[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] "There might not be a sequel to this movie."

With just one day to go before its release, the film industry’s attention toward “Hope” (HOPE) is quite different from that of other highly anticipated films. People are saying it’s not just “a movie that would be nice if it does well,” but rather “a movie that absolutely must do well.”

This is because the film’s distributor is Plus M Entertainment (Plus M), which is teetering on the brink of collapse due to the corporate rehabilitation proceedings of its parent company, Megabox Joongang. Although Plus M is a major distributor that has produced box office hits such as the “The Outlaws” series and “Spring in Seoul,” it now faces an existential crisis following its parent company’s entry into rehabilitation proceedings.

An official from the film distribution company said, “There is a sense of crisis spreading throughout the film industry that ‘Hope’ might be the last film Plus M presents to audiences.”

◇Even Master Filmmakers Lend Their Support… Plus M’s “All-Out Effort” on the Brink
With a sense of impending doom hanging in the air just one day before the release, a Plus M official said, “Everyone—from executives and staff to the director and actors—is racing as fiercely as the chase scenes in the movie.”

In fact, despite its dire financial situation, Plus M appears to be pouring all its resources into “Hope” as if its very survival depended on it. Even amid the worst liquidity crisis, the company is waging an all-out campaign to ignite the spark of domestic box office success.

Some of South Korea’s most renowned directors have also joined the effort. A special “relay GV” (Q&A with the audience) featuring leading Korean directors such as Lee Chang-dong, Bong Joon-ho, and Jang Jae-hyun has been announced, generating buzz among movie fans.

“Untact Talk” (a Cinema Talk program featuring commentary by film critic Lee Dong-jin), which drew rave reviews from the critic and sold out repeatedly, will return to audiences for three days from the 17th to the 19th as the “Lee Dong-jin x Director Na Hong-jin Encore Untact Talk,” thanks to the enthusiastic support of moviegoers.

The actors’ schedules have also become busier. Lead actors Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon have announced a large-scale tour of theaters nationwide immediately following the film’s release. The tour is scheduled to run for three weeks, beginning in Seoul during the opening week.

In response to Plus M’s tireless efforts, a spontaneous movement has emerged among movie fans, with many saying, “I definitely have to watch ‘Hope’ for Plus M’s sake.”

◇ Advance ticket sales surpass 500,000… Third highest since the COVID-19 pandemic
“Hope” is a blockbuster with a production budget of approximately 70 billion won. This budget is among the highest ever for a Korean film. This is due not only to the construction of large-scale sets in the Haenam area of South Jeolla Province but also to the extensive visual effects (VFX) work involved.

Furthermore, the prevailing view is that the actual production costs likely increased even further, as director Na Hong-jin repeatedly made adjustments to the computer graphics (CG) right up until the film’s release to achieve perfect visuals.

The film industry has high hopes for this blockbuster. Film critic Yoon Seong-eun described “Hope” as “unconditional hope,” emphasizing, “Only when a blockbuster of this scale crosses the break-even point will capital circulate in the market to fund future projects, creating a virtuous cycle that brings audiences back to theaters.”

It’s off to a good start. According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network on the 14th, “Hope” has surpassed 500,000 advance tickets sold. Its real-time ticket reservation rate stands at 65.8%, the highest among films released this year.

Among Korean films released since the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the third to surpass 500,000 advance tickets sold, following *The Roundup 4* (approximately 834,000 tickets) and *The Roundup 3* (640,638 tickets).

Given that both of those films were blockbusters that helped Plus M achieve “10 million viewers,” all eyes are on whether this film will once again reach the 10-million milestone.