"'Mickey 17" is set to be released next March/ Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea

Director Bong Joon-ho's latest film, "Mickey 17," is set to premiere in Korea in March, ahead of its worldwide release.

Warner Bros. Korea said on Saturday that "Mickey 17" will be released in North American theaters on March 7, earlier than its original release date of April 18, which is traditionally considered a peak period for U.S. cinemas due to the Easter holiday.

However, according to Warner Bros., the release was moved up to March after test screenings yielded high scores, aligning the release with the North American spring break. In Korea, the film will be screened earlier than its North American debut.

Variety, a U.S. entertainment outlet, suggested that the rescheduling may also be tied to Warner Bros.' broader release strategy. The company is known to have swapped the release dates of "Mickey 17" and Ryan Coogler's film "Sinners." As a result, "Mickey 17" will have an extended run in IMAX theaters in North America.

"Mickey 17," Bong's first feature in five years since "Parasite" (2019), is a science fiction film about a clone tasked with colonizing an icy planet. The cast includes Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.