New coronavirus postpones release of over 50 films

A movie theater in downtown of Dong-gu, Gwangju, is seen empty on Feb. 1. / Korea times file

By Kim Jae-heun

The spread of new coronavirus has postponed the opening of over 50 films originally scheduled for February and March.

Distributors decided to delay them due to the quarantine measures imposed by local governments and moves by residents themselves to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

According to the Korean Film Council, only 59,876 people went to see a movie March 3, the lowest in 16 years. This compares with the lowest turnout prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which was 257,496, Dec. 16 last year.

Distributors cannot fix new release dates for the films as they do not know when the outbreak will be over.

“Time to Hunt,” “Fukuoka,” the black-and-white version of “Parasite”, and “Mulan” are some of the films that have had their release dates postponed.

Some distributors are reviewing opening their movies in the second half of 2020 or early next year.

A film insider said even if a movie monopolizes the screen at the local box office, it will not be able to break even.

When the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) broke out in 2015, it took two months for audience levels to return to pre-outbreak levels after the government announced the official end of the epidemic.

This implies that even when the new coronavirus is stamped out, it will take several more months before people go back to cinemas.

Postponing the release date of a film needs approval of both the production firm, distributor and investors because it generates additional marketing expenses.

A film distributor official said it normally costs between 1.5 billion won and 2 billion won to market a movie.

The COVID-19 epidemic has also affected the filming schedule of upcoming movies. If even one of the production crew members or actors becomes infected, the whole shoot has to be suspended.

The industry is concerned that this could create a “film vacuum” in the first half of next year.