[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] “It felt like riding a roller coaster for 156 minutes. Since the seats were moving nonstop, the action felt much more vivid.”

On the 22nd, at the 4DX theater in CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. As the screening of the film “Hope” ended, the audience that had filled the theater began to file out one by one. Although it was a weekday afternoon, the theater was nearly full. Kim Mi-jeong, a woman in her 40s who was watching the film for the second time, said, “The seats moved constantly from the very beginning, so it felt like riding a roller coaster,” adding, “During the chase scenes in the second half, I felt like I was right in the middle of the movie.” Oh Hyeon-jae, a man in his 30s, also said, “This was the most satisfying 4DX experience I’ve had since ‘F1: The Movie.’” He added, “I truly felt the action that Director Na Hong-jin emphasized. It was a rare movie where I didn’t feel like I wasted my money.”
“Hope” continues to be a hit not only in standard theaters but also in special-format theaters. According to CGV on the 23rd, both ScreenX (multi-screen format) and 4DX (4-dimensional movie screening system) seat occupancy rates reached approximately 40% during the film’s opening week. This figure is more than double the average seat occupancy rate (approximately 20%) for special-format screenings of films released this year. Theaters combining ScreenX and 4DX showed high popularity, with occupancy rates approaching 50%.
Ticket sales momentum also continues. For the screening on the 1st of next month at the CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall 4DX theater, the seat sales rate has already exceeded 90%. Analysts note that the film’s box office success is being supported by high ticket sales not only in standard theaters but also in special-format theaters.

This popularity is closely tied to the film’s genre characteristics. “Hope” features action and chase scenes set against vast natural landscapes, which make up a significant portion of the film. In ScreenX, the screen extends to the left and right walls, maximizing the sense of space, while 4DX adds environmental effects such as motion chairs, vibrations, and wind, further enhancing the sense of speed and realism in car chases and gunfight action sequences. Analysts note that the strengths of special-format theaters are highlighted even more in large-scale productions.
Recently, the theater industry has been strengthening the competitiveness of special-format theaters—such as ScreenX, 4DX, and IMAX—to differentiate itself from online video services (OTT). This strategy aims to draw audiences back to theaters by highlighting immersive viewing experiences that are difficult to replicate at home. Industry observers note that “Hope” is establishing itself as a representative box-office hit for special-format theaters that exemplifies this trend.
A theater industry official stated, “For films like *Hope*, which feature large-scale action, the level of satisfaction experienced in special-format theaters is high, resulting in higher occupancy rates than for standard films,” adding, “Nowadays, it is not just the film itself but the viewing experience unique to theaters that has become a key factor determining box office success.”