Struggling movie theater industry make efforts to attract moviegoers

We did talk about a soon-to-be-released movie in our K-enter segment just a bit ago, but the reality is movie theaters in Korea have been struggling to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

Various efforts are being made to attract moviegoers, like providing on-site experiences for the highly loyal "fanatics," and even mergers between theater companies in a desperate bid to survive.

Lee Eun-jin tells us more.

A section of this movie theater has been transformed.

A space where there's an added experience for fans of the popular Japanese manga 'Kaiju No. 8'.

It's the first time that such an experience has been set up in Korea, and just in time for the release of its film adaptation.

"It was really cool to see each character in such detail, just like in the manga."

"It was a meaningful experience It reminded me of the protagonist's difficult journey in the story."

As such, movie theaters have been focusing on offering extensions of entertainment that can only be experienced in person.

Lately, there have been pop-up exhibitions and merchandise shops for films with strong fan bases.

Certain theaters also offer their exclusively branded collaboration merchandise, as well as specialized screening rooms that fully utilize their large screens to stand out from their competition.

The struggles of movie theaters suggest that going to the movies after a meal, which was once a cultural habit, is no longer routine.

According to the Korean Film Council, in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, people went to the movie theater on average 4-point-3-7 times a year.

But in 2024, that number dropped to 2-point-4.

That means revenues for theaters also fell to nearly half of what they were.

Over the same period, between 2019 and 2024, countries like China and Japan recovered to over 90 percent of their box office revenues, while the global average recovery rate came to roughly 87 percent.

But recovery for theaters in Korea is noticeably slower.

The cinema industry's stagnation is now evident, and as a first indication of a major shake-up, South Korea's second-and third-largest theater franchises have announced plans to merge.

Their aim is to reduce overlapping investments and improve profitability.

If successful, the merged entity would instantly become the largest in the industry, in terms of the number of screens.

While it may be a necessary survival move for theaters, there are growing concerns that it may, in the long run, limit options for moviegoers.

"If two massive corporations emerge from this merger, they'll likely invest more heavily in premium, or specialized theaters. That could mean a greater focus on Seoul and the capital region, leading to small neighborhood cinemas and local films disappearing."

If film distributors are also brought under the same corporate umbrella, there are concerns that this could reduce the diversity of films and wither the ecosystem for independent films.

We are now in an era where people are more willing to pay higher ticket prices for musicals or large-scale concerts than for movies.

It remains to be seen whether the industry's survival efforts can spark change and usher in a new springtime for movie theaters.

Lee Eunjin, Arirang News.