Weekend Movie Theater Attendance Below 150,000 for 10 Consecutive Weeks

Uncomfortable Viewing Environment... No New Mid-to-Large Scale Releases Either

On the 8th, the third day since the transition to daily quarantine, a movie theater in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, is quiet. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Despite the transition to ‘distancing in daily life,’ the film industry’s suffering shows no signs of stopping.

According to the Korea Film Council’s integrated ticketing system for movie theaters, 144,217 viewers visited cinemas last weekend (March 23-24). Since recording 191,395 viewers on the second weekend of March (March 14-15), the number has not exceeded 150,000 for 10 consecutive weeks. (Weekend) daily attendance remains in the 60,000 to 70,000 range, except for March 9 when it was 80,420.

The seat occupancy rate last weekend was 5.2%. The biggest cause of this prolonged drought is cited as an uncomfortable viewing environment. According to the detailed guidelines for ‘distancing in daily life’ announced by the Korea Film Council, viewers must wear masks inside the screening rooms. They are also advised to refrain from consuming food and drinks. Even if these measures are faithfully followed, risks remain. This is because most cinemas do not apply ‘zigzag seating with one seat gap.’ The perception that cinemas are vulnerable to infection has been difficult to change.

Movie still cut from 'The Greatest Showman'

Delays in the release of mid-to-large scale films also hinder audience turnout. The movie that attracted the most viewers last weekend was ‘The Greatest Showman,’ which was re-released on March 21. It drew 33,118 viewers across 598 screens. Other re-released films such as ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard Unrated Special Edition (5,999 viewers),’ ‘Weathering with You (4,592 viewers),’ and ‘Farewell My Concubine: The Original (4,336 viewers)’ also ranked within the top 10 at the box office.

Among new releases, ‘Prison Escape’ performed relatively well, attracting 30,658 viewers across 547 screens. ‘Cafe Belle Epoque’ and ‘The Platform’ followed with 13,204 viewers (463 screens) and 9,085 viewers (205 screens), respectively.

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