Industry Breaches Milestone for Third Consecutive Year
On December 5th, the Korean box office breached the 200 million admissions milestone for the third consecutive year in record pace. Total sales reached KRW 1.58 trillion (USD 1.34 billion), with the local industry contributing 51% of that figure (USD 676.06 million) and Hollywood accounting for 44% (USD 597.74 million). The mark was reached 11 days faster than last year and 12 days faster than 2013.
To date, 11 films (including seven homegrown titles) have eclipsed the five million admissions mark, generally considered the benchmark for smash-hit status, with a pair of those (
Assassination and
Veteran) going over the ten million viewer milestone. The group includes one holdover from 2014 (
Ode to My Father) and two films currently in theaters (
The Priests and
Inside Men). This matches the record set in 2013 and with a trio of highly-anticipated titles out next week, there’s a chance for 2015 to create a new benchmark.
Korean films topped the 100 million viewer mark for the fourth time on November 29th and have to date reached 102.26 million viewers, while Hollywood films trail behind with 87.4 million admissions. Beyond those two major filmmaking industries, UK films accounted for 2.1% of sales (4.27 million viewers, USD 28.1 million) and Japanese titles recorded a 1.7% market share (3.71 million viewers, USD 23.18 million).
2015 looks set to end on a high note, with local blockbusters
The Tiger and
The Himalayas and Hollywood tentpole
Star Wars: The Force Awakens due for release next week.