'Avatar 2', 'Slam Dunk', 'Hero' Box Office Hits
Seollal Holiday Boost Missing... Lowest Audience Numbers
The total box office revenue generated in theaters last month amounted to 124.1 billion KRW, recovering to 82.1% of the level seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the January 2023 Korean film industry report released by the Korean Film Council on the 23rd, the total number of moviegoers last month reached 11.25 million. Revenue decreased by 21.3% (33.6 billion KRW) compared to the previous month but increased by 123.1% (68.5 billion KRW) compared to the same month last year. This was thanks to four films?'Avatar: The Way of Water,' 'The First Slam Dunk,' 'Hero,' and 'Negotiation'?each recording over 10 billion KRW in revenue and over 1 million viewers.
Revenue from Korean films was 44.9 billion KRW, down 15.3% (8.1 billion KRW) from the previous month but up 103.9% (22.9 billion KRW) compared to the same month last year. The number of viewers was 4.46 million, a 17.7% (960,000) decrease from the previous month but a 96.3% (2.19 million) increase year-on-year.
Revenue from foreign films was 79.1 billion KRW, down 24.3% (25.5 billion KRW) from the previous month but up 135.8% (45.6 billion KRW) compared to the same month last year. The number of viewers was 6.79 million, a 22.4% (1.96 million) decrease from the previous month but a 97.1% (3.34 million) increase year-on-year.
During the Lunar New Year holiday (January 21?23), total box office revenue was 22.1 billion KRW, an increase of 174.8% (14.1 billion KRW) compared to the same holiday period last year, and total attendance was 1.99 million, up 143.9% (1.17 million). However, compared to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020, revenue decreased by 34.2% (11.5 billion KRW) and attendance dropped by 46.4% (1.73 million). The holiday’s top film was 'Negotiation' (680,000 viewers), which recorded the lowest attendance except for the pandemic years of 2021?2022.
'Avatar: The Way of Water' topped the January box office with revenue of 42 billion KRW. Its cumulative revenue last month reached 132.3 billion KRW, with a cumulative audience of 10.41 million, making it the second film released after the COVID-19 pandemic to surpass 10 million viewers and the first 10 million viewer film of this year. The second place was taken by the Japanese animation 'The First Slam Dunk,' which earned 20.6 billion KRW (1.99 million viewers). 'Hero' ranked third with 15.9 billion KRW (1.59 million viewers) in revenue. The film performed well with a cumulative revenue of 30.4 billion KRW (3.08 million viewers) through January. 'Negotiation' was fourth with 15.2 billion KRW (1.49 million viewers), and the animation 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' ranked fifth with 7.2 billion KRW (760,000 viewers) in revenue.
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