Director Na Hong-jin's massive new film "Hope" is holding firm at the top of the box office in its second week of release and is on the verge of surpassing 3 million admissions.
On the 25th, according to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing network, the film "Hope" drew 153,814 viewers on the 24th alone, pushing its total cumulative audience past 2.8 million.
Hope, which has held the No. 1 spot at the box office for 10 consecutive days since its release, has been drawing more than 100,000 viewers day after day on both weekdays and weekends, and is therefore expected to comfortably reach the 3 million mark by this weekend.
Director Na Hong-jin's new film "Hope" begins as Hompo Port branch office chief "Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min)"—stationed in the demilitarized zone—hears from local youths that a tiger has appeared, and the whole village is put on alert as they are confronted with an unbelievable reality.
Although early reviews among audiences were somewhat mixed, the film's overwhelming mise-en-scène, original action sequences and the powerful performances of trusted actors have generated word-of-mouth that has led to so-called "Nth viewings" enthusiasm.
However, a huge reef lies ahead of Hope's long-running success: the full-scale offensive of Hollywood tentpole movies with worldwide fandom is beginning. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," set to open on the 29th, was leading advance ticket sales with a 49.8% share as of 8 a.m. on the 25th, and advance bookings alone have topped 440,000, signaling explosive firepower.
On top of that, on Aug. 5 the master director Christopher Nolan's new film "Odyssey" will join the fray and seek a share of the box office. "Odyssey," which premiered in North America on the 17th, not only set the record for the biggest global opening but also earned early recognition for both artistic merit and popular appeal, scoring 95% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes and a 97% popcorn index. After the domestic preview on the 23rd, it received an outpouring of praise, and prospective audiences' expectations have reached a peak.
Accordingly, the key turning point for Hope's box office will likely be how it weathers the relentless onslaught of foreign films coming through early August.
Having demonstrated the strength of Korean cinema and reached the 3 million threshold, attention is focused on whether Hope can maintain its unshakable audience-drawing power amid fierce screen competition with major Hollywood releases and continue its box office run.
[Photo] Plus M Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures
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