Theater Scene Summons Nostalgic Films... 62 Re-releases Last Month Alone

130 Re-released Films in the First Half of the Year... Delaying New Releases Emerges as a Self-Help Measure

[Asia Economy Reporter Jonggil Lee] It has been confirmed that the number of re-released films surged in the first quarter of this year due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticketing system on the 2nd, 130 films were re-released from January to March (based on screenings of 40 times or more). This is about twice the sixty-seven films from the first quarter of last year.

This phenomenon occurred as new releases were postponed one after another due to the COVID-19 situation. In January and February, there were only forty-two and twenty-six films respectively, but the number sharply increased to sixty-two last month when the spread of COVID-19 intensified. Theaters prepared various special screenings as self-help measures, recalling nostalgic films. According to a recent survey conducted by the Korea Film Marketing Association targeting twenty-four member companies, one hundred forty-five films had their releases postponed or minimized in the first half of the year. This includes twenty-seven Korean films, twenty-eight imported foreign films, and twenty Hollywood direct distribution films.

The trend of re-releases is expected to continue this month as well. CGV is holding the ‘Someone’s Life Movie Special Exhibition 2’, screening films such as ‘Beat’, ‘The Unjust’, ‘Ditto’, and ‘One Fine Spring Day’. On the IMAX screen, films like ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ and ‘Aquaman’ are being shown. At the CGV Art House theater, the ‘Masterpiece Exhibition’ runs until the 8th, featuring films such as ‘Master’, ‘The Hunt’, and ‘American Hustle’ once again. Lotte Cinema is conducting the ‘Rossine Pick Genre Masterpiece Special Exhibition’, re-releasing carefully selected films by genre. Various genre films such as ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’, ‘Minions’, and ‘Gonjiam’ are being screened again. The company is also holding the ‘Korean Films You Want to Watch Again Special Exhibition’ to support independent and art films, reintroducing beloved works like ‘House of Hummingbird’ and ‘Maggie’. Megabox is running the ‘2020 AniPlus Again, Spring’ special exhibition until the 9th, showcasing twelve diverse animations including ‘Natsume’s Book of Friends: Connecting with the World’, ‘Is the Order a Rabbit?’, and ‘Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai’ (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai’).