{"id":2214965,"date":"2025-12-28T22:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T22:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2214965"},"modified":"2025-12-28T22:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T22:05:00","slug":"what-2025-revealed-about-koreas-box-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/what-2025-revealed-about-koreas-box-office\/","title":{"rendered":"What 2025 revealed about Korea’s box office"},"content":{"rendered":"

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An image of a theater in Seoul on Aug. 8. The screens display showtimes for the films “My Daughter is a Zombie,” left, and Japanese anime \u201cChainsaw Man: The Movie \u2013 Reze Arc.\u201d [NEWS1]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Korea\u2019s box office in 2025 presented a sobering snapshot of an industry still struggling to regain momentum in the post-pandemic era. Not a single film reached the 10 million audience mark, and only one Korean film even made it to the top five most-viewed list.
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Yet beneath this bleak surface lie signs of shifting audience preferences and a changing perception of what the theatrical space itself represents, offering clues as to where the industry may be headed next.
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The total number of moviegoers this year stood slightly over 103 million as of Friday, a precipitous drop from the more than 123 million recorded the previous year.
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The downturn was further highlighted by the absence of any film this year surpassing the 10 million admissions milestone \u2014 widely regarded as a benchmark for major commercial success in Korea.\u00a0The last time that Korea had no films that reached this level was during the pandemic four years ago. Then, the lack of moviegoers could be attributed to the extraordinary circumstances of 2021; however, the same explanation doesn’t apply today, making the current situation even more concerning. It also perhaps demonstrates that audiences now go to the theater for a specific purpose.\u00a0
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\u201c[This year\u2019s box office showed that] films that give audiences a real reason to go to the theater can survive,\u201d pop culture critic Jung Duk-hyun said.
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Though the numbers point to a film industry in a pronounced slump with the overall box office performance being disappointing, the year also revealed a notable shift. So how did this year’s box office look, and how should\u00a0<\/span>the nation’s box offices approach the upcoming year?
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A still from \u2033Zootopia 2\u2033 [THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY KOREA]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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Korean films lose their footing<\/b>
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At this year\u2019s box office, four of the top five titles were foreign or animated films, with only one Korean production making the list.
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Currently at No. 1 is Disney’s \u201cZootopia 2,\u201d followed by Japanese anime \u201cDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba \u2013 Infinity Castle Arc.\u201d The sole Korean film, \u201cMy Daughter is a Zombie,\u201d ranked third, while the Brad Pitt-led \u201cF1\u201d and Japanese anime \u201cChainsaw Man: The Movie \u2013 Reze Arc\u201d placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
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This is in stark contrast to last year, when only one foreign title \u2014 \u201cInside Out 2\u201d (2024) \u2014 entered the top five, outnumbered by Korean films such as \u201cExhuma\u201d (2024), \u201cThe Roundup: Punishment\u201d (2024), \u201cI, the Executioner\u201d (2024) and \u201cPilot\u201d (2024).
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While the strong performance of foreign films and Japanese anime may appear to reflect their popularity, many experts point to a more fundamental reason: the limited number of Korean films released in theaters this year.
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\u201cThe biggest problem was that not many Korean films were actually made,\u201d pop culture critic Jung <\/span>said. \u201cWith so few domestic titles, it\u2019s hard to expect strong results, which leaves theaters in a position where they have little choice but to depend on foreign films or animation just to survive.\u201d
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Some noted that foreign and animated films did not necessarily outperform expectations, but rather stood out because of the absence of domestic titles.
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\u201cForeign films and animation basically sold about as well as they always have,\u201d culture critic Kim Sung-soo said. \u201cIn the case of animation, there were more releases [this year], but that wasn\u2019t really because demand suddenly grew. It was more that theaters didn\u2019t have much else they could put on screens, so they ended up showing more animated films.\u201d
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As \u201cDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: The Infinity Castle\u201d continues its strong run and approaches 4 million admissions, moviegoers buy tickets at a theater in Seoul on Sept. 8. [NEWS1]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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He added, \u201cWhen you go to a theater and that\u2019s pretty much all there is to watch, you just watch that. There are still people who go to the movies out of habit, and for them, choosing animation or a foreign film is almost unavoidable when the options are so limited.\u201d
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The shortage of Korean theatrical releases is also closely linked to the migration of filmmakers to global streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+, further weakening the theatrical ecosystem.
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\u201cA lot of people in the film industry who moved over to streaming platforms still haven\u2019t come back,\u201d film critic Youn Sung-eun said.
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\u201cFor example, director Byun Sung-hyun, who made Netflix\u2019s \u2018Good News,\u2019 is someone who originally made theatrical films, but he moved to streaming platforms and received strong responses there. If \u2018Good News\u2019 had been released exclusively in theaters, it probably wouldn\u2019t have drawn that many viewers, but through the streamer, it was able to achieve a meaningful result.\u201d
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She added, \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s not so easy for directors to come back to theatrical films because streaming platforms offer a space with less risk, more freedom in subject matter and more room to try things they actually want to make. In that sense, streaming has become a much more comfortable option for creators.\u201d
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A still from \u2033Secret: Untold Melody\u2033 [PLUS M ENTERTAINMENT]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Not much that is truly new<\/b>
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Seeing something totally new was difficult this year, as many releases were built on already popular intellectual property (IP), ranging from anime and major franchises to spinoffs and remakes. In other words, box offices favored stories with proven storylines that could reliably lure people to the theaters.\u00a0\u00a0
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Japanese anime series like \u201cDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle Arc,\u201d \u201cChainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc\u201d and \u201cJuhutsu Kaisen: Shibuya Incident \uff0f Culling Game – The Movie\u201d have gained momentum in cinema. Overseas franchise films, including \u201cMission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning,\u201d \u201cZootopia 2\u201d and \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash,\u201d also dominated screens.
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And for Korean films, many showed a similar pattern, with some being adaptations of webtoons, like \u201cMy Daughter is a Zombie,\u201d spinoffs such as \u201cDark Nuns\u201d or sequels like \u201cHitman 2.\u201d A trend of remakes of hit overseas romance films, which was seen last year, also continued, such as \u201cSecret: Untold Melody.\u201d
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For theaters and investors, planning and producing such titles is a calculated strategy aimed at drawing even one more moviegoer.
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\u201cTitles that already have an existing IP benefit from fandom and familiarity, which helps generate built-in interest when they are introduced,\u201d said an insider from a domestic film investment and distribution company. \u201cBeyond that, IP-based materials are also able to expand worlds and characters over time, making them strong both creatively and industrially.\u201d
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Merchandise for director Park Chan-wook’s film \u2033No Other Choice\u2033 [CJ ENM] <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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As a result, while IP-based titles continue to generate demand and achieve a certain level of commercial success based on their established fan base, original new releases are facing increasingly high barriers to box office entry \u2014 reflecting that deepening pattern of fandom-driven consumption.
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Many experts noted that this year\u2019s box office clearly illustrated the growing influence of fandom culture, even in genres once considered niche.
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\u201cFor Japanese anime, though they have their own stories, one thing in common was having an original IP that is already familiar in Korea and supported by a well-established fan base ready to go to theaters when a film version is released,\u201d critic Sung Sang-min said.
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This fan-driven trend led many theaters to adopt merchandise giveaways this year, a strategy usually used by indie or animated films to garner attention.
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\u201cThese days, even big films don\u2019t hold back on giving out merchandise,\u201d critic Sung said. \u201cThey would give something away in the first week or on its opening day, then change things up again in the second or third week. It\u2019s not just about watching the movie anymore, it\u2019s turning into a more group-driven experience, where people are trying to satisfy their own tastes and expectations along with the film.\u201d
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Still from film \u2033The World of Love,\u2033 directed by Yoon Ga-eun [BARUNSON E&A]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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More diverse line-ups<\/b>
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Despite the overall slump, the films that did gain audience attention were not confined to one or two genres. Interest spanned widely, from comedy, thriller and action to horror, zombie films and other genre-driven works.
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Independent films also gained notable traction through word-of-mouth. For example, the film \u201cThe World of Love\u201d attracted over 180,000 moviegoers, making it the most-watched indie Korean film of the year. The horror film \u201cThe Substance\u201d also drew 400,000 viewers, despite its niche appeal.
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This dynamic reflects a shift in audience behavior and in how theaters are perceived. Viewers have become more open to diverse genres and formats, moving beyond an exclusive focus on mainstream titles. As a result, smaller films have gained increased opportunities for theatrical runs.
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\u201cSomething like \u2018The World of Love\u2019 was never something we expected to take off like that,\u201d critic Jung said. \u201cPeople watched it, loved it and started spreading the word. The buzz kept growing, and audiences kept asking theaters to screen it, which ended up creating a longer run.\u201d
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Experts emphasize that embracing diversity is key to the future survival of theaters, as cinemas increasingly function as spaces where audiences explore and affirm their personal tastes, rather than simply consume content.
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\u201cThere are actually a lot of really well-made films, even if they\u2019re small- to mid-budget productions,\u201d Jung added. \u201cWe need more of those kinds of films to come out, and theaters need to be able to embrace that diversity \u2014 that really has to become the main focus.\u201d
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BY KIM JI-YE [[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n