▲ This image provided by Walt Disney Company Korea shows a scene from Pixar's animated film "Inside Out 2." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- The continued box office success of Disney and Pixar's animated film 'Inside Out 2' has resulted in a significant downturn for Korean films last month. 

 

According to the June Korean film industry report released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on the 10th, the total number of theatergoers in June was 11.33 million. This represents a 22.0% (3.19 million) decrease compared to the same month last year and is only 64.1% of the average June audience (17.68 million) from 2017 to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The overall revenue was 108.8 billion KRW, a 25.1% (36.4 billion KRW) decline from the same month last year, and 72.9% of the average June revenue (149.1 billion KRW) from 2017 to 2019. In contrast, foreign films saw a 54.1% (2.76 million) increase in viewership compared to the same month last year, totaling 7.87 million viewers. Revenue for foreign films also rose by 48.5% (24.8 billion KRW) to 76 billion KRW.

 

KOFIC attributed the strong performance of foreign films to the success of 'Inside Out 2,' which attracted 5.64 million viewers since its release on June 12. The film accounted for 49.9% of last month's total box office revenue.

 

Conversely, Korean films experienced a 63.3% (5.96 million) drop in viewership, with only 3.46 million viewers. Revenue for Korean films fell by 65.2% (61.2 billion KRW) to 32.7 billion KRW. The market share for Korean films in terms of viewership was 30.5%, and revenue share was 30.1%, significantly lagging behind foreign films.

 

This marks the first time in 10 months that Korean films have been surpassed by foreign films in both viewership and revenue shares. KOFIC noted that in 2022 and 2023, blockbuster films like 'The Roundup' and 'The Roundup 3' were released in mid-May, boosting the box office through June. However, this year, 'The Roundup 4' was released at the end of April, and there were no other significant hits from Korean films.

 

Among Korean films released last month, the only one to surpass one million viewers was 'Hijacking,' starring Ha Jung-woo and Yeo Jin-goo, which attracted 1.08 million viewers.

 

▲ This still photo of "Inside Out 2" is provided by Walt Disney Company Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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