12.514 Million Theatergoers Last Year
56.6% of Pre-Pandemic Average
"Hits Rare for Small to Mid-Sized Korean Films"
Last year, the number of movie theater visitors and box office revenue remained at half the levels seen before the outbreak of COVID-19. Although the pandemic has ended and daily life has returned to normal, consumers accustomed to various content platforms are not necessarily visiting theaters. The lack of blockbuster movies worth watching in theaters also contributed to the slow recovery of audience numbers.
According to the '2023 Film Industry Report' released by the Korean Film Council on the 16th, the number of moviegoers last year was 125.14 million, a 10.9% increase compared to the previous year, but only 56.6% of the pre-pandemic average (220.98 million). Annual cumulative box office revenue was 1.2614 trillion won, an 8.7% (101.2 billion won) increase from the previous year, but only 69.0%, or two-thirds, of the pre-pandemic average (1.8282 trillion won).
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, theaters were bustling with audiences. Several tentpole (blockbuster) movies were released, each attracting over 10 million viewers. For years, the annual number of moviegoers surpassed 200 million, meaning that on average, each person watched four movies in theaters per year. However, after the pandemic, cinemas froze. In 2022, the total number of theater visitors was only 112.8 million, and last year it increased by just 10 million to 125.14 million.
In particular, the total audience for Korean films last year was 60.75 million, and box office revenue was 598.4 billion won, a 5.2% (32.6 billion won) decrease compared to the previous year. This represented 64.4% of the pre-pandemic average (928.7 billion won). The Korean Film Council stated, "Although Korean films achieved the feat of producing two '10-million viewer' movies, it was regrettable that it was difficult to find mid-sized hits. There were few films produced on a small to medium scale that attracted 3 to 5 million viewers."
Last year, following 'The Outlaws 3' (director Lee Sang-yong), 'Spring in Seoul' (director Kim Sung-soo) attracted 10 million viewers, but since the release of 'Owl' (director Ahn Tae-jin) in November 2022, no film has surpassed the break-even point for nearly half a year.
Blockbusters released during traditional peak seasons such as summer vacation and Chuseok failed to perform well. The films that surpassed the break-even point were 'The Outlaws 3,' 'Spring in Seoul,' 'Smugglers' (director Ryu Seung-wan), 'Concrete Utopia' (director Um Tae-hwa), '30 Days' (director Nam Dae-jung), and 'Sleep' (director Yoo Jae-sun), totaling seven films. Most of the released films failed to attract audiences, and the halved number of viewers has been slow to recover.
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