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.