Hope: What Korea’s Most Expensive Monster Blockbuster Teaches the Spanish Film Industry

Na Hong-jin’s new film, released in Spain on October 30, is the most expensive production in the history of Korean cinema. With Hollywood stars in its cast and a wide US release, it shows that a non-English-speaking industry can compete in big-budget genre filmmaking. That is a lesson worth considering for Spanish producers.

Hope opened in Spanish theaters on October 30, released by Mubi and BTeam Pictures. Before that, it had its world premiere in competition at Cannes on May 17, then screened in the Perlak section of the San Sebastián Film Festival and at Sitges. It is the fourth film by Na Hong-jin, director of The Chaser, The Yellow Sea and The Wailing, and his first in ten years.

The story is set in Hope Harbor, a coastal town in South Korea whose residents face an unknown threat. The local police chief and a group of hunters set out to track down the creature and end up becoming the prey. The film runs 160 minutes.

The Most Expensive Film in Korean History

Hope is considered the most expensive production in South Korea’s history. Reported figures vary: IndieWire puts the budget at around ₩50 billion, close to $33 million, while Inverse reports nearly ₩100 billion, about $74 million. The director has said he never set out to break that record.

The project has been a long one:

  • Development: Na Hong-jin came up with the idea around 2017.
  • Shooting: filming began in 2023.
  • Post-production: it lasted nearly three years, mainly due to the visual effects.

The visual effects have been the most debated aspect of the film. After criticism at Cannes, the director kept refining the creatures, and he has acknowledged the difficulty of integrating digital effects into action scenes shot in broad daylight. He even described the Cannes version as a halfway point before the final cut.

A Cast Built for the International Market

Hope is produced by Forged Films, Na Hong-jin’s production company, and Plus M Entertainment. The cast combines Korean stars — Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Hoyeon, known for Squid Game — with Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton.

That mix has opened doors in several markets:

  • South Korea: it opened on July 15 and grossed nearly $40 million.
  • United States: Neon released it on September 9 on around 1,500 screens, a very wide release for a Korean-language film. It grossed $3.5 million in its opening weekend.
  • Spain: it drew 42,653 viewers and €324,545 in its first week.

What the Spanish Industry Can Learn

Hope shows that non-English-language genre filmmaking can have blockbuster ambitions and find an audience in the United States. That is also territory for the Spanish industry, which has recently given several signs of its ability to travel:

  • La Bola Negra, by Los Javis, secured a North American rights deal with Netflix after Cannes and is Spain’s submission for the Oscars.
  • Collision Course, Daniel Sánchez Arévalo’s thriller, was Netflix’s second most-watched non-English film worldwide in its opening week.

The Korean case also offers useful warnings:

  • A record budget does not guarantee a technically flawless result.
  • A three-year post-production can drive up costs and stretch timelines.
  • Planning visual effects and financing from the outset is as important as casting.

For producers looking to develop genre films with international ambitions, Spain offers:

  • Tax incentives: 30% under the general regime, up to 54% in the Canary Islands and up to 60% in the Basque Country, depending on each territory’s conditions.
  • Genre experience: a well-established genre tradition and a festival like Sitges, an international showcase for the genre.
  • Experienced crews: professionals with a track record on international productions.

At Soul Pictures, we develop and produce feature films and series with international appeal, and our Action Unit works with stunt coordinators with long careers in Hollywood. If you are developing a genre project and looking for a production partner in Spain, talk to our team.