Two major Korean films secure record-breaking pre-sales at the world's top festival; Park Chan-wook's next project draws bidding war on the Marché

Director Na Hong-jin and the cast of Hope (provided by Edaily)

Korean cinema reaffirmed its presence in the global marketplace at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival — independent of awards outcomes. This year, Na Hong-jin's Hope and Yeon Sang-ho's Colony each generated substantial international pre-sales and strong on-the-ground reception, demonstrating their commercial viability on the world stage. Park Chan-wook's upcoming feature The Brigands of Rattlecreek — with the director serving as jury president — further drew significant attention on the Marché du Film, rounding out a year in which Korean cinema made its mark not only in programming, but in distribution, sales, and investment negotiations.

Na Hong-jin's sci-fi action blockbuster Hope completed pre-sales to approximately 200 territories ahead of and around Cannes, setting what sales company Plus M Entertainment described as an all-time record for overseas pre-sales of a Korean film. Major markets secured include North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Latin America, and Japan, among others. Plus M Entertainment stated that pre-sales alone recovered close to half of the film's net production cost before its domestic release. International trade press assessed Hope as a work that once again demonstrated the global expansion potential of Korean genre cinema. With overseas market interest firmly established, director Na Hong-jin indicated he would devote the remaining time before the film's July domestic release to post-production.

Yeon Sang-ho's virus thriller Colony had already completed pre-sales to more than 120 territories prior to its Cannes premiere, with key markets including North America, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and Japan. That level of international interest was borne out at the screening itself: the Midnight Screening was met with approximately seven minutes of sustained applause, and distributor Showbox reported receiving requests at the Marché du Film from buyers asking for more films like Colony.

Also drawing considerable attention at the Marché was The Brigands of Rattlecreek, the next feature from Park Chan-wook — who attended Cannes in his capacity as jury president. International sales company 193 operated its market presence independently, outside the Palais des Festivals, using an unreleased poster to generate buyer interest. 193 is reported to be in negotiations with Warner Bros.' specialty label Clockwork for North American distribution rights.

Sources

• The Hollywood Reporter, "Na Hong-Jin's 'Hope' Sets Sales Record for Korean Film," 2026.05.29

• Edaily, "Na Hong-jin's Hope Draws No Award at Cannes, But Tops Charts in Buzz," 2026.05.25

• XSports News, "Masters Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho Introduce New Projects at Cannes — Making Waves Without Official Selections," 2026.05.25

• XSports News, "Jun Ji-hyun and Ji Chang-wook at Cannes — Colony Rides K-Pop-Level Fandom: This Is K-Movie," 2026.05.25

Kookmin Ilbo, "Na Hong-jin's Hope: No Award, But Overwhelming Buzz," 2026.05.25

• XSports News, "Na Hong-jin Still in Post-Production — Hope Falls Short at Cannes, But Buzz Is Unmatched," 2026.05.25

• Screen Daily, "Yeon Sang-ho Virus Thriller Colony Sold to More Than 120 Territories Ahead of Cannes Premiere," 2026.05.12