The film "HOPE" has topped the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks, but a starting downward trend is raising concerns.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing computer network on the 27th, "HOPE" drew 767,365 viewers nationwide from the 24th to the 26th. Its cumulative audience stands at 3,415,709.
Considering that it drew 1.5 million viewers during its opening weekend, which coincided with the Constitution Day holiday (July 17–19), the second-week weekend audience dropped by more than 50%. This result indicates that the fierce debate and mixed reactions regarding the film in its early release period did not act as a box office boost.
"HOPE" is a project that invested approximately 60 billion won in production costs, the largest in Korean film history. Fortunately, it is known that the break-even point was lowered to around 5 million viewers through overseas pre-sales. Although box office figures of 7 to 8 million were expected before its release, as it enters its second week, it now seems it must fight desperately to surpass the break-even point.
While it secured a significant number of screens through its second week due to the absence of clear competing films, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is scheduled for release on the 29th, leading to expectations that a large number of screens will shift.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)