May Theaters Screened 'The Outlaws 4' All Day... Korean Films' Market Share Hits Record High of 64.2%

Korean Film Box Office Revenue Share 64.2%

Exterior view of a theater in Seoul
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Actor Ma Dong-seok's blockbuster film 'The Outlaws 4' surpassed 10 million viewers, leading to record-breaking sales and audience share for Korean films in May.

According to the Korea Film Council's industry report on the 12th, last month 'The Outlaws 4' (directed by Heo Myeong-haeng) recorded sales of 59.3 billion KRW (6.17 million viewers), accounting for 84.1% of Korean film sales. Korean film sales totaled 70.5 billion KRW, marking a 226.6% increase (48.9 billion KRW) compared to the same month last year. The number of Korean film viewers reached 7.37 million, which is 109.6% of the pre-pandemic average (6.73 million) and a 222% increase (5.08 million) compared to the same month last year.

'The Outlaws 4,' released on April 24, sparked controversy over screen monopolization as the three major multiplex chains concentrated screens on the film. Last month, 'The Outlaws 4' had a screening share of 82%, meaning it was shown all day nationwide in theaters. At the time, multiplexes were criticized for allocating many screens to a single film to attract large audiences.

Thanks to the success of 'The Outlaws 4,' Korean films accounted for 64.2% of sales and 64.9% of audience share in May. The Korea Film Council analyzed, "With no Marvel film releases in April and May and foreign film releases underperforming expectations, May recorded the highest sales and audience share for Korean films in May based on the integrated box office system."

They added, "Due to last year's Hollywood strike, no Marvel films were screened in May, and foreign releases such as 'Planet of the Apes: New Era,' 'Furiosa: Mad Max Saga,' and 'Stuntman' failed to exceed 10 billion KRW in sales or 1 million viewers in May. Compared to last year’s hits like 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3,' 'Fast & Furious: Ride or Die,' and 'Super Mario Bros.,' foreign film sales and audience numbers dropped by more than half."

Movie 'The Outlaws 4' lead actor Ma Dong-seok
Photo by Yonhap News

Foreign film sales in May were 39.3 billion KRW, which is 42.6% of the pre-pandemic average of 92.2 billion KRW, and a 59.6% decrease (58 billion KRW) compared to the same month last year. Audience numbers were 3.98 million, 36.8% of the pre-pandemic average (10.82 million), and a 57.9% decrease (5.47 million) compared to the same month last year.

In the independent and art film market, the Japanese romance film 'Remaining Life 10 Years,' re-released on April 3, topped the box office in May with sales of 1.3587 billion KRW (134,548 viewers). The re-release sales (4.22074 billion KRW) surpassed the initial release sales (1.46892 billion KRW), with re-release sales nearly three times (2.9 times) higher than the original release.