"Parasite" was released in South Korea by CJ Entertainment on May 30, 2019, and in the United States by Neon on October 11, 2019. It received unanimous critical acclaim and earned $266 million at the worldwide box office, becoming Bong's highest-grossing release. On the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 99% based on 451 reviews, with a weighted average of 9.37/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "An urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, "Parasite" finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 96 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Regarding motivation of the film's creation, Bong hoped that he would live a comfortable life, however he was disappointed several times in reality. He wanted to express the anxiety, sadness, and deep fear that came from reality of life via his film.