Neon Secures Historic 1,500 Theater Opening for U.S. Release of Na Hong-Jin’s Hope

0 3 min 3 weeks

NEON announced today that HOPE, the latest from acclaimed Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin (The Wailing, The Chaser), will open in approximately 1,500 theaters across the U.S. on September 9th, making it the widest domestic theatrical footprint for a Korean-language film since NEON’s 2019 Academy Award-winning film PARASITE.

The release underscores NEON’s commitment to bringing Na Hong-jin’s epic to audiences at a blockbuster scale across major markets in the U.S. HOPE’s launch also cements NEON as a pioneer of securing expansive U.S. launches for strong Korean and foreign language cinema, with recent releases NO OTHER CHOICE and OLDBOY, introducing broader domestic audiences to some of the greatest auteurs from overseas and beyond.

Further bolstering the wide theatrical footprint, HOPE will present early access screenings across the country with several sold-out screenings already on September 7th in Premium Large Formats, including Dolby, 4DX, ScreenX, Barco HDR, D-BOX and Dolby Atmos. Presales are strong with participating theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, San Francisco, and more.

Tickets for the HOPE Early Access Event are on sale now. Purchase tickets HERE.

Featuring an international ensemble led by Squid Games star and Emmy Nominee Hoyeon, with Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender, HOPE has already become one of South Korea’s highest-grossing films of the year. The film world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it emerged as one of the festival’s most talked-about genre films.

Hailed by The New Yorker as “a jolt of pure, unfiltered blockbuster adrenaline” and by Variety as “the most breathtakingly elegant action moviemaking of this or any year,” HOPE marks Na Hong-jin’s return to feature filmmaking following a 10 year hiatus.

Written and directed by Na Hong-jin, HOPE is set in the remote South Korean village of Hope Harbor, a mysterious creature wreaks havoc. As police and local hunters set out to track the beast, they become the hunted, setting in motion a chain of events with devastating consequences.

The film is produced by Forged Films, co-produced by Plus M Entertainment and Westworld, and presented and distributed by Plus M Entertainment. NEON will release HOPE in theaters across North America on September 9, 2026.

Film Website: https://www.hopethemovie.film/

Socials: @hope.thefilm

About The Author

Avatar photo

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias to books to dictionaries to magazines. I’m also an avid television viewer, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD, earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked on red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my lifelong journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

See author's posts

News Movie News Movies

More Stories