Korea Box Office: Na Hong-Jin’s ‘Hope’ Holds Firm at No. 1 as Market Slows

Science-fiction thriller “Hope” maintained its powerful grip on the top spot at the South Korean box office during the weekend of Jul. 24–26.

According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the big-budget film generated $5.5 million from 767,366 admissions over the three-day window, securing a commanding 66.8% share of total market revenue.

Directed by Na Hong-Jin, the film features an ensemble cast led by Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, and Alicia Vikander. The narrative chronicles the desperate struggle for survival in a secluded harbor town after residents discover a mysterious alien entity on their outskirts. Following its record-setting opening frame, the local tentpole has now accumulated a gross of $25.3 million from 3,415,707 total viewers.

“Minions & Monsters” was in second place, pulling in $793,103 from 117,916 admissions over the weekend. The film has lifted its cumulative total to $3.9 million from 562,965 total ticket buyers since its Jul. 15 debut.

Disney’s live-action musical adaptation “Moana” took third place in its third weekend of release, collecting $593,187 from 87,033 admissions. The Pacific island adventure has reached an overall haul of $6.6 million from 909,270 admissions.

“Toy Story 5” took fourth place, bringing in $376,522 from 53,975 ticket buyers. The animation is now nearing the $20 million mark in South Korea, boasting a local cumulative total of $19.8 million from 2,837,123 viewers since its mid-June launch.

Faith-based animated production “David” claimed fifth place, adding $302,409 from 46,493 admissions over the frame. The biblical story of the shepherd boy turned king has pushed its local cume to $1.4 million from 220,351 viewers.

Local psychological thriller “The Eyes” placed sixth, generating $269,004 from 37,141 admissions. Directed by Yeom Ji-ho and starring Shin Min-ah and Kim Nam-hee, the Korean remake of the Spanish thriller “Julia’s Eyes” has a gross of $10.6 million from 1,511,619 ticket buyers.

Japanese anime feature “Dream Animals The Movie” debuted in seventh place, drawing $92,720 from 15,300 admissions over its opening weekend. Directed by Hitoshi Takekiyo and based on Ginbis’s popular long-selling animal biscuit brand, the animated adventure follows the colorful biscuit characters on a fantasy journey. Including previews, the title has earned $148,892 from 24,404 viewers.

Josh Safdie’s table tennis comedy-drama “Marty Supreme,” starring Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow, took eighth place with a weekend gross of $37,623, bringing its total local cume to $923,581.

Showbox’s action-horror hit “Colony,” directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Ji Chang-wook, took ninth place with $27,867, lifting its lifetime haul to $42.6 million from 5,949,979 total admissions since its May 21 rollout.

Rounding out the top 10 was thehorror feature “Hokum,” which opened to $22,398 from 3,322 admissions over the frame. Since its Jul. 22 launch, the film has collected $50,203 from 7,972 viewers.

The overall market collective gross for the weekend was $8.2 million, plummeting from last week’s $17.1 million.