According to ticket sales data released by the Korean Film Council on Thursday, "Hope" drew about 333,000 moviegoers the previous day, marking the strongest opening of any Korean film released this year.
The impressive start surpassed director Yeon Sang-ho's "Colony," which had previously held this year's best opening-day record with nearly 200,000 admissions when it opened in late May.
The 160-minute film starring veteran actor Hwang Jung-min along with Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon revolves around a story set in a demilitarized border village where unidentified objects suddenly appear. The film also features Hollywood stars such as Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender and Taylor Russell.
It already generated much hype following its world premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May, marking Na's first feature-length film in nearly a decade since his 2016 hit "The Wailing."
The film's box-office momentum is expected to continue, with Hollywood animated film "Minions & Monsters" trailing far behind in second place with roughly 31,000 moviegoers, followed by Disney's musical adventure film "Moana" with 13,000.
With no immediate major contender in sight, "Hope" is likely to maintain its dominance at the early summer box office until Hollywood's highly anticipated "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" arrives later this month.
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