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| ▲ Moviegoers visit local cinema in Seoul in this undated Yonhap file photo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea’s cinema attendance dropped over 30 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024.
According to the Korean Film Council’s midyear report released Thursday, total theater attendance between January and June stood at 42.5 million, down 32.5 percent (20.43 million) from the previous year. Revenue also fell by 33.2 percent to 407.9 billion won.
The top-grossing film of the period was "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning," which drew 3.36 million viewers and earned 32.9 billion won. The second-place spot went to Korean film "Opposition," with 3.38 million viewers and 32 billion won in revenue. Bong Joon-ho’s Hollywood production "Mickey 17" came in third, attracting 3.01 million viewers and earning 29.7 billion won.
Korean films held a 50 percent market share, down 8.8 percentage points year-on-year.
In the independent and arthouse sector, the Korean animation "The Haunted Exorcist" topped the chart with 500,000 viewers and 4.7 billion won in revenue, ranking 20th overall. "Substance," starring Demi Moore, and the papal election drama "Conclave" ranked second and third, respectively.
With weak performance in the first half, attention now turns to whether upcoming releases can revitalize the market.
Anticipated Korean blockbusters include "Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint," "Zombie Daughter" starring Jo Jung-suk, and director Lee Sang-geun’s new film "The Devil Moved In." Park Chan-wook’s Venice Film Festival entry "No Choice" is also highly anticipated.
International titles such as "Avatar: The Seed of Fire," the third installment in the billion-dollar franchise, and "Zootopia 2" are also expected to draw large audiences.
Additionally, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with the Korean Film Council, is distributing 4.5 million discount coupons worth 6,000 won each to encourage theater attendance.
“With coupon distribution and a strong lineup of domestic and international titles, we expect a rebound in the second-half market,” the council said.
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