COVID-19 Spread Causes Turmoil in the Film Industry in the First Half of the Year

Lowest Audience and Revenue Since 2005
Severe Damage in April... Monthly, Daily, and Weekend Records Hit Lows
"Variables Remain... Gradual Recovery Process Underway"

On the 14th, citizens are purchasing tickets to watch movies at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. With the distribution of half-price discount coupons, new releases, and hot weather coinciding, the movie theater industry, which had been in a slump, is gradually regaining vitality. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The number of movie theater audiences and box office revenue in the first half of the year recorded the lowest levels since 2005.

According to the first half-year settlement report released by the Korean Film Council on the 21st, the number of moviegoers visiting theaters in the first half was 32.41 million. This is a 70.3% decrease compared to the previous year (76.9 million). Revenue also dropped to 273.8 billion KRW, down 70.6% from the previous year (656.9 billion KRW). This is due to the impact of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The vicious cycle accumulated as mid-to-large scale films postponed their releases and theaters reduced operations.

The damage was greatest in April. The number of theater audiences was only 970,000. This is the lowest monthly record since the Korean Film Council started operating the integrated ticketing system in 2004. On April 7, the daily lowest audience number (15,429) was recorded, and during the second weekend of April (10th?12th), the weekend lowest audience number (98,695) was also newly set.

The daily average number of screenings, which had dropped to 5,379 times (in April), began to increase slightly starting from the Golden Holiday period (April 30 to May 5) and June 4, when movie ticket discount coupons were distributed. The daily average number of screenings in June was 11,365. With the release of films such as The Intruder, Innocence, Forgotten Time, and #Alive at weekly intervals, the number of Korean movie audiences in June reached 2.78 million. This was nearly thirteen times higher than the previous month. The total number of audiences also increased by 153.2% to 3.86 million compared to the previous month. Researcher Son Jin-ah from the Korean Film Policy Research Institute said, “We are gradually taking steps toward phased recovery amid various variables caused by the prolonged COVID-19 situation.”

The highest-grossing film in the first half was Secret Zoo (4.75 million), released during the Lunar New Year holiday. Following were Hitman (2.41 million), released on the same day, and Ashfall (1.96 million), which was released during last year’s Christmas season. Among foreign films, Dolittle (1.61 million) performed relatively well. The re-releases of The Greatest Showman (280,000) and La La Land (130,000) provided relief to theaters that had faced difficulties in securing new releases due to the COVID-19 impact.

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