The Worst Crisis in the Film Industry... Theater Audience Falls to 10,000 Level

On the 15th, as a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease occurs in the Seoul metropolitan area, a movie theater in Seoul shows a quiet scene. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jonggil Lee] The theater industry, which supports Korean cinema, is facing its worst crisis. Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the daily number of viewers has dropped to the 10,000 range. According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticketing system on the 7th, the number of viewers who visited theaters the previous day was 15,726. This is the lowest since the Korea Film Council began officially compiling statistics in 2004.

The overall seat occupancy rate is 2.2%. The business conditions felt by theaters are even colder than this figure. This is because theaters that have suspended operations, seats closed due to 'social distancing,' and reduced screening times are reflected in the numbers. Applying the total seats (2,840,077) from January 6th (Monday), when theaters operated normally, the seat occupancy rate falls to 0.005%. It is a situation where it is difficult to cover even labor costs, let alone make a profit.

The harsh environment is also evident at the box office. There is no film that has attracted more than 3,000 viewers. 'Ip Man 4: The Finale' drew only 2,718 viewers, and '1917' attracted 1,907. 'Judy (1,412)', 'The Invisible Man (1,302)', and 'Nth Breakup (1,096)' barely surpassed the 1,000 viewer mark. Re-released films, which have emerged as a self-help measure, are equally powerless. Only one film, 'La La Land (631)', attracted more than 500 viewers.