‘Hope,’ considered the most anticipated Korean film of 2026, has begun to heat up, recording an unusual pre-sale rate nine days before its release.

According to the Korean Film Council’s box office statistics on July 6, ‘Hope’ ranked first in both categories with a 44.7% pre-sale rate and 86,000 tickets reserved. As soon as pre-sales opened, it immediately surpassed the upcoming film ‘Moana’ and the current box office leader ‘Toy Story 5’ to take the top spot in both categories.

‘Hope’ tells the story of Beom-seok, the head of a branch office in Hopohang located in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The story begins when he hears news from local youths that a tiger has appeared, leading the entire village to go on high alert as they face an unbelievable reality. Having been invited to the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival and receiving attention from global media and critics, ‘Hope’ is set to officially meet domestic audiences in about a month and a half.

With high domestic expectations for the brand of director Na Hong-jin, combined with the premium effect of the Cannes Film Festival, the buzz surrounding ‘Hope’ has reached its peak. The film will be unveiled today (July 6) through a press and distribution screening.

The official release date for ‘Hope’ is July 15.



Reported by Kim Ji-hye | Produced by SBS Entertainment News