Overview
- Neon announced a U.S. release for Hope in roughly 1,500 theaters with a wide opening on Wednesday, Sept. 9, making it the largest North American footprint for a Korean‑language film since Parasite.
- The studio is staging premium early-access screenings on Monday, Sept. 7 in formats such as Dolby, 4DX, ScreenX, Barco HDR, D‑BOX, and Dolby Atmos, and several of those shows have already sold out with strong presales in major cities.
- Early critical coverage describes the film as a startling, kinetic opening act that loses momentum later, with reviewers praising the first 40–50 minutes while calling the middle and final stretches draggy.
- Critics consistently point to visible problems with the film’s visual effects and pace; the North American runtime is reported at about 156–160 minutes and Na reportedly trimmed roughly four minutes after the Cannes premiere.
- Neon’s aggressive release mirrors its past strategy for Korean auteurs and, with Na saying a sequel script exists, the campaign could test whether Hope becomes a commercially viable franchise and broadens global audiences for Korean cinema.