Theaters screen classical music concerts, drama series, past hits to fill void

Posters for New Year's concerts by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, left, and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Courtesy of Megabox

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Movie theater chains are screening classical music concerts, drama series and past hits to fill the void left by the postponement of film releases, as the resurgence of COVID-19 cases has delayed what was already expected to be a slow recovery for cinemas.

While over-the-top (OTT) services are doing brisk business, theaters are struggling to draw audiences because of a lack of new films as major studios believe that releasing a big movie during the pandemic can be risky.

Overall box office ticket sales have plummeted due to COVID-19, with the openings of many domestic and foreign films being postponed, including Disney's “Soul,” Korean sci-fi thriller “Seobok” and romantic comedy “New Year Blues.”

According to data provided by the Korean Film Council, a total of 3.59 million people went to the cinema in November, down 80.7 percent from the same month last year. For the January-November period, the number of the moviegoers fell 71.6 percent year-on-year to 58.1 million, with revenue totaling 498 billion won ($452 million).

So multiplexes are dealing with the dilemma on how they can fill the void and lure moviegoers back into cinemas on their own.

Megabox recently announced it will screen New Year's concerts by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on Jan. 2 and 3, respectively. The chain hopes people will take the chance to take their minds off COVID-19 and enjoy the opportunity to watch the musical performances.

CGV will livestream pianist Yiruma's concert titled “River Flows” across 35 branches Dec. 20. The pianist will perform the 100-minute concert in a venue without an audience and it will feature hits like “River Flows in You,” which recently hit 100 million views on YouTube, “Kiss The Rain,” “Indigo” and the latest pieces “Room With A View” and “Sunset Bird.”

Meanwhile, it will be screening a 147-minute theatrical version of the drama “Breakup Suspension,” starring Yuri of Girls' Generation and Hyun Woo, until Dec. 22. Originally a 10-episode series of 30 minutes each, the fantasy romance follows the story of a woman who has to leave her fiance within a week in order to save his life. Broadcaster SBS will release the series on its channel and video streaming platform.

“We will deliver more diverse content in an attempt to revitalize the movie theater industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic. We hope to curb the decline of the number of moviegoers and cinema revenue,” a CGV official said.

This month, movie theaters have been showing a few Hollywood classics movies such as the romantic comedy “Love Actually” (2004) and musical drama “La La Land” (2016).

They will also re-release the Japanese melodrama “Love Letter” (1995) and Hong Kong romantic drama “In the Mood for Love” (2000) on Dec. 23 and 24, respectively.