Neon Sets Early Premium-Format Release for Na Hong-jin’s ‘Hope’ (Exclusive)
Neon has announced an early premium-format release for Na Hong-jin's monster epic Hope, giving the acclaimed Korean director's latest film a high-profile theatrical push in the United States. Large-format screenings will run on 7 September at 175 premium cinemas across cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas, two days ahead of the film's wide release on 9 September, echoing the strategy Neon used for last year's The Monkey, which built strong word of mouth ahead of a $40 million domestic haul.
The one-night screening event, at 6:30pm, will span six formats including Dolby Cinema, 4DX, ScreenX, Barco HDR, D-Box and Dolby Atmos. Hope, which premiered at Cannes to strong reviews, is Na's first feature in roughly a decade and follows a police chief and his deputy hunting a monster terrorising a fictional town near the Korean DMZ; the cast includes Hwang Jung-min, Hoyeon and Zo In-sung, alongside supporting turns from Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton. The film has already earned $35 million since opening in South Korea on 15 July, making it the country's third-biggest domestic release of the year, and Na has conceived it as the potential first instalment of a franchise.
In short
- Neon to give Na Hong-jin's Hope early premium-format US screenings
- One-night event on 7 September across 175 cinemas, six formats
- Film has already earned $35 million in South Korea since July
Explained simply
Na Hong-jin is a South Korean film-maker known for tense crime and horror stories. Hope is his first feature film in about a decade, and centres on a police chief and deputy investigating a monster in a fictional town near the border between North and South Korea.
The story draws attention to the Korean DMZ, the heavily guarded strip of land separating the two countries, and to the film’s mix of South Korean and international actors. Its cinema release is also notable because it is being presented in several premium formats, which offer different screen, sound or seat effects.