Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
'Avengers' rekindles screen quota debate
Moviegoers stand in front of a poster for the film “Avengers: Endgame” at a local theater in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
The “Avengers” have no rival. On its opening day, Wednesday, “Avengers: Endgame” attracted 1.34 million viewers at the local box office. On its fifth day, Sunday, the number is nearing 5 million.
The superhero film single-handedly raked in 9.7 billion won in sales that day. Social media shows stories of movie fans who said they took a day off work to watch the Marvel film on its premiere.
The film was screened 12,545 times in 2,760 local theaters on its opening day, accounting for about 85 percent of all seats at cinemas nationwide and 80.9 percent of all shows available on local screens.
The record-smashing performance of the film has rekindled the decade-long dispute over “anti-monopoly” regulations in the local cinema market.
The government is moving to pass legislation to prevent a market monopoly. Culture Minister Park Yang-woo, two days before the Avengers' release, said he was mulling over introducing a bill for a screen quota.
Under the proposed bill, a revision of the Promotion of the Motion Pictures and Video Products Act, proposed by Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the ruling Democratic Party, a particular film should not take up over 50 percent of all show time provided at multiplex theaters during prime time ― between 1 p.m. and 11 p.m. In a meeting with the press, the newly appointed minister said, “Introducing a quota for screening is necessary,” adding that further details on the exact percentage were under discussion at the National Assembly.
Monopolization of the local cinema industry has been a prolonged issue. The government and the Assembly have taken initiatives to introduce anti-trust laws, to provide more screens to small budget and indie films thus enhancing diversity.
After CGV ushered in the era of multiplexes in Korea in 1998, the number of screens rapidly increased. Bong Joon-ho's 2006 film “The Host,” which attracted more than 10 million viewers, first raised the monopoly issue. Then, the film was shown on 620 screens or 30 percent of the total 1,648 screens nationwide. Each time local summer blockbusters or Hollywood action flicks are released, the issue resurfaces.
The 2017 local blockbuster “The Battleship Island,” distributed by CJ E&M, which took up more than 2,000 screens, mainly through CJ's dominant market share in the movie theater business, sparked the need to control the mega theater chains.
Currently four anti-trust bills proposed by lawmakers are pending at the National Assembly. The unprecedented performance of “Avengers: Endgame” has added new fuel to screen quota advocates.
Bae Jang-soo, a member of the Korean Cineastes Council for Anti-Monopoly, said, “There were a total of 123 films in theaters on the opening day of 'Endgame.' But the superhero film took over 80 percent of all show time available across the country. Is it really right for theaters not to reflect viewers' desire to watch the other 122 films?”
He said along with the screen quota, there should be additional measures to foster indie films. “Along with the anti-trust measure, I think theaters should screen indie films for a certain number of days of a year. Then we can have a healthier cinema industry where we can get to see the next Park Chan-wook and next Bong Joon-ho.”
Film critic Kim Si-moo also voiced his concern. “The fact that a single film attracted more than 1 million moviegoers in a single day doesn't look normal to me. Some say it is the outcome of each audience member's voluntary choices, but I think we should give serious thought if audiences have been induced to make such lopsided decisions.”
According to the Korean Film Council's 2018 year-end report, the box office top ranked films took up 33 percent of total show time on average at theaters nationwide. The top three box office hits accounted for 67.5 percent of show time.
But theaters oppose the regulation, claiming Avenger's success is the only answer to the supply-demand market principle. “The presales for the film reached more than 2.3 million. The audience response to the film has never been as fierce as this,” said a CGV official. “It is our role to give our customers easier access to films that they want to watch. Even if we give more show time to other films, under the regulation, audiences would not choose those other movies over the film that they wanted to watch.”
Before the opening of “Endgame,” local theaters had diversity in the selection of films. “Birthday” topped the box office, various genre films including “The Curse of La Llorona” and “Another Child” have shared show time at theaters. But the diversity didn't' lead to ticket sales. Local film “Birthday,” telling the story of the tragic Sewol ferry sinking, topped the box office for three weeks, prior to “Endgame,” but it only accrued 1.13 million viewers during the period.