A still from "Hope" [Plus M Entertainment]
A still from "Hope" [Plus M Entertainment]

Director Na Hong-jin's new film "Hope" is on a blistering box office run, surpassing 3 million admissions on its 11th day in theaters.

According to distributor Plus M Entertainment, "Hope" crossed the 3 million admissions mark Saturday afternoon, its 11th day of release.

Since opening July 15, "Hope" has held the No. 1 spot at the box office through Friday, reaching 1 million admissions on its third day and 2 million on its fifth — the fastest pace of any domestic release this year.

However, weekday attendance slowed this week to around 100,000 per day, down from the 200,000–300,000 range seen last week.

As a result, "Hope" reached the 3 million mark one day later than "Colony," director Yeon Sang-ho's zombie film that had set the record as the fastest domestic release this year to hit that milestone, doing so on its 10th day.

Only four films released this year have surpassed 3 million admissions: "Hope," "The King's Warden," "Colony" and "Salmokji."

As of 2 p.m. Saturday, "Hope" ranked second in advance ticket sales with about 230,000 reservations and a 26 percent share, trailing "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which opens Wednesday and has already sold about 440,000 tickets for a 48 percent share.

"Hope" follows the chaos that erupts when an unidentified extraterrestrial creature appears near a fictional port town close to the demilitarized zone. It is Na's first film in 10 years since "The Wailing" (2016), with actors Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon taking on intense action roles.

Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell also appear in the film.


balme@heraldcorp.com