Of all the movies I saw at Cannes this year, the one that surprised me the most was Na Hong-jin’s Hope. While I wouldn’t quite call it the best movie I saw there, it probably was the most entertaining, as when you go to a festival like that, you don’t necessarily expect a movie with aliens, insane car chases, and shootouts to be on the menu—and going into the screening, the only info that had been revealed was a single still image. It’s a shame audiences worldwide didn’t get to have the same experience.
Neon picked up Hope for U.S. distribution, but sadly, it passed pretty much under the radar, making $8.1 million (although it’s still the third-highest-grossing Korean movie of all time domestically). It was a bigger hit in South Korea, with its worldwide box office at $46 million—although it remains to be seen if that will be enough to get the sequel they tease at the end of the movie made.
At any rate, if you missed Hope in theaters, it hits digital retailers today. If you’re waiting on a physical release, we have those details too, with it set for a December 22nd release. Sadly, only conventional Blu-ray has been announced so far—which is criminal, as this movie demands a 4K release. Here are the specs:
- DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
- Interview with writer and director Na Hong-jin
- Conversation with Na Hong-jin and Kim Jee-woon
- Conversation with Na Hong-jin and Bong Joon-ho
- Behind the Scenes of Hope — Featurette
- Original Teasers and Trailers
- Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for the main feature
While I’m happy it’s coming out on Blu-ray, I must admit that the lack of a 4K release is puzzling, making me think that someone else is going to put out a more elaborate version in the future. Perhaps your best bet is to either wait for streaming or maybe buy the digital release (which is in 4K) when it gets knocked down a bit in price.
Did you see Hope? Let us know what you thought.
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