The film "HOPE" topped the weekend box office, drawing over 1.5 million viewers nationwide.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie theater tickets on the 20th, "HOPE" drew 1,504,013 viewers nationwide from the 17th to the 19th. The cumulative number of viewers is 2,129,720.
Released on the 15th, "HOPE" surpassed 1 million viewers in 3 days and 2 million in 5 days, marking the fastest box office pace among films released this year.
Although opinions on the film have been divided since its early release, it is capturing the attention of audiences with its high level of buzz. Viewers are split between praise and criticism, which is stimulating the curiosity of potential audiences who have not yet seen the film.
"HOPE" is a blockbuster that invested over 50 billion won in production costs, a first for a Korean film. It was pre-sold to 200 countries worldwide at the Cannes Film Festival held last May, lowering its break-even point to the 7 million viewer range. Having drawn 2 million viewers in its first weekend, "HOPE" has turned on a green light toward surpassing its break-even point.
"HOPE" tells the story of Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min), the head of the Hopohang branch office located in the Demilitarized Zone, who hears news of a tiger sighting from local youths and encounters an unbelievable reality as the entire village goes on high alert. The film is directed by Na Hong-jin, who created "The Chaser" and "The Wailing," and stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Jung Hoyeon.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)