Movie Theater Apps Crash One After Another
as Discount Coupons Are Distributed on a First-Come, First-Served Basis
On the morning of the 25th, major movie theater applications (apps) and websites were simultaneously paralyzed. This appears to have occurred because the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council announced that, starting at 10 a.m. on this day, they would distribute a total of 4.5 million movie ticket discount coupons worth 6,000 won each, leading to a surge of users accessing the sites at once.
On this morning, the official websites of major movie theaters such as CGV, Lotte Cinema, Megabox, and Cinecube experienced delays in access or were completely inaccessible, causing inconvenience for users.
Some websites displayed messages indicating that the number of people waiting exceeded 100,000, along with an estimated wait time of more than 14 hours. The situation was the same for mobile apps. When users attempted to access the apps, a notification window appeared stating, "Service is currently unavailable due to a system error," making normal use impossible.
Previously, on the 23rd, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that 4.5 million coupons, each providing a 6,000 won discount on movie tickets, would be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 10 a.m. on the 25th. These discount coupons can be issued through the websites and apps of major movie theaters and can be used on any day of the week until September 2.
The discount coupons attracted users' attention because they can be used in conjunction with other benefits, such as Culture Day discounts, preferential discounts for people with disabilities, senior citizen discounts, youth discounts, and early morning discounts. In particular, if the coupon is used on 'Culture Day,' the last Wednesday of each month when movie tickets are available for 7,000 won, users can watch a movie for just 1,000 won.
This initiative is being implemented with a supplementary budget of 27.1 billion won from the second additional budget of the new government for 2025. It was prepared to boost domestic demand, support people's livelihoods, and revitalize the film industry.
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