Michael Fassbender’s $46 Million Sci-Fi Epic Is Officially Off to a Rough Start at the Box Office
The South Korean-produced sci-fi film "Hope", featuring Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell alongside Korean stars including Jung Ho-yeon, has debuted weakly at the North American box office despite critical acclaim and a strong run in its home market. Directed by Na Hong-jin and produced on a reported $46 million budget, the film opened in around 1,500 US theatres but managed only about $3.3 million in its first domestic weekend, landing in eighth place on the chart.
The film premiered in competition at Cannes and holds an 80% "Certified Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its production design, yet this has not translated into ticket sales domestically. It had already grossed more than $35 million in South Korea, and its global total currently stands at around $41 million. The comparison being drawn is to Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer, a similarly budgeted, similarly cast English-language Korean co-production from 13 years ago that went on to earn $86 million worldwide. Elsewhere at the box office, Spider-Man: Brand New Day lost the top spot to Practical Magic 2 after six weeks at number one but is on track to become the highest-grossing film ever in North America, while Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey passed $600 million domestically to become Universal's biggest release.
- Sci-fi film "Hope" opened weakly with just $3.3 million domestically
- Critically acclaimed (80% on Rotten Tomatoes) but underperforming financially in the US
- Comparisons drawn to Snowpiercer, which fared better despite a similar budget
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