'2040 Women' to Yeouido... Theater Audience Drops Sharply Amid Martial Law [Focus]

Worsening 'Cold Wave in the Film Industry'
1.2 Million Fewer Viewers Than Last Year
Attention Focused on Politics... Release Dates Being Reconsidered

Movie '1 Win' still. Provided by ContentsGeo, Kidari Studio, and Artist United

Following the declaration of martial law and the ensuing impeachment crisis, political uncertainty has increased, leading to a decline in theater attendance and delays in film releases, deepening the film industry's woes. The film industry, already struggling with a downturn since the pandemic, is closely monitoring the situation with concerns that this atmosphere may persist long-term.

Five Korean Films Face 'Direct Hit' with Releases This Month

December is a peak season for theaters, coinciding with summer vacation, year-end holidays, Christmas, and New Year's holidays. The films 1 Seung and Firefighter were released on the 4th, and five Korean films including Daegajok (11th), Haerbin (24th), and Bogota: Land of Opportunity (31st) are scheduled to meet audiences during this period.

Before the pandemic, box office success was gauged in the first week of release, but now the market has shifted to films staying on theater marquees for at least two weeks, sometimes over a month, waiting for audiences. The film industry set release dates hoping to capitalize on the year-end and New Year’s seasonal demand from December through January, but deep sighs followed the declaration and lifting of martial law on the 3rd.

According to the Korea Film Council’s integrated ticketing system, the total cumulative audience visiting theaters from the 3rd to the 11th was 2,937,330. The top film by audience during this period was Firefighter (1,008,801), followed by the Hollywood animation Moana 2 (888,135), and Wicked (326,205). During the same period last year, 4,217,998 people visited theaters. This represents a decrease of over 1.2 million in total audience numbers. Last year, Spring in Seoul attracted the most viewers (3,184,715), with Three Days of Vacation (239,304) and Single in Seoul (162,454) also drawing crowds. Even considering the boost from the blockbuster Spring in Seoul last year, the overall audience numbers have noticeably declined.

Adjusting Release Dates and Issuing Statements

The film industry is watching closely to see if the situation will prolong. Amid the impeachment crisis, public attention has shifted to politics. According to Google Trends data, the most searched terms domestically from the 2nd to the 9th were 'martial law' and 'Yoon Seok-yeol,' each searched over 500,000 times within a week?a 1000% increase compared to usual. Since buzz is crucial for attracting audiences, the industry is concerned that films releasing during this period may be overshadowed.

The increased participation of women aged 20 to 40?the main demographic for theaters?in candlelight rallies in front of the Yeouido National Assembly is also impacting film consumption. Recently, these rallies, led by younger generations, have taken on a festive atmosphere with participants holding light sticks and singing idol pop songs instead of candles. Industry insiders recall the drop in theater attendance during the 2016 political scandal protests and are on high alert.

Films scheduled for release are urgently revising their schedules. CJ ENM announced on the 9th that the big-budget 30 billion won production Haerbin, initially set for release on the 25th, will now open on the 24th. On the same day, the film It's Okay, It's Okay, It's Okay also announced a revised release schedule, postponing its originally planned December 24 release after a press screening on the 12th to next year.

'Haerbin' still. Provided by CJ ENM

With these adverse factors compounding an already difficult theater market, the film industry is pushing back.

Directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, actress Moon So-ri, and 3,007 film industry members from 81 film organizations issued a statement on the 8th demanding the suspension, impeachment, and arrest of President Yoon. The film community declared, "Yoon Seok-yeol is no longer the president to the filmmakers of the Republic of Korea. He is a flagrant offender of the crime of rebellion." They added, "The status of Hallyu, which was aggressively promoted as a regime achievement, has plummeted," and emphasized, "The primary prerequisite to overcoming the current chaotic situation and restoring the fallen status is to suspend President Yoon’s execution of duties."