Director Na Hong-jin's new film 'Hope' has recorded the highest opening day box office performance among all films released this year, drawing 330,000 viewers.

According to data from the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie theater tickets on the 16th, 'Hope' attracted 333,918 viewers nationwide on its opening day, the 15th. This figure surpasses the record set by 'Colony' (199,759 viewers), which previously held the record for the highest opening score among this year's releases. It also exceeds the opening day performance of director Na Hong-jin's previous work, 'The Wailing' (310,000 viewers), which was released in 2017, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having signaled explosive box office potential by surpassing 600,000 in pre-sale tickets, 'Hope' demonstrated overwhelming audience turnout from its first day as expected, easily outpacing 'Minions & Monsters' (31,728 viewers), which was released on the same day. However, as audience satisfaction has been divided from the first day, concerns regarding word-of-mouth have begun to emerge.

'Hope' tells the story that begins when Beom-seok, the head of a police substation in Hopohang located in the Demilitarized Zone, hears news from local youths about the appearance of a tiger, leading to an unbelievable reality as the entire village goes on high alert. It is the first new film in 10 years from director Na Hong-jin, known for 'The Chaser', 'The Yellow Sea', and 'The Wailing', and stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, and Alicia Vikander.

(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)