Weekend Box Office Faces Severe Slump Due to COVID-19 Spread

Weekend Sales Halved Compared to Previous Week... Seat Occupancy Rate Plummets to Single Digits

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jong-gil] The weekend box office has plunged into a severe recession due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). According to the Korea Film Council's integrated computer network for movie theater ticket sales on the 24th, the number of moviegoers who visited theaters last weekend (21st-23rd) was 701,145. This is about half of the 1,566,827 visitors from the previous weekend (14th-16th).

The impact is due to the spread of COVID-19. As confirmed cases have surged nationwide, including in Daegu, visits to theaters have sharply declined. Especially on the 23rd, a Sunday, only 212,424 people visited. A Sunday with fewer than 200,000 visitors has not occurred since May 30, 2004 (179,690 visitors).

The chilly atmosphere is also reflected in seat occupancy rates. Among movies securing more than 10,000 seats last weekend, the only film exceeding 10% occupancy was Portrait of a Lady on Fire (12.6%). Beasts Clawing at Straws attracted the largest audience of 223,304 but had a seat occupancy rate of only 9.8%. The second most attended film, 1917 (170,316), also recorded just 8.8%. Other top-ranking films showed similar trends: Honest Candidate (142,006) at 8.0%, Little Women (79,649) at 9.4%, and The Closet (26,929) at 8.7%.

Amid the cold atmosphere, films scheduled to be released are postponing their dates one after another. Time to Hunt, originally set to open on the 26th, has canceled all events and screenings, including premieres and stage greetings. Innocence, scheduled for release on the 5th of next month, has also postponed or canceled all premieres and actor interviews.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.