‘Hope’ Beats ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ on Opening Day in a Huge U.S. Box Office Win

Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin is back, and his new movie ‘Hope’ is already making a serious impact at the U.S. box office. The creature thriller opened in American theaters with a result that is especially impressive considering what it is up against. On its first day, the film actually earned more than ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ despite playing on far fewer screens.

According to box office reports, ‘Hope’ made around $1.1 million on Wednesday, September 9. The movie opened in roughly 1,500 to 1,560 theaters across the country, giving it the widest U.S. release ever for a Korean-language movie since ‘Parasite.’ That makes the result even more notable, as ‘Hope’ is a three-hour, subtitled genre movie going against a major superhero film from one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises.

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ had the advantage of a much larger theater count, yet ‘Hope’ still managed to beat its opening-day total from the previous day. It is the kind of result that could give Neon, the studio handling the U.S. release, plenty of reason to be happy about its decision to give the movie such a big theatrical push.

The success did not come completely out of nowhere. ‘Hope’ has already made noise in South Korea, where it opened on July 15. The movie reportedly earned around $2.5 million from more than 333,000 admissions that day, making it the biggest single-day opening of 2026 in the country. It has since become one of South Korea’s biggest movies of the year and is also reportedly the most expensive Korean film ever made.

The movie comes from Na Hong-jin, the director behind the highly praised 2016 horror movie ‘The Wailing.’ Na had not released a feature film for nearly a decade before returning with ‘Hope,’ which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie received a six-minute standing ovation at Cannes, although reactions from critics were far from unanimous.

‘Hope’ takes place in a small coastal community near the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The residents of Hope Harbor suddenly find themselves dealing with a mysterious creature, turning the quiet town into a dangerous hunting ground. Hwang Jung-min plays police chief Bum-seok, while Jung Ho-yeon stars as officer Sung-ae. Zo In-sung also plays one of the hunters trying to track down the creature.

The international cast is another major part of the movie’s appeal. Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton are also featured, with their characters becoming connected to the strange mystery at the center of the story. The mix of Korean and international stars gives ‘Hope’ a much larger feel than a typical local creature movie.

Neon also gave the film a special preview before the main release. On September 7, the distributor held an early screening event in 175 premium theaters around the U.S. Audiences could see the movie in formats including Dolby Cinema, 4DX, and ScreenX. Reports said several of those screenings sold out, suggesting that interest was already building before the official opening.

The movie’s strong start could also have an impact on what happens next. Na has already revealed that he has ideas for continuing the story. Speaking with TheWrap at Cannes, the director said, “When you watch the film, you can readily imagine a sequel.” He added, “There’s a script that’s already been written, and if I have an opportunity, I’d love to make a sequel if possible.”

For now, the focus is on whether ‘Hope’ can keep its momentum throughout the weekend. Its opening-day performance has already given the film an impressive headline, especially after beating a major Marvel movie at the daily box office. If audiences continue showing up, Na Hong-jin’s long-awaited return could become one of the biggest Korean film success stories in the U.S. this year.

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