[REPORTERSNOTEBOOK] 'Hope,' 'The Assassin(s)' show widening gap between reviews, viewers

The widening gap between critics and viewers is visible in Na Hong-jin’s Hope and Hur Jin-ho’s The Assassin(s). As of Wednesday, Hope had drawn 4.59 million viewers and The Assassin(s) 3.08 million. Hope frustrated viewers expecting a conventional thriller but won praise from critics for its interpretive demands, while political disputes shaped early reactions to The Assassin(s). Online reviews now influence audiences before they buy tickets, prompting filmmakers to intensify promotion.

The Assassin(s) depicts the 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee that killed first lady Yuk Young-soo.

Critic Lee Dong-jin gave Hope four out of five stars and praised its raw energy as a bold race through a bizarre mess.

Online ratings for The Assassin(s) fell to around two out of 10 amid political fights, while ratings from verified ticket buyers rose to nearly nine out of 10.

Director Yeon Sang-ho said promotional efforts have become more important because people search for reviews before visiting theaters.

Hope is scheduled to arrive on paid video-on-demand services on Oct. 21.

Published Oct 16, 2026 7:00 am KST

Actors Jung Ho-yeon, left, and Hwang Jung-min are seen on set during the filming of director Na Hong-jin's movie "Hope." Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

Is there a right way to enjoy a movie? How a movie makes us feel is personal, and everyone should be free to speak their mind — yet two major Korean movies released this year show how starkly different those reactions can be.

As of Wednesday, Na Hong-jin's "Hope" has been seen by 4.59 million viewers, while Hur Jin-ho's "The Assassin(s)" has drawn 3.08 million. Together, the films demonstrate a gap between critics' verdicts and ordinary audience reactions.

"Hope" is a classic case of mixed expectations. Made with a massive budget, it arrived in July as Na's first feature since "The Wailing" in 2016.

Many viewers walked in expecting a tense thriller and walked out confused or angry. Common complaints were that the story felt thin, the ending felt at odds with the rest of the film and the computer graphics felt awkward. Some felt the movie was not a complete story and just a setup for a sequel.

Critics saw something else, lauding Na's films for demanding people engage in interpretation without offering easy clues — something that leaves some viewers frustrated. Renowned critic Lee Dong-jin gave the film four out of five stars, praising its raw energy as a bold race through a bizarre mess.

Differences between critics and crowds is not new.

When Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece "The Shining" was released in 1980, the movie got a cool reception from many critics. Some found it too slow, while author Stephen King famously hated how the film changed his novel. It even earned nominations at the Razzie Awards, which recognizes the worst in contemporary cinema, before becoming a recognized classic. Early reactions are not always the final verdict.

With "The Assassin(s)" much of the dispute is not about the film itself. Dealing with the 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung-hee that killed first lady Yuk Young-soo, the movie was dragged into a political debate before many people even saw it.

Online users left ratings on Naver, the country’s largest portal site, causing the score to drop to around two out of ten due to online political fights. However, scores from verified ticket buyers rose to nearly nine out of ten as more people watched it.

That points to a wider shift in how people watch movies today. Viewers now study online reviews carefully before choosing what to watch, meaning opinions often form before many have even bought a ticket. The divide is no longer simply critics against audiences. Audiences are now split between those who actually watched the movie and those who only comment online.

In the end, critics look at what a film tries to achieve. Audiences who paid for a ticket look at whether it gives them what they want. For "Hope," those two goals were very far apart, and for "The Assassin(s)," political debate split the viewers.

This has changed how filmmakers approach their releases. Director Yeon Sang-ho, who recently unveiled his new thriller "Paradise Lost," said Wednesday that promotional efforts have become more important because people search for reviews online before visiting theaters.

"We made many short video clips to maximize exposure for this movie," Yeon said. "Promoting our movie to as many people as possible has become essential in terms of raising awareness and bringing audiences into theaters."

On Oct. 21, "Hope" will arrive on paid video-on-demand services, giving even more people a chance to decide for themselves.

'Hope' triggers fierce debates among viewers

'The Assassin(s)' controversy divides viewers at Busan film festival

影评人和观众之间日益扩大的分歧在罗泓轸的《希望》和许秦豪的《刺客》中体现得淋漓尽致。截至周三，《希望》吸引了459万观众，《刺客》则吸引了308万观众。《希望》让期待传统惊悚片的观众感到失望，但其对观众解读的挑战性却赢得了影评人的赞誉；而《刺客》的早期反响则受到了政治争议的影响。如今，网络评论在观众购票前就对其产生影响，这促使电影制作人加大宣传力度。

《刺客》描绘了 1974 年刺杀朴正熙总统的未遂事件，该事件导致第一夫人柳英秀身亡。

影评人李东镇给《希望》打了四星（满分五星），称赞其充满原始能量，是一场在怪诞混乱中大胆奔跑的冒险。

在政治斗争中，《刺客》的在线评分下降到 10 分中的 2 分左右，而经过验证的购票者的评分则上升到接近 10 分中的 9 分。

延尚昊导演表示，由于人们在去电影院之前会搜索影评，因此宣传工作变得更加重要。

《希望》计划于 10 月 21 日在付费视频点播服务平台上线。

发布于2026年10月16日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

演员郑浩延（左）和黄政民在罗泓轸导演的电影《希望》拍摄现场。图片由Plus M Entertainment提供。

欣赏电影有正确的方式吗？电影带给我们的感受是个人化的，每个人都应该有表达自己想法的权利——然而，今年上映的两部韩国大片却展现了人们截然不同的反应。

截至周三，罗泓轸执导的《希望》观影人次为459万，许秦豪执导的《刺客》观影人次为308万。这两部影片共同展现了影评人评价与普通观众反应之间的差距。

《希望》是一部典型的褒贬不一的作品。这部耗资巨大的电影于7月上映，是娜·卡普尔自2016年《哭声》之后的第一部剧情长片。

许多观众走进影院期待的是一部紧张刺激的惊悚片，结果却带着困惑或愤怒走出影院。常见的抱怨包括：故事单薄，结局与影片其他部分格格不入，以及电脑特效显得生硬。一些人甚至认为这部电影并非一个完整的故事，而只是为了续集做铺垫。

影评人则看到了另一番景象，他们赞扬罗汉良的电影要求观众进行解读，而不提供简单的线索——这让一些观众感到沮丧。著名影评人李东镇给这部电影打了四星（满分五星），称赞其充满活力，是一场在怪诞混乱中大胆驰骋的冒险。

评论家和大众之间的分歧由来已久。

斯坦利·库布里克的杰作《闪灵》于1980年上映时，并未获得众多影评人的青睐。一些影评人认为影片节奏过于缓慢，而原著作者斯蒂芬·金更是对电影改编自其小说的方式深恶痛绝。该片甚至一度入围金酸莓奖（Razzie Awards）的提名名单，该奖项旨在表彰当代电影中的烂片，但最终却被公认为经典之作。早期的评价并非最终定论。

关于《刺客》这部电影，很多争议并非源于电影本身。影片讲述的是1974年朴正熙总统遇刺事件，当时第一夫人柳英秀不幸身亡。在很多人观看之前，这部电影就被卷入了一场政治辩论。

网络用户在韩国最大的门户网站Naver上留下评分，引发了网络政治争论，导致评分一度跌至两分左右。然而，随着更多人观看，认证购票者的评分回升至接近九分。

这表明人们如今的观影方式正在发生更广泛的转变。观众现在会在选择观看哪部电影之前仔细阅读在线评论，这意味着很多人甚至在买票之前就已经形成了自己的观点。如今的分歧不再仅仅是影评人和观众之间的对立，而是进一步细分为真正看过电影的人和只在网上发表评论的人。

归根结底，影评人关注的是一部电影试图达成的目标。而购票入场的观众则关注的是电影是否满足了他们的期待。《希望》这部电影的这两个目标相去甚远，而《刺客》则因为政治辩论而导致观众意见分歧。

这改变了电影制作人发行影片的方式。导演延尚昊最近推出了他的新惊悚片《失乐园》，他周三表示，由于人们在去电影院之前会先在网上搜索影评，宣传工作变得更加重要。

“我们制作了很多短视频来最大限度地提高这部电影的曝光度，”延尚昊说。“尽可能多地向人们宣传我们的电影，对于提高知名度和吸引观众走进影院至关重要。”

10 月 21 日，《希望》将登陆付费视频点播服务平台，让更多人有机会亲自观看。

《希望》引发观众激烈辩论

《刺客》引发争议，釜山电影节观众意见分歧