HOPE, Na Hong-jin’s alien thriller, opened in U.S. cinemas on 1,560 screens over the weekend, with NEON backing a wide rollout. It debuted to about $3.3 million and ranked eighth on the domestic box office.
Unusually wide U.S. release for a Korean thriller
The opening weekend gross of $3.3 million placed HOPE at eighth on the box-office chart. It was essentially tied for seventh with Insidious: Out of the Further, which had $3.3 million in its fourth weekend. By comparison, The Uprising earned about $3.2 million and landed at number nine, while Runner opened to about $6.4 million at number four. Looking ahead, Zach Creger’s Resident Evil is slated to reach theaters in the coming weekend, creating a competitive environment for HOPE’s legs in North America.
Plot and cast
HOPE centers on a remote village in South Korea, where Chief Bum-seok and Officer Sung-ae are drawn into pursuing a mysterious creature. A nearby hunting party, with Sung-ki among its members, gives chase to the beast. The central mystery unfolds through shifting perceptions as the hunt develops.
HOPE is in theaters; early coverage has been positive.
