Cinemas in South Korea - statistics & facts

While 2019 saw quite a few records being broken in Korean cinemas, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the industry to come to an almost standstill in 2020. Many movie theaters were closed temporarily due to social distancing regulations and the temporary halt of various cultural activities. The decrease in both ticket sales and the supply of new films continued during the year, resulting in box office revenue dropping to 580 billion South Korean won, a roughly 70 percent decrease from 2019. In 2022, around 54 percent of all box office revenue generated within the country was derived from the domestic movie productions, bolstered by multiple popular action movie releases. Correspondingly, the highest-grossing movie that year was "The Roundup" with around 131.3 billion won in revenue.

Leading cinema chains

As of February 2023, there were 98 cinemas operating in South Korea's capital Seoul, with a total of 608 movie screens. Nearly all cinemas in South Korea are multiplex theaters operated by one of three large cinema chains: Around half of the market is led by CGV, which is a subsidiary of CJ Corporation, followed by Lotte Cinema and Megabox. Only around 2.8 percent of ticket sales are not connected to one of these chains.

Korean film history

These days, the South Korean film industry is evolving, and its global success is growing. After years of censorship, both during the Japanese occupation and during Park Chung-hee’s authoritarian regime, a wave of “New Korean Cinema” developed right after the Asian financial crisis of 1997. One of South Korea’s first blockbusters was Shiri in 1999, a movie about a North Korean spy in Seoul, selling more than two million tickets in Seoul alone, a record number of that time. Thanks to Hallyu, the Korean culture wave, the success of South Korean movies grew beyond the country’s borders. In early 2020, Parasite by Bong Joon-ho became the first non-English movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 2, 2024

Key insights

Box office revenue
1.3tr KRW
Number of cinema admissions
125.1m
Movie theater chain with the highest market share
CGV
Get more insights

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Box office revenue of the highest-grossing movies in South Korea in 2023 (in billion South Korean won)

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Number of cinemas in South Korea as of January 2024, by province

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Number of cinemas in South Korea 2024, by province

Most watched movies in South Korea in 2023 (in millions)

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Most viewed movies South Korea 2023

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