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| Moviegoers walk through a relatively empty cinema foyer in Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
With the loosening of social distancing rules, the local box office is showing signs of a recovery. Over the five-day holiday from May 1 to 5 that included Buddha's Birthday, Labor Day and Children's Day, 441,380 people visited cinemas nationwide, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Daily box office sales recorded 114,700 moviegoers May 5, the highest in nearly two months.
In April the monthly number of moviegoers hit the lowest level since KOFIC started compiling box office data in 2004. A total of 972,337 tickets were sold over the month, compared with 13.3 million tickets sold in the same period last year.
The rebound in the cinema business comes after the government hinted that it would ease social distancing rules to allow people to engage in a certain level of economic and social activity while maintaining their distance. Korea has recorded around 10 or fewer new cases daily recently, a sharp drop from the Feb. 29 peak of 909.
"I visited the movie theater for the first time in four months," said a moviegoer surnamed Chae, who went to the cinema May 5 to watch "1917."
"There were a lot more people than I expected. With new infections dropping to single digits, I think people are less worried about the virus," he said.
To reverse the downward trend stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, local multiplexes, which had been re-releasing past popular films such as "The Avengers" and "La La Land," have begun rolling out new films.
The black-and-white version of "Parasite," the horror film "Hotel Lake," the Taiwanese romance "Love the Way You Are," the American action comedy "My Spy" and the animated film "Trolls World Tour" were released April 29, just ahead of the five-day holiday.
Two of Korea's leading movie theater chains, CGV and Megabox, resumed operations at temporarily closed theaters. As part of belt-tightening efforts, CGV shut down 36 theaters for one month in April, while Megabox closed 11 branches nationwide.
Despite the reopening, they still reduced their maximum seating capacity by 50 percent to ensure an adequate amount of space for the health and safety of customers.
"We've decided to resume operations to revitalize the stagnant film industry and make it easier for customers to visit theaters and check out new releases," a Megabox official said.
A handful of films, which were set for release in March and April, are now being slated for release in May and the coming months.
The mystery thriller "Intruder," which was initially planned to hit theaters March 12, will be released May 21, according to its distributor. Directed by Sohn Won-pyung and starring Song Ji-hyo, the film is about a family embroiled in mysterious incidents after their missing daughter returns home.
"We're currently finalizing the schedule for the press screening and interviews. The modified schedule will be announced within a day or two," said an official from PlanIt, the film's distributor.
The action comedy "Jazzy Misfits," starring actress Cho Min-soo and rapper Cheetah, will premiere May 27. Distributors of the thriller "Call," featuring Park Shin-hye, and the drama "Innocence," starring Shin Hye-sun, are also considering releasing the films in May.
More films, including "#Alone" led by Yoo Ah-in, will likely come out in June to attract more moviegoers.
In addition, film festivals and award ceremonies are poised to take place next month.
This year's Daejong Film Awards has been scheduled for June 3 with a smaller audience. The annual event was originally set for Feb. 25, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 fears. The Baeksang Arts Awards, honoring outstanding achievements in the Korean film and television industry, will be held June 5 without an audience.
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