Watch Spider-Man in Theater 6 and Become Spider-Man in Theater 7

From Movie Theater to Artificial Climbing Wall... The Transformation of Cinemas in the Pandemic Era
CGV Converts High Ceilings into Climbing Gym... Word of Mouth Spreads, Busy Even on Weekdays

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Shin Hyeyoon (26) is active in the sports climbing club "Byeok Heneun Bam." She visits climbing gyms three to four times a week to climb artificial rock walls. Sports climbing is divided into three disciplines: speed, lead, and bouldering. Shin mainly does bouldering. She climbs steeply inclined walls without safety belts or ropes, tackling various courses. While strength and agility are important in bouldering, the key is finding a route that suits one’s body and climbing style in front of holds arranged without rules. After practicing consistently for a year and a half, Shin easily completes difficult courses. She said, "I was captivated by the sense of accomplishment and thrill that you can’t feel at a gym," adding, "My skills improved quickly by exercising with other members."

The climbing gym Shin has recently frequented the most is "CGV Piccadilly 1958," a movie theater attached to Jongno 3-ga Station in Seoul. On the 7th, CGV remodeled theaters 7 and 8 there to create the climbing gym "Pickers." They generate revenue by selling admission and lesson tickets. This is a self-help measure introduced as the cinema industry faces a downturn due to the spread of COVID-19 and the rise of online streaming services (OTT). According to the Korea Film Council’s integrated ticketing system, the number of moviegoers last year was 60,538,897, which is about a quarter of the 226,678,777 visitors in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.

CGV has been aiming for a rebound by promoting safe viewing environments such as spaced seating and drive-in theaters. However, the sharp decline in movie releases prevented a turning point. Now, they are transforming movie theaters into spaces for various activities, regardless of content. Oh Sujin, head of CGV’s Space Content Team, said, "While considering content that customers can directly experience, we thought of a climbing gym that could effectively utilize the high ceilings of movie theaters."

The height of the Pickers climbing wall reaches 5.7 meters, far exceeding the minimum bouldering standard of 4 meters. Kim Youngjin, head of Hook Climbing, which operates Pickers, explained, "There aren’t many climbing walls over 5 meters high in Korea," adding, "The courses are so dynamic that some users have experienced acrophobia looking down from the top." He also said, "Word of mouth has spread through social media like Instagram and Facebook, so many visitors come even on weekdays."

On the evening of the 20th (Thursday), about 150 visitors were sweating it out at Pickers. They discussed how to conquer courses and continued their challenges. When a visitor completed a difficult course, camera flashes and applause erupted. On another wall, beginners followed professional instructors’ explanations, hanging onto holds and climbing up and down the wall. Most visitors were in their 20s to 40s. Except for beginners, most had more than six months of experience. Shin said, "Many friends started climbing after being fascinated by Seo Chaehyun defying gravity at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics." Kim also said, "After the Tokyo Olympics, the number of visitors increased more than fourfold," adding, "Climbing gyms are springing up rapidly to meet demand."

To secure a unique competitive edge, CGV enhanced the functionality of the climbing walls and created various auxiliary facilities. The platforms that previously supported the theater seats were left intact and highlighted as a distinctive feature. Hwang Jaehyun, head of CGV’s PR team, said, "Since the main customer base is people in their 20s to 40s, we focused on creating a young and lively atmosphere," adding, "Considering that visitors use the space for more than three hours, we efficiently separated the areas."

Pickers has five climbing walls, each requiring different skills and difficulty levels. Kim said, "Lower walls require endurance, while higher walls demand agility," adding, "Even on the same wall, the holds are regularly rearranged and courses changed to provide a fresh experience." The hold arrangements are handled by experts who are former athletes. To prevent accidents, the fall zones are set inside mats, and holds that could cause collisions are minimized. Kim said, "Each wall has CCTV, and a safety officer is always on site to ensure safe climbing."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

CGV internally evaluates this challenge as a success. Hwang said, "There is little difference in sales between the existing eight theaters and the current six," adding, "Pickers is generating additional sales that greatly exceed those of the two former theaters." Hong Jihoo, manager of Piccadilly 1985, said, "The main weekday audience used to be elderly, but after Pickers opened, many young people have come in." He added, "There are many places to visit nearby, such as Euljiro and Cheonggyecheon, and people can enjoy climbing and then watch a movie, so it seems to have transformed into a diverse cultural space."

At CGV Piccadilly 1958, young visitors wearing leggings or crop tops can easily be seen visiting the theater or drinking coffee nearby even in the middle of winter. Hong said, "Many moviegoers become interested in Pickers after seeing people watch movies in workout clothes. Movie theaters must change with the times," adding, "To create new demand and overcome the entrenched non-face-to-face culture caused by COVID-19, theaters must evolve into spaces where people can enjoy various cultures beyond just watching movies."