`Thirst` to hit U.S. cinemas next month

"Thirst," a South Korean film that received this year`s Cannes Jury Prize, will be released in the United States next month amid high anticipation there, the movie`s local promoter said Tuesday.

The film has been picked up by Hollywood`s Focus Features, which plans theatrical releases in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on July 31, Korean promoter All That Cinema said in a press release, according to Yonhap News.

The American distributor, which co-produced "Thirst" with South Korea`s Moho Film in the first such collaboration for a domestic movie, plans to expand releases to a maximum of 80 theaters across the United States depending on audience reaction.