the widest domestic theatrical footprint for a Korean-language film since the studio’s 2019 Best Picture winner “Parasite.” The rollout builds on Neon’s recent pattern of securing expansive U.S. launches for Korean and other international-language titles, including “No Other Choice” and “Oldboy,” bringing filmmakers the studio considers among world cinema’s strongest auteurs to wider domestic audiences. Ahead of the wide bow, “Hope” will screen in early access showings on Sept. 7 across several premium large-format setups – among them Dolby, 4DX, ScreenX, Barco HDR and D-BOX venues, plus Dolby Atmos sound presentations. Several of those screenings have already sold out, and presales are strong in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin and San Francisco, among other markets.
Tickets for the early access event are on sale now. The film has already become one of South Korea’s highest-grossing releases of the year and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it emerged as one of the festival’s most talked-about genre entries. The Variety review described it as “featuring some of the most breathtakingly elegant action moviemaking of this or any year.” “Hope” marks Na Hong-Jin’s return to feature filmmaking after a 10-year hiatus; the director is previously known for “The Wailing” and “The Chaser.” The story unfolds in Hope Harbor, an isolated coastal town in South Korea, after a mysterious creature begins terrorizing residents.
Police and local hunters set out to track the animal down, only to find themselves the ones being hunted, touching off a chain of events with devastating consequences. Plus M Entertainment presents and distributes the film, with Neon handling its North American theatrical release beginning Sept. 9. Neon has earned 57 Academy Award nominations in nine years, including Best Picture wins for “Anora” and “Parasite,” which earned $53.8 million in North America.
The studio received 18 Oscar nominations this year, the second-most of any motion picture studio, with “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent” both nominated for Best Picture and “Sentimental Value” winning Best International Film. Neon has also taken home the Palme d’Or from Cannes for seven consecutive years, most recently for “Fjord.”
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