May Box Office Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels... 'Crime City 2' Earns 72.5 Billion Won

Korean Films' Audience Share Up 53.1%

The movie 'The Outlaws 2' has surpassed 10 million cumulative viewers. It is the first time in three years since Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' in 2019, and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic. On the 12th, Seoul CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall was bustling with citizens. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] 'Crime City 2,' which attracted 10 million viewers, earned 72.5 billion KRW last month. The film industry’s revenue in May nearly quadrupled compared to the previous month, recovering to pre-pandemic levels.

According to the May Korean film industry settlement report released by the Korean Film Council on the 16th, total revenue last month was 150.8 billion KRW, an increase of 120.3 billion KRW (395.6%) compared to April. The total number of viewers was 14.55 million, up 366.7% (11.44 million) from the previous month.

'Crime City 2' and 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,' released in May, recorded revenues of 72.5 billion KRW and 61.8 billion KRW respectively, accounting for 90% of the total. This is attributed to the lifting of social distancing in April, permission for eating inside theaters, and the release of highly anticipated films.

Revenue from Korean films reached 79.3 billion KRW, increasing 847.3% (71 billion KRW) from the previous month, and the number of viewers was 7.73 million, up 782.3% (6.86 million) from April. The overall audience share for Korean films was 53.1%, surpassing the 46.9% share of foreign films for the first time since September last year.

Revenue from foreign films was 71.4 billion KRW, up 224% (49.4 billion KRW) from the previous month, and the number of viewers was 6.82 million, an increase of 204.2% (4.58 million). 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' recorded 61.8 billion KRW in revenue, more than doubling its revenue compared to the previous month.

The cumulative revenue from January to May totaled 294.7 billion KRW, an increase of 111.6% (155.4 billion KRW) compared to the same period last year, and the cumulative number of viewers was 29.46 million, up 95.1% (14.36 million) from the previous year.

'Crime City 2' ranked first in overall box office with 72.5 billion KRW (7.01 million viewers) in revenue. In April, the top-grossing film, 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,' attracted only 1.01 million viewers.

The Walt Disney Company Korea LLC ranked first among distributors with 61.8 billion KRW in revenue and a 41% revenue share, while 'Coincidence and Imagination' ranked first in independent and art film box office with 204.33 million KRW (20,604 viewers) in revenue.

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