South Korea set for worst box-office figures in two decades

Korean cinemas are set to record the lowest attendance in over 20 years without a glow in the first half of the year.

According to data released by the Korean Film Council, the forecast is about 42 million by the end of the month, with a total of 40.73 million people participating in domestic theatres until June 22nd. This is a 33% decline to 62.93 million recorded in the first half of 2024, marking the H1’s lowest performance since 21.82 million tickets were sold in 2004.

This excludes the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years. However, even in 2022, around 44.92 million people visited the theaters earlier that year as the industry worked to recover from Covid-19 closures.

It could also mean that attendance this year is below the 100 million people who have maintained the above industry since 2005, meaning a significant drop to the 123.2 million recorded in 2024.

The biggest title at the box office in Korea so far was local features Yadan: SnitchIt recorded 3.37 million participants after it was released on April 16th, and recorded a Hollywood blockbuster. Mission: Impossible – Final calculation, Since opening on May 17th, it has recorded 3.31 million admissions.

Neither of them were ranked 7th and above last year. connection With 11.91 million admission, Roundup: Punishment 11.5 million and US animation Inside Out 2 8.8 million.

Bongjunho Mickey 17 This year I was also disappointed by the grass at the filmmaker’s home. US production sold 3 million tickets. ParasitesIn 2019, it recorded over 10 million admissions.

The latest figures were first reported by Korean newspapers Hancook Ilbonoting that the number of screens in Japan has more than doubled from 1,648 in 2005 to 3,296 as of 2024.

Experts also said they equated the recession with a combination of factors, such as the rise of streaming platforms and continued economic stagnation following the imposed short-lived martial law last December.

The ongoing slump could last until next year as the backlog of delayed releases has been exhausted during the pandemic. The last release is a recent release hi-five – And the new productions have dropped sharply.

Hopes for a rebound at the box office have been pinned with a local release later this summer Omniscient reader, my daughter is a zombie and Pretty crazy Alongside the US tent pole Jurassic World Revival, Superman and Fantastic Four: The First Step.

Starting in mid-July, people may receive up to two rounds of “living cost mitigation” vouchers, as well as 4.5 million movie discount coupons worth $19.6 million (KRW27.1 billion), subject to government approval. Each person can use up to four coupons, with a KRW 6,000 discount per ticket.

This is with major releases such as: Avatar: Far and Ash In the second half of the year, it is hoped that the annual figures will be pushed above the iconic 100 million mark.