South Korea’s Showbox/Mediaplex has sold box office hit Secretly Greatly to Dreamwest Pictures for North America.

Directed by Jang Cheol-soo (Bedevilled), the action comedy drama about North Korean spies infiltrating a small South Korean village is set to make its international premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 11.

Seoul-based Dreamwest Pictures will then release the film on July 19, starting with Los Angeles and New York City, followed by 10 to 15 cities across the US. The company will also release the film in Canada on July 26 after screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Featuring up-and-coming stars Kim Soo-hyun, Park Ki-woong and Lee Hyun-woo, the film is based on a hit online cartoon with more than 40 million views. The three North Korean spies take on the guises of an idiot, a rock musician and a high school student.

Secretly Greatly broke the local Korean film record for opening day with 498,000 admissions on its June 5 release. It has so far taken in over 6.3 million admissions (approximately $40.1m).

It previously sold to Japan (The Klockworx), Hong Kong (Deltamac), Taiwan (Serenity Entertainment), Indonesia (Ram Indo) and Singapore and Malaysia (Dream Movie).

The film is also set to compete in the upcoming Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan, July 18-28).

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