Na Hong-jin, Nolan, Marvel: Summer blockbuster season is back

Summer blockbuster season has returned to Korean cinemas.

The season kicks off Wednesday with the opening of director Na Hong-jin's new film "Hope," the first in a string of major releases set to ignite a fierce box-office battle. From Hollywood, Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey" is generating strong buzz, with the director and cast planning visits to Korea ahead of its release. With each film carrying the weight of a master filmmaker's reputation, this summer's multiplex landscape promises to be an especially intense battleground.

"Hope" is the first film to raise the curtain on this summer's blockbuster season — and in effect the only major Korean release of the summer. That marks a dramatic drop from past summers, when at least three or four homegrown tentpoles would compete for audiences. The atmosphere is strikingly different from last summer, when films including "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" and "Zombie Daughter" entered the fray.

"Hope" is Na Hong-jin's first film in a decade, following "The Wailing" (2016), and the industry is counting on it to live up to its title by reviving a sluggish theatrical market. The production cost exceeded 50 billion won ($33.2 million) — the largest ever for a Korean film — and pre-sales to more than 200 countries before its opening set a new record for Korean cinema, raising expectations for its commercial prospects.

Set in a fictional demilitarized-zone village called Hopohang, "Hope" is a science-fiction film following the desperate struggle of villagers confronting an unimaginable reality. The Korean cast includes Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon, alongside Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell. The film screened as a world premiere in the main competition section of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival in May — the first Korean film invited to compete there in four years.

In a recent interview, Na said the release still felt surreal. "It doesn't feel real that I'm finally presenting this work. So much happened over such a long time, and I gave everything I had until the very end," he said. "Attempting a sci-fi film was exciting in itself. I'm curious, nervous and genuinely interested to see how audiences will receive it."

Two of Hollywood's most anticipated films of the year arrive in quick succession: "Odyssey," made on a budget of around 360 billion won, and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."

Christopher Nolan — who has built a devoted following in Korea with films including "Memento" (2000), "The Dark Knight" (2008), "Inception" (2010), "Interstellar" (2014) and "Oppenheimer" (2023) — returns next month with "Odyssey." The most expensive film of his career, it is a blockbuster adaptation of Homer's ancient epic, tracing the 10-year journey of Odysseus, the hero who led the Greeks to victory in the Trojan War, as he overcomes the trials of the gods to return home to Ithaca.

The cast is equally formidable, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Charlize Theron. Ahead of the opening, Nolan, Damon and Theron are scheduled to visit Korea to meet fans in person — Nolan's first trip to the country.

Anticipation is already running high. When advance ticket sales for "Odyssey" opened Thursday morning, a rush of moviegoers trying to secure the best seats caused delays on multiplex websites and apps.

Nolan called "Odyssey" "a vast story and a truly fascinating challenge," while Damon said it is "the biggest and most ambitious film I've ever been a part of."

Before "Odyssey" arrives, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" opens July 29 — the franchise's first installment in five years since "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

The film follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as he navigates a completely transformed life after being erased from the memories of everyone he loves. The story centers on Parker facing a new threat to protect those closest to him, even as the emergence of an enemy who remembers his true identity and an uncontrollable power triggered by a DNA mutation plunge him into deeper chaos.

The Spider-Man franchise has an unbroken box-office record in Korea, and "Brand New Day" is widely expected to continue that streak. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017) drew 7.25 million admissions, while "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019) and "No Way Home" drew 8.02 million and 7.55 million respectively — meaning the entire series has accumulated more than 20 million admissions in Korea alone.

Holland said of the new film: "I genuinely believe we've made the best version of a Spider-Man movie that has ever been made."

As summer draws to a close, the lineup of films targeting the Chuseok holiday season is also taking shape.

CJ ENM confirmed Thursday that "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub" will open during the Chuseok holiday in September. The film is the final installment in the "Tazza" franchise, based on Heo Young-man's original manhwa series. It is a crime film in which Jang Tae-young (Byun Yo-han), who thought he had the world at his feet through an online casino empire, faces off against his friend Park Tae-young (Noh Jae-won), who took everything from him, in a high-stakes global gambling showdown.

The film carries forward the spirit of the original "Tazza" series while promising a fresh direction centered on the deepest and most expansive poker world the franchise has ever depicted. The cast is led by Byun Yo-han and Noh Jae-won, joined by Miyoshi Ayaka, Hong Dao, Ihara Tsuyoshi, Jo Woo-jin, Yoon Kyung-ho and Moon Ji-hoon.

"Assassin(s)," starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, has also confirmed a Chuseok release. The mystery thriller traces the allegations and hidden forces behind a fictional assassination attempt on a first lady that shocks the nation — the first film to tackle such a subject.

"Assassin(s)" is directed by Heo Jin-ho, known for "Christmas in August" (1998), "The Last Princess" (2016) and "Forbidden Dream" (2019), and is one of the most anticipated releases of the second half of the year.

The film has been officially selected for the Gala Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, which opens Sept. 10, giving international audiences an early look.

Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey described it as "a dynamic story about a shocking chapter in Korean history, told with masterful direction by one of our favorite filmmakers, director Heo Jin-ho," adding that "the performances of the cast led by Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho are also fantastic."