[Asia Economy Reporter Jonggil Lee] The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the struggles of movie theaters. Even the weekend audience has fallen below the 100,000 mark. According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticket sales system on the 6th, the number of moviegoers who visited theaters last weekend (April 4-5) was 80,180. This is a decrease of 36,094 from the last weekend of the previous month (March 28-29), which had 116,274 visitors. This is the lowest number since the Korea Film Council began official statistics in 2004. With the government extending the high-level social distancing measures until the 19th, the downward trend has become more evident. Since even anticipated releases show no signs of opening, the slump is expected to continue for the time being. The box office rankings have long lost their significance. The top film, Ip Man 4: The Finale, attracted only 15,866 viewers. 1917 followed with 10,896, and Judy with 8,519. Among re-released films, La La Land (3,030 viewers), One Fine Spring Day (985 viewers), and Weathering with You (1,059 viewers) were somewhat favored by audiences.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
