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Long-running theaters prepare final screenings
Major South Korean multiplex chains are closing several theaters in and around Seoul even as movie attendance begins to recover, according to film industry officials.
Megabox will close its Sinchon location on the 21st after nearly 20 years. The eight-screen, 1,700-seat theater opened in 2006 inside a privately developed rail station complex in Sinchon, a university district in western Seoul. The company decided to close the theater after its lease expired.
Megabox's Dongdaemun location will end operations on the 30th, nearly two decades after opening in 2008. Both theaters are holding farewell screenings. Sinchon is bringing back the Ryan Gosling science-fiction film “Project Hail Mary,” while Dongdaemun is showing returning titles including the animated feature “Attack on Titan: The Last Attack.”
Nine multiplex locations disappear
Other major chains have also reduced their footprints. CGV closed its Pangyo theater last month after its lease ended. The location, which opened in 2015 and featured premium formats including IMAX and 4DX, operated for 11 years. Lotte Cinema also closed its Bupyeong and Hapjeong locations last month.
South Korea's three dominant multiplex operators — CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox — had 419 theaters as of the end of June, according to company filings. That was down from 428 at the end of last year, and the total is expected to fall further by year's end.
Data from the Korean Film Council, the government-backed body that tracks the domestic movie industry, show the number of theaters nationwide declining from 573 in 2023 to 570 in 2024 and 547 in 2025.
Recovery remains below pre-pandemic levels
South Korean theaters drew 87.26 million moviegoers from January through August and generated 898.3 billion won in revenue, according to the film council. Attendance rose 28.9% from the same period last year, while revenue increased 36.4%.
Several major releases helped drive the rebound. “The Man Who Lives With the King” attracted 16.92 million admissions, making it the second-highest-grossing film in South Korean box office history by attendance. “The Odyssey” surpassed 11 million admissions this month, while the Hollywood superhero film “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” topped 8 million.
Despite those hits, the industry is not expected to return to its 2019 performance, when theaters recorded about 226.67 million admissions and 1.914 trillion won in revenue. A theater industry official said attendance remains lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic while labor, production and rental costs have risen, leaving operators with little choice but to close locations to improve their financial health.
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