[Exclusive] CGV Going Backwards... Disappearing Seat Distancing Measures

CGV "Automatic System Introduced... Adjacent Seat Booking Not Allowed"
Booking 3-4 Consecutive Seats After 6 PM Still Possible

Regarding Concerns Over Quarantine Guideline Violations, "Voluntary Participation of Viewers Needed"

CGV is allowing reservations for three or more seats even after 6 p.m., when private gatherings of three or more people are prohibited, raising controversy over violations of quarantine guidelines. In fact, when a reservation was attempted, it was possible to book four consecutive seats for a movie starting at 7:35 p.m.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] CGV is facing controversy over whether it is violating quarantine guidelines by accepting mass reservations while ignoring the guidelines.

According to the Level 4 social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area, from the 12th, the maximum number of people allowed in movie theaters after 6 p.m. is limited to two. Accordingly, seat distancing has been reinstated.

However, some CGV branches in Seoul have allowed reservations for all seats starting from screenings on the 15th. A full survey of 31 branches in Seoul revealed that 13 of them allowed reservations without seat distancing.

The locations where seat distancing was not applied include Gangbyeon Branch, Gangnam Branch, Konkuk University Entrance Branch, Deungchon Branch, Mokdong Branch, Songpa Branch, Sinchon Artreon Branch, Yeonnam Branch, Yeongdeungpo Branch (Starium), Wangsimni Branch, Cheonho Branch, Cheongdam Cinecity Branch, and Hongdae Branch?mostly branches with high audience traffic. Notably, the Yeongdeungpo Branch Starium, known as the largest capacity theater in the country, allowed reservations for all 545 seats.

At these branches, reservations for three or more seats are possible even after 6 p.m., when private gatherings of three or more people are prohibited, raising concerns about violations of quarantine guidelines. In fact, when attempting to make a reservation, it was possible to book four consecutive seats for a movie starting at 7:35 p.m.

With hit movies like "Rangjong" and "Black Widow" being released one after another, there is speculation that CGV is trying to attract more viewers. Other theaters such as Megabox and Lotte Cinema are still enforcing seat distancing.

Once the investigation began, it was revealed that the Yeongdeungpo Starium had reverted to the previous system for movies screened after 6 PM. On the left is the CGV booking screen of the same theater around 4 PM on the 13th, and on the right is the screen around 7 AM on the 14th.

In response, CGV stated, "We recently contracted with an external company to introduce an automatic seat distancing system," adding, "When viewers select their desired seats, the system automatically prevents adjacent seats from being booked, so it may be misunderstood that all seats are available for reservation." They further explained, "The automatic seat distancing system is being introduced sequentially in the Seoul metropolitan area, so there are differences between branches."

Regarding the possibility of booking 3-4 consecutive seats after 6 p.m., CGV explained, "We provide social distancing guidance through pop-up windows during the reservation process," and added, "Since it is impossible to limit the number of reservations by time slot due to system constraints, voluntary participation from viewers is necessary."

Despite CGV's explanation, the controversy does not seem to subside easily. After the investigation began, it was revealed that for some movies screened after 6 p.m. at the Yeongdeungpo Branch Starium, the system was reverted to the previous one.

CGV explained, "Manual distancing was originally applied to movies during that time slot, and since some viewers had already made reservations, the automatic system was not applied to reduce inconvenience."

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