[Weekend Movie Theater Roundup] Film “Hope” sprints to No. 1 at the box office for 9 straight days… topping 3 million weekend admissions

“Hope” inches past 3 million… Na Hong-jin’s alien thriller takes over theaters

Director Na Hong-jin’s new film “Hope” has held on to the top spot in the domestic box office for the ninth day since its release, cementing its status as an unchallenged force on weekend theater screens.

According to data from the Integrated Computer Network for Movie Tickets as of the 24th, “Hope” drew about 115,000-plus viewers the previous day and kept its No. 1 ranking firmly in place with an overwhelming sales share of 64.8%. Since opening on the 15th, the cumulative admissions have reached about 2.647 million, and starting this weekend, it is widely expected to reach the “3 million admissions” milestone without much trouble.

Built around a powerhouse cast lineup featuring Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon, “Hope” shines a spotlight on a brutal showdown between an unknown life form and residents in a village near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) around Hopo Port. Action sequences packed with impact, “alien-life CG” rendered with meticulous detail, and black-comedy elements that shift and vary under extreme tension are driving a wide range of conversations among viewers. The “CGV Egg Index”, which reflects current audience satisfaction, recorded 83%, proving its hot-topic appeal as opinions diverge.

Meanwhile, the box office No. 2 spot went to the animation “Minions & Monsters”, which pulled in about 16,000 viewers (sales share of 8.7%). Following it, the live-action project “Moana”, based on the namesake animation, placed third with about 13,000 viewers, while the mystery thriller “Eendongja”, starring Shin Min-a, landed at No. 4 after recording about 9,000.

A shakeup looms for theaters… Marvel hero returns with Christopher Nolan

From next week, a major shakeup in the theater box-office landscape is coming into view. As of 9 a.m. on the 24th, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”, a Marvel tentpole movie scheduled to hit theaters on the 29th, surged to the overall No. 1 spot by hitting a reservation rate of 49.8%. With more than about 398,000 pre-booked viewers already, it is setting expectations for a box-office surge.

The previous No. 1 “Hope” slid to No. 2 with a reservation rate of 25.0% (200,000 reservations), signaling a fierce two-way race. In addition, “Odyssey”, a massive sci-fi epic directed by Christopher Nolan, whose release next month on the 5th was confirmed, also ranked third with a reservation rate of 11.0% (about 88,000 people), completing the puzzle of a three-way showdown at theaters in the second half of the year.