'Hope' breaks 3 mil. admissions, tops weekend box office

A scene from sci-fi film "Hope" / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

The sci-fi epic "Hope" extended its chart-topping run on the weekend box-office chart in Korea, drawing more than 3 million admissions since its release earlier this month, data showed Monday.

The Korean film added 767,365 admissions over the weekend, bringing its total admissions to 3,415,709 as of Sunday, according to the data released by the Korean Film Council, which compiles admissions from Friday through Sunday for its weekend chart.

"Hope," which competed at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this year, follows police officers and villagers in the remote coastal town of Hopo as they become embroiled in a series of spiraling events after encountering powerful yet mysterious extraterrestrial beings.

Marking director Na Hong-jin's return a decade after "The Wailing" (2016), it features a star-studded cast, including Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon, as well as Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

Two other Korean films reached the top 10 on the weekend chart, with the mystery thriller "The Eyes" starring Shin Min-a ranking sixth and the zombie blockbuster "Colony" coming in at No. 9.

Hollywood animated films performed strongly, with "Minions & Monsters" and "Toy Story 5" placing No. 2 and No. 4, respectively. The Hollywood live-action "Moana," a remake of the 2016 Disney animation, ranked third.