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Director Na Hong-jin of Hope*. <AP/Yonhap News Agency>*

Director Na Hong-jin has been named to Variety’s 2026 Horror Impact Report. The U.S. trade published the report on Oct. 7 (local time), featuring Na as one of its key figures.

The report covers filmmakers and executives working in horror film and television along with broader trends in the genre business, and this is its second edition. This year’s list includes Na alongside Robert Eggers, James Wan, Mike Flanagan, Sam Raimi and Ryan Murphy.

Action-Thriller Speed With Horror Shocks: Variety’s Read on Na

Variety described Na’s films as combining the momentum of the action thriller with the jolt of horror. The trade noted that he made his name at home with his 2008 feature debut, The Chaser, before broadening his standing abroad with The Yellow Sea (2010) and The Wailing (2016), singling out The Wailing as a film that resonated strongly with genre audiences. It characterized Hope, his first feature in a decade, as an action horror film whose turns are hard to anticipate.

Hope is set in Hope Harbor, a harbor village inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). After Beom-seok, who runs the local government branch office, hears from young men in the village that they have seen a tiger, a string of unexplained incidents follows. The film opened in Korea on July 15. At a North American release event, Na said he had cut the film so that it would not stay within the audience’s expectations, switching genres or inserting comedy at the points where viewers felt they could predict what came next.

From Cannes Competition to 1,560 North American Theaters

Na was also included earlier in The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the 30 most influential genre directors. At the Cannes Film Festival, The Yellow Sea screened in Un Certain Regard at the 64th edition, and The Wailing was invited out of competition in 2016. Hope screened in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May.

Distributed by Neon, Hope opened in 1,560 North American theaters on Sept. 9, 2026 (local time). It ranked No. 8 at the box office over its opening weekend of Sept. 11-13, and grossed $5.01 million in its first five days.

Sources

• Etoday, “Na Hong-jin Named One of The Hollywood Reporter’s 30 Most Influential Genre Directors,” 2026.09.04

• Etoday, “‘Hope’ Passes $5 Million in Five Days in North America, No. 8 at the Weekend Box Office,” 2026.09.15

• Variety, “Horror Impact Report: From James Wan to Curry Barker to Naomi Ackie, Variety Crowns the Talent Defining the Genre,” 2026.10.07

• Etoday, “Na Hong-jin Selected for Variety’s Horror Impact Report, Spotlight on ‘Hope’,” 2026.10.08